 Yepes while playing for Milan in 2010. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz | ||
| Date of birth | 13 January 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Cali, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Atalanta | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1997 | Cortuluá | 76 | (7) |
| 1997–1999 | Deportivo Cali | 93 | (11) |
| 1999–2002 | River Plate | 76 | (6) |
| 2002–2004 | Nantes | 73 | (2) |
| 2004–2008 | Paris Saint-Germain | 115 | (8) |
| 2008–2010 | Chievo | 63 | (1) |
| 2010–2013 | Milan | 38 | (1) |
| 2013– | Atalanta | 9 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999– | Colombia | 94 | (6) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 October 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 October 2013 | |||
Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmaɾjo ˈʝepes]; born 13 January 1976) is a Colombianprofessional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Serie A club Atalanta.[1] Yepes was well-known for his time in Paris Saint-Germain where he was considered to be one of the best defenders at the time dubbing him as 'Super Mario' before moving to Milan.[2][3] He has also been the captain of theColombian national team since 2008. Yepes is one of the last of the original members of the Colombian golden generation during their dying years where they won the 2001 Copa America. Thus, with the current golden generation, he's played in both the '90s golden generation (that ended in 2002) to the present golden team, along with Faryd Mondragón.[4][5][2]
Club career
Cortuluá
1994–1997 seasons
When Mario Yepes started his playing career in 1994 with Cortuluá, he was playing as a forward before Cortulua's coach converted him to a libero (sweeper).
Deportivo Cali
1997–1999 seasons
Yepes career really took off after he signed for his home town club Deportivo Cali in 1998. He won aColombian championship with Deportivo Cali. He was part of the squad of Copa Libertadores 1999.
River Plate
1999–2002 seasons
In 1999, Yepes joined River Plate in Argentina, where he became a star and won two Argentine Primera championships.
Nantes
2002–2004 seasons
In spite of the fact that several Italian and English clubs wanted to recruit Yepes, he signed for FC Nantes Atlantique in January 2002 where his nickname was “El Rey.”. After a difficult adaptation to the European style of playing (French in particular,) marked by a very aggressive play uncommon for Nantes (numerous red cards), he slowly adapted to the league. He became arguably one of the best defenders in the league when his team adopted an unconventional three-defender formation.
Paris Saint-Germain
2004–2008 seasons
Yepes became one the best central defenders of the French first division and joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2004, where his nickname was "Super Mario" as a reference to his defensive abilities and fitness levels.
Chievo Verona
2008–2010 seasons
In 2008, Yepes joined Chievo Verona of Italy. He signed a new contract in summer 2009.[6]
Milan
In March 2010, Chievo team-mate, Sergio Pellissier, confirmed that Yepes would join Milan in the summer, when his contract ran out.[7]
On 1 July 2010, Milan delegate administrator Adriano Galliani declared that Yepes is a big player to replace Giuseppe Favalli who became a free agent on the same day.[8]
2010–2011 season
Yepes got to Milan in the 2010–2011 season but was quickly deployed as a substitute due to the starting centre-back being Thiago Silva. Yepes played few games in the Italian Serie A, but participated in the UEFA Champions League. Yepes was close to scoring with Milan in the UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur, in which he had two clear chances of scoring with a header, but was denied twice by Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes.
2011–2012 season
Yepes scored his first goal for AC Milan on the 23 October 2011, where he finished off a remarkable Milan comeback against U.S. Lecce, scoring the 4th and winning goal for Milan in the 83rd minute to drive Milan to a 4–3 victory, withKevin-Prince Boateng scoring a hat-trick to level the scores after a 3–0 losing position.
2012–2013 season
On 12 May 2012, Yepes signed a one-year extension contract with A.C. Milan, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2013.[9] With barely any appearances, Yepes stated that he would not sign a new contract with the club despite being offered the chance, expressing that he needed more 'guaranteed' playing time in order to better prepare himself for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He later confirmed that A.C. Milan would not offer him as such and his reason for departure.[10][11][12]
International career
Yepes has played over 80 games for the Colombian national team since his debut in 1999.[13] He was part of the Colombia squad that won the Copa América in 2001.[14] He was also in the squads for three other editions of the tournament in 1999,[15] 2007[16] and 2011.
Due to his age during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Yepes expressed his passion for the national team and wanting to retire either after the world cup qualifiers or during the 2014 world cup. Jose Pekerman promised to meet with his retirement request.
In the final match of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay, Yepes scored 2 goals in a 1-2 victory, following Fredy Guarin's expulsion with a red card.
