Nicolás Otamendi
Encyclopedia
Nicolás Hernán Gonzalo Otamendi (born 12 February 1988) is an Argentine
football centre back who plays for F.C. Porto in the Portuguese Liga
.
on May 10, 2008 on a 2-1 home victory against Rosario Central
for the 2008 Clausura tournament, under the guidance of head coach Hugo Tocalli
. During Tocalli's time, Otamendi was the fifth choice as central defender, behind Mariano Uglessich, Waldo Ponce
, Fernando Tobio
and Marco Torsiglieri
. However, his role in the first team changed during Ricardo Gareca
's first season as the club's head coach, the 2009 Clausura. Otamendi replaced Waldo Ponce
as the team's centre back for the third game of the tournament, after the Chile
an footballer was injured while playing for his national team
. Otamendi won a place as a regular starter along Sebastián Domínguez
in the defense. He ended up playing 17 of the 19 games in Vélez' 2009 Clausura winning campaign.
The defender scored his first professional goal during the 2009 Apertura, in Vélez' 3-1 victory over Arsenal de Sarandí
. During that season, he also debuted on an international club competition, playing the Copa Sudamericana
. In recognition of his performances throughout 2009, he was chosen for the South American Team of the Year, in a traditional continent-wide journalists' poll conducted by the newspaper El País
.
side F.C. Porto on a €4 million fee, signing a five-year contract. Vélez also retained 50% of his registration rights, and has a pre-set price of another €4 million to be excised by Porto prior to September 2011. In his first match in Portugal, Otamendi scored a goal in Porto's 2-0 victory over S.C. Olhanense. Since then, his ability to score goals has given him a reputation for doing so, especially after scoring two goals, both with his feet, in a victory against S.C. Braga.
On 6 September 2011 Porto excised the rights to sign the remain 50% rights for €4 million, made Otamendi costed Porto €8 million in total.
for the Argentine national team
to play a friendly international match against Panama
. When he was called, Otamendi was 21 years old and had only played 11 professional games. On May 20 he started the game against Panama, which Argentina won 3-1. He was also called to play the World Cup qualifying
matches against Colombia
and Ecuador
, and played as a centre back along Martín Demichelis
in the second of the aforementioned. He also started in the game against Brazil
, where he played along Sebastián Domínguez
, his teammate in Vélez. His third start with Argentina during the World Cup qualification was in the final match, against Uruguay
, where he played as a right fullback.
On May 19, 2010, Otamendi was confirmed as part of the 23 men squad to play the FIFA World Cup 2010 for Argentina. On June 22, 2010 Otamendi was in the starting eleven for the final group stage game against Greece
. On the press conference after the match, coach Diego Maradona said that, in his opinion, Otamendi was the best player on the field.
He also played the 90 minutes of the round of 16 game against Mexico
which Argentina won by 3-1. Finally, Otamendi also started on the quarter-final match against Germany
, which Argentina lost 4-0. This time his performance received criticism by the football press, as did Maradona's decision to improvise him on the right back position. However, after the tournament the defender expressed that he is always willing to play for his national team, even if it is not in his natural position of centre back.
Otamendi scored his first goal for Argentina in a 1–0 friendly victory over Venezuela
on September 2011 at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata
by heading a corner taken by captain Lionel Messi
.
|1||September 2, 2011||Kolkata
, India
||||1 – 0||1 – 0||Friendly
|}
F.C. Porto
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
football centre back who plays for F.C. Porto in the Portuguese Liga
Portuguese Liga
The Primeira Liga , formerly called Primeira Divisão, currently named Liga ZON Sagres after their main sponsors, is the top professional association football division of the Portuguese football league system...
.
Vélez Sársfield
Otamendi made his debut for Vélez SársfieldClub Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...
on May 10, 2008 on a 2-1 home victory against Rosario Central
Rosario Central
Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season....
for the 2008 Clausura tournament, under the guidance of head coach Hugo Tocalli
Hugo Tocalli
Hugo Daniel Tocalli is a former Argentine football goalkeeper and coach. He played over 400 games in Argentine football and went on to coach a number of clubs and the Argentina U-20 side.-Playing career:...
. During Tocalli's time, Otamendi was the fifth choice as central defender, behind Mariano Uglessich, Waldo Ponce
Waldo Ponce
Waldo Alonso Ponce Carrizo is a Chilean football defender who plays for club Cruz Azul in Mexico and the Chilean national team.-Universidad de Chile:...
, Fernando Tobio
Fernando Tobio
Fernando Omar Tobio is an Argentine football central defender currently playing for Vélez Sársfield.-Club career:...
and Marco Torsiglieri
Marco Torsiglieri
Marco Natanel Torsiglieri is an Argentine football center-back or left-back currently playing for FC Metalist Kharkiv.- Career :...
. However, his role in the first team changed during Ricardo Gareca
Ricardo Gareca
Ricardo Alberto Gareca, nicknamed el Tigre , is an Argentine football manager and former player. He currently manages Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera División....
's first season as the club's head coach, the 2009 Clausura. Otamendi replaced Waldo Ponce
Waldo Ponce
Waldo Alonso Ponce Carrizo is a Chilean football defender who plays for club Cruz Azul in Mexico and the Chilean national team.-Universidad de Chile:...
as the team's centre back for the third game of the tournament, after the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an footballer was injured while playing for his national team
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
. Otamendi won a place as a regular starter along Sebastián Domínguez
Sebastián Domínguez
Sebastián Enrique Domínguez is an Argentine football centre back who plays for Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera División.-Club career:...
in the defense. He ended up playing 17 of the 19 games in Vélez' 2009 Clausura winning campaign.
The defender scored his first professional goal during the 2009 Apertura, in Vélez' 3-1 victory over Arsenal de Sarandí
Arsenal de Sarandí
Arsenal Fútbol Club, usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí, is a football club from the Sarandí neighbourhood in the city of Avellaneda, Argentina, which was founded in 1957 by the Grondona brothers. Arsenal currently plays in the top tier of Argentine football, the Primera División Argentina....
. During that season, he also debuted on an international club competition, playing the Copa Sudamericana
2009 Copa Sudamericana
The 2009 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes is the 8th edition of the CONMEBOL's secondary international club tournament. Internacional were the defending champions, having won the trophy the previous season...
. In recognition of his performances throughout 2009, he was chosen for the South American Team of the Year, in a traditional continent-wide journalists' poll conducted by the newspaper El País
El País (Montevideo)
El País is a Uruguayan newspaper, published for the first time on September 14, 1918, and distributed nation-wide.Founded and published in Montevideo, El País was founded and directed by Leonel Aguirre, Eduardo Rodríguez Larreta and Washington Beltrán Barbat.Originally it was a political newspaper...
.
Porto
On August 23, 2010, Otamendi was transferred from Vélez Sársfield to PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
side F.C. Porto on a €4 million fee, signing a five-year contract. Vélez also retained 50% of his registration rights, and has a pre-set price of another €4 million to be excised by Porto prior to September 2011. In his first match in Portugal, Otamendi scored a goal in Porto's 2-0 victory over S.C. Olhanense. Since then, his ability to score goals has given him a reputation for doing so, especially after scoring two goals, both with his feet, in a victory against S.C. Braga.
On 6 September 2011 Porto excised the rights to sign the remain 50% rights for €4 million, made Otamendi costed Porto €8 million in total.
International career
In 2009 Otamendi was called by coach Diego MaradonaDiego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
for the Argentine national team
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
to play a friendly international match against Panama
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
. When he was called, Otamendi was 21 years old and had only played 11 professional games. On May 20 he started the game against Panama, which Argentina won 3-1. He was also called to play the World Cup qualifying
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
The South American zone of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw 10 teams competing for places in the finals which were held in South Africa. The format is identical to that used for the previous three World Cup qualification tournaments held by CONMEBOL...
matches against Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
and Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
, and played as a centre back along Martín Demichelis
Martin Demichelis
Martín Gastón Demichelis is an Argentine footballer who plays for Málaga CF in Spain, mainly as a central defender - he can operate as a defensive midfielder on occasion....
in the second of the aforementioned. He also started in the game against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, where he played along Sebastián Domínguez
Sebastián Domínguez
Sebastián Enrique Domínguez is an Argentine football centre back who plays for Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera División.-Club career:...
, his teammate in Vélez. His third start with Argentina during the World Cup qualification was in the final match, against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
, where he played as a right fullback.
On May 19, 2010, Otamendi was confirmed as part of the 23 men squad to play the FIFA World Cup 2010 for Argentina. On June 22, 2010 Otamendi was in the starting eleven for the final group stage game against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
. On the press conference after the match, coach Diego Maradona said that, in his opinion, Otamendi was the best player on the field.
He also played the 90 minutes of the round of 16 game against Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
which Argentina won by 3-1. Finally, Otamendi also started on the quarter-final match against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, which Argentina lost 4-0. This time his performance received criticism by the football press, as did Maradona's decision to improvise him on the right back position. However, after the tournament the defender expressed that he is always willing to play for his national team, even if it is not in his natural position of centre back.
Otamendi scored his first goal for Argentina in a 1–0 friendly victory over Venezuela
Venezuela national football team
The Venezuela national football team is the national football team of Venezuela and is controlled by the Federación Venezolana de Fútbol. It is nicknamed La Vinotinto , because of the traditional burgundy color of their shirts....
on September 2011 at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
by heading a corner taken by captain Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vélez Sársfield Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system... |
2007–08 Primera División Argentina 2007-08 The Apertura 2007 saw a great deal of success for the "smaller" teams in Argentine football. The eventual champions Club Atlético Lanús won the title for the first time in their history, the first "virgin" champions since Argentinos Juniors in 1984.... |
1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 Primera División Argentina 2008-09 The 2008-09 Primera División season was the 80th season of top-flight professional football in Argentina and the nineteenth season in which the Apertura and Clausura system is used.... |
18 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | 19 | 1 | – | – | 14 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 40 | 1 | |– | 14 | 0 | 54 | 1 | ||||
| FC Porto | 2010–11 2010–11 Portuguese Liga The 2010–11 Primeira Liga season was the 77th season of top-tier football in Portugal. It began on 15 August 2010 and ended on 14 May 2011. A total of 16 teams contested the league, 14 of which already contested in the 2009–10 and two of which were promoted from the Liga de Honra. Benfica were the... |
14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 31 | 6 |
| 2011–12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 35 | 7 | |
| Career totals | 57 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 89 | 8 | |
International goals
|-|1||September 2, 2011||Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
||||1 – 0||1 – 0||Friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
|}
Honours
Vélez Sársfield- Argentine Primera División: 1
-
- 2009 Clausura
F.C. Porto
- UEFA Europa League: 1
-
- 2010–11
- Primeira Liga: 1
- 2010–11
- Taça de PortugalTaça de PortugalThe Taça de Portugal is the main Portuguese national football knock-out competition. The tournament has been officially known as the Taça de Portugal Millennium since 2008, due to its sponsorship by Portuguese private bank Millennium BCP. It has occurred on a yearly basis since 1938 and is...
: 1
- Taça de Portugal
- 2010–112010–11 Taça de PortugalThe 2010–11 Taça de Portugal, also known as Taça de Portugal Millennium for sponsorship reasons, is the 71st season of the Taça de Portugal. A total of 172 clubs from all four tiers of Portuguese football took part in this tournament...
- Portuguese SupercupSuperCup Cândido de OliveiraThe Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira , also known as Portuguese SuperCup) is a Portuguese football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of the Portuguese Liga and the winners of the Cup of Portugal. If a team wins The Double , the double winner plays the defeated team of the Cup...
- Portuguese Supercup
- 20112011 Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraThe 2011 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira was the 33rd edition of the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the annual Portuguese football season-opening match contested by the winners of the previous season's top league and cup competitions...
- 2010–11
External links
- Profile at Vélez Sarsfield's official website
- Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI