 Cuéllar in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez | ||
| Date of birth | 23 August 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sunderland | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2001 | Calahorra | 27 | (1) |
| 2001–2003 | Numancia | 62 | (4) |
| 2003–2007 | Osasuna | 71 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | Rangers | 36 | (4) |
| 2008–2012 | Aston Villa | 94 | (2) |
| 2012– | Sunderland | 29 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 April 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkarlos ˈkweʎar]; born 23 August 1981) is a Spanishfootballer who plays for Sunderland. He is primarily a centre back, but can also operate as a right back.
Club career
Early career
Born in Madrid, Cuéllar began his career in Madrid playing at regional teams like C.D. Pegaso and San Federico. He played for Segunda División B side CD Calahorra in the 2000–01 season, upgrading one level in 2001, as he joined CD Numancia in the Segunda División.
He spent two seasons at Soria and, after a solid second year, moved to CA Osasuna in La Liga. He became an important part of the Javier Aguirre side that reached the Copa del Rey final in 2005 and finished fourth in the league in the following season, thus qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
As Osasuna "dropped" to the UEFA Cup Cuéllar, by then not an automatic first-choice in the league, played seven times in European competition, as the Navarrese reached the semifinals. He scored twice, notably in the 3–0 win at the BayArena against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in April 2007, which was the fastest goal of the tournament that season.[2]
Rangers
Scottish club Rangers made two offers for Cuéllar in June 2007 that were rejected by Osasuna, but the eventual transfer was completed on 5 July, for a fee of £2.37 million.[3] He signed a four-year contract, worth a reported £15,000 per week, and made his competitive Rangers debut against FK Zeta on 31 July 2007, in a 2–0 victory.[4] After impressing early in the season, Cuéllar was awarded the Scottish Premier League Player of the Month award for August 2007. He scored his first Rangers goal on 1 September 2007, during a 4–0 victory over Gretna FC.[5]
Cuéllar continued to play well for Rangers, but he was sent off during a critical Old Firm match for handling a goal-bound Shunsuke Nakamura shot. The resultant penalty kick was saved by Allan McGregor. As personal reward for what was an outstanding season, Cuéllar collected the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year award[6] and was named the Scottish Football Writers Associations Player of the Year.[7] At the event, he was quoted as saying "I want to stay at Rangers for life."[8] Following the departure of Thomas Buffel during the summer, Cuéllar was handed the number 4 shirt for the 2008–09 season, but never wore it as he was injured for the first game against Falkirk and transferred to Aston Villa just days later. He made a total of 65 appearances for Rangers, a club record for a single season, and scored 5 goals.
Aston Villa
On 12 August 2008, English Premier League side Aston Villa signed Cuéllar in a deal worth £7.8 million on a four-year contract. Villa's offer had triggered a release-clause in Cuéllar's Rangers contract.[9] He was given the squad number 24, which he also wore at his previous club.[10] His move to Aston Villa 'surprised' and 'disappointed' manager Walter Smith.[11]
Cuéllar made his official first team début on 18 September in the 3–1 UEFA Cup first round victory against PFC Litex Lovech in Bulgaria. He made his first league appearance for Aston Villa in the West Midlands Derby match against West Bromwich Albion on 21 September. Cuéllar came on as a late substitute in a match which Aston Villa won 2–1. His first league start came against Portsmouth on 19 October 2008, where he however operated as a right back. Most of Cuéllar's league appearances during his first season were in that position, due to the good form in the central partnership of Curtis Davies and Martin Laursen.
Cuéllar performed for Villa at the 2009 Peace Cup in his homeland. He went on to score the winning penalty in the final where Juventus went down 4–3 in a shootout to Villa.[12]
He scored his first goal for Villa against Bolton Wanderers on 7 November 2009 at Villa Park.[13] His second goal for the Villa came against Manchester United on 10 February 2010, opening the scoring with a header which was 1–1.[14]In the third round of a FA Cup, Cuéllar scored a header in a 3–1 win over Blackburn Rovers on 2 January 2010.
Aston Villa accepted an offer from Cuéllar's old club Rangers in the summer of 2011 but the player was injured and the move broke down. In February 2012, Cuéllar announced that he would be willing to play anywhere on the pitch if it was good for the team. He then started against Manchester City at left back ahead of Stephen Warnock in a Premier League match.
On 6 May 2012, following a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur that confirmed Aston Villa's Premier League survival, Cuéllar announced via his official Twitter and Facebook pages that he will leave the club at the end of his contract in the summer of 2012. Cuéllar called his final home game "one of the saddest days".[15][16] After his release, Cuéllar says he is keen to stay at England despite an option to move back to Spain.[17]
Sunderland
On 2 July 2012, English Premier League side Sunderland confirmed the free signing of Carlos Cuéllar on a two-year contract following his departure from Aston Villa.[18] Following his move to Sunderland, Cuéllar explained moving to Sunderland because he was interested in working for Martin O'Neill again. Cuellar played under O'Neill during his time at Aston Villa. Carlos also expressed his admiration for Sunderland fans and stated this was the reason for making the switch. Carlos played his debut against Arsenal which finished in a 0 – 0 draw he also got man of the match award.[19] Carlos scored his first goal for Sunderland in a 3–1 victory at Fulham.
