Carlos Cuéllar
Cuéllar in 2012
Personal information
Full name Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez
Date of birth (1981-08-23) 23 August 1981
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Inter Argibay
Santa Ana
Pegaso
→ San Federico (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 Numancia 62 (4)
2000–2001 → Calahorra (loan) 27 (1)
2003–2007 Osasuna 71 (2)
2007–2008 Rangers 36 (4)
2008–2012 Aston Villa 94 (2)
2012–2014 Sunderland 30 (1)
2014–2015 Norwich City 8 (0)
2015–2016 Almería 18 (0)
2016–2017 Maccabi Petah Tikva 30 (0)
2017–2018 Ironi Kiryat Shmona 31 (1)
2018 Beitar Jerusalem 0 (0)
2018–2019 Bnei Yehuda 23 (1)
Total 430 (16)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos ˈkweʎaɾ]; born 23 August 1981) is a Spanish former professional footballer. Mainly a central defender, he could also operate as a right-back.

Club career

Early career

Born in Madrid, Cuéllar represented Internacional de Argibay, DAV Santa Ana, CD Pegaso and AD San Federico as a youth.[2] In 2000, after a short trial at Atlético Madrid, he was signed by CD Numancia, being immediately loaned to CD Calahorra in Segunda División B.

Cuéllar returned to the Soria after his loan expired, and made his professional debut on 23 September 2001, starting and being booked in a 1–2 away loss against Xerez CD in the Segunda División championship.[3] He scored his first professional goal on 12 May of the following year, netting the last in a 4–0 home routing of Racing de Ferrol.[4]

Osasuna

On 29 August 2003 Cuéllar signed a three-year deal with CA Osasuna in La Liga.[5] He made his debut in the competition on 19 October, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win against Real Murcia.[6]

Cuéllar spent his first two seasons as a backup to César Cruchaga and Josetxo, but still renewed his contract with the club on 1 December 2005.[7] 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.[8]

Rangers

Carlos Cuéllar with a fan during his time at 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

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, but Celtic went on to win the match and the league title. As personal reward for what was an outstanding season, Cuéllar collected the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year award[12] and was named the Scottish Football Writers Associations Player of the Year.[13] At the event, he was quoted as saying "I want to stay at Rangers for life."[14] 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.[15] He was given the squad number 24, which he also wore at his previous club.[16] His move to Aston Villa 'surprised' and 'disappointed' manager Walter Smith.[17]

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.[18]

Cuéllar (back, third from left) in the Villa starting eleven in 2009.

He scored his first goal for Villa against Bolton Wanderers on 7 November 2009 at Villa Park.[19] His second goal for the Villa came against Manchester United on 10 February 2010, opening the scoring with a header which was 1–1.[20] 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 would 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".[21][22] After his release, Cuéllar said he was keen to stay at England despite an option to move back to Spain.[23]

Sunderland

Cuéllar tackling Arsenal's Theo Walcott on his Sunderland debut

On 2 July 2012, Sunderland confirmed the free signing of Carlos Cuéllar on a two-year contract following his departure from Aston Villa, signed by his former Villa manager Martin O'Neill.[24][25] He made his debut on 18 August in a goalless draw against Arsenal[26] and scored his first goal for the club on 18 November in a 3–1 victory at Fulham.[27]

At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was released by the club.[28]

Norwich City

Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with Championship side Norwich City on 20 August 2014.[29] He made his debut six days later in Norwich's League Cup match against Crawley Town. Cuéllar conceded an own goal in the 55th minute, but Norwich won the match 3–1.[30] Cuéllar was released by Norwich a few days after the club secured promotion back to the Premier League, having made 10 appearances for the Canaries.

Almería

On 10 August 2015, Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with UD Almería in the second level, mainly as a replacement to Levante UD-bound Ángel Trujillo.[31]

Maccabi Petah Tikva

On 12 August 2016, Cuéllar signed a short-term deal with Maccabi Petah Tikva for an undisclosed fee.

Ironi Kiryat Shmona

On 22 May 2017, Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with Ironi Kiryat Shmona.

Beitar Jerusalem

On 15 May 2018, Cuéllar joined Beitar Jerusalem, with his teammate Itamar Nitzan.[32] He was released from the team on 16 August 2018.[33]

Bnei Yehuda

On 7 September 2018, Cuéllar signed with Bnei Yehuda. He left the club in the summer 2019 and announced his retirement on 17 October 2019.[34][35]

Personal life

In December 2015, Cuéllar became a vegan for health reasons. He made this decision after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives.[36]

Career statistics

Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Calahorra 2000–01[37] Segunda División B 27100——6[lower-alpha 1]0331
Numancia 2001–02[37] Segunda División 23110———241
2002–03[37] Segunda División 39330———423
Total 62440———664
Osasuna 2003–04[37] La Liga 5030———80
2004–05[37] La Liga 14071———211
2005–06[37] La Liga 29100—2[lower-alpha 2]0—311
2006–07[37] La Liga 23130—9[lower-alpha 3]2—353
Total 712131—112—955
Rangers 2007–08[38] Scottish Premier League 364604119[lower-alpha 4]0—655
2008–09[39] Scottish Premier League 00000000—00
Aston Villa 2008–09[39] Premier League 28020106[lower-alpha 2]0—370
2009–10[40] Premier League 36241602[lower-alpha 5]0—483
2010–11[41] Premier League 120202000—160
2011–12[42] Premier League 1801000——190
Total 942919080—1203
Sunderland 2012–13[43] Premier League 2611010——281
2013–14[44] Premier League 400010——50
Total 3011020——331
Norwich City 2014–15[45] Championship 800020——100
Almería 2015–16[37] Segunda División 18020———200
Maccabi Petah Tikva 2016–17[46] Israeli League 30020———320
Ironi Kiryat Shmona 2017–18[46] Israeli League 3115051——412
Beitar Jerusalem 2018–19[46] Israeli League 0000—20—20
Bnei Yehuda 2018–19[46] Israeli League 23130———261
Career total 430164522224026054322
  1. ↑ Appearances in Segunda División B play-offs
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. ↑ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Cup
  4. ↑ 10 appearances in UEFA Champions League, 9 in UEFA Cup
  5. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Osasuna

Rangers

Aston Villa

Bnei Yehuda

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Player Profile". Premier League. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Bio". Carlos Cuéllar's official website. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Remonta el Xerez tras el descanso" [Xerez comebacks after the interval] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 24 September 2001. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "La permanencia del Numancia está muy cerca" [Numancia's permanence is very close] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 13 May 2002. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Cuéllar fichó por Osasuna" [Cuéllar signed for Osasuna] (in Spanish). Diario AS. 30 August 2003. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Accidentado KO del Murcia: grave lesión de Maciel y 3 rojas" [Accidentally KO from Murcia: Maciel's serious injury and three men sent off] (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 20 October 2003. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Cuéllar renueva por Osasuna" [Cuéllar renews with Osasuna] (in Spanish). UEFA.com. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ruthless Osasuna stun Leverkusen". UEFA.com. 5 April 2007.
  9. ↑ "Rangers clinch signing of Cuellar". BBC Sport. 6 July 2007.
  10. ↑ Moffat, Colin (31 July 2007). "Rangers 2–0 FK Zeta". BBC Sport.
  11. ↑ "Rangers 4–0 Gretna". BBC Sport. 1 September 2007.
  12. ↑ "SPL Player of the Year: Carlos Cuellar". The Herald. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 16 April 2008.
  13. ↑ "Cuellar picks up writers' award". BBC Sport. 5 May 2008.
  14. ↑ Double derby boost for Rangers Archived 16 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Herald.
  15. ↑ "Cuellar seals £7.8m move to Villa". BBC Sport. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
  16. ↑ "First Team Squad". Aston Villa FC Official website. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
  17. ↑ "Smith upset at Cuellar exit". Sky Sports. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  18. ↑ "Birmingham Mail - Sport - Aston Villa - Aston Villa FC news - Aston Villa 4 Juventus 3 - Bill Howell's pre-season verdict". Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  19. ↑ "Aston Villa 5–1 Bolton". BBC Sport. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  20. ↑ McNulty, Phil (10 February 2010). "Aston Villa 1–1 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  21. ↑ "Very happy because,..." Carlos Cuellar, via Facebook. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "Cuellar24 on Twitter". Carlos Cuellar, via Twitter. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  23. ↑ "Cuellar – No adios to England". Sky Sports. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  24. ↑ "Black Cats capture Cuellar". Sky Sports. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  25. ↑ "Cuellar joy at O'Neill deal". Sky Sports. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  26. ↑ Magowan, Alistair (18 August 2012). "Arsenal 0–0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  27. ↑ Smith, Ben (18 November 2012). "Fulham 1–3 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  28. ↑ "Premier League clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "CARLOS CUELLAR JOINS NORWICH CITY". 20 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  30. ↑ "Norwich 3-1 Crawley". BBC Sport. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  31. ↑ "El Almería cierra el fichaje de Cuéllar, un central con gran experiencia y envergadura" [Almería completes the signing of Cuéllar, a stopper with great experience and height] (in Spanish). Almería's official website. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  32. ↑ "קרלוס קוויאר ואיתמר ניצן חתמו בבית"ר ירושלים" (in Hebrew). One. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  33. ↑ "פרסום ראשון: קרלוס קוויאר שוחרר מבית"ר" (in Hebrew). Sport5.co.il. 16 August 2018.
  34. ↑ Jack, Christopher (16 October 2019). "Rangers boss Steven Gerrard inspires Carlos Cuellar to pursue coaching career". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  35. ↑ McKay, Gabriel (17 October 2019). "Carlos Cuellar pays final Rangers tribute as he announces retirement from football". Daily Record. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  36. ↑ González, Paula (13 January 2016). "Músculos veganos: humanos comeplantas que baten récords mundiales". Vice.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Carlos Cuéllar at BDFutbol
  38. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  39. 1 2 "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  40. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  41. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  42. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  43. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  44. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  45. ↑ "Games played by Carlos Cuellar in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  46. 1 2 3 4 Carlos Cuéllar at Soccerway
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