Ricardo Tavarelli
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Javier Tavarelli Paiva (born 2 August 1970 in Asunción
, Paraguay
) is a former Paraguayan footballer
, who played as a goalkeeper.
and then moved to the youth divisions of Club Olimpia
, where he made his debut in the first team squad in 1992, playing the Torneo Republica
. In Olimpia he would go on to win several national and international championships, becoming a fan-favorite. Tavarelli was a pivotal part of the 2002 Olimpia team that won the Copa Libertadores. His skills helped Olimpia win two key penalty shoot-outs against Grêmio
of Porto Alegre (semi-finals) and São Caetano
(finals). In 2004 he played for Grêmio
of Brazil
with little success. Tavarelli returned to Club Olimpia
and also had a brief sting playing for Sportivo Luqueño before finally retiring. He earned the nickname "Mono" (monkey
) because of his quick goalkeeping skills.
Tavarelli was also part of the Paraguayan national team
in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, playing the team's first two matches following the suspension of captain José Luis Chilavert
prior to the tournament.
Tavarelli's sister, Giselle, is the wife of Paraguayan footballer Roque Santa Cruz
.
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
) is a former Paraguayan footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, who played as a goalkeeper.
Career
Tavarelli started his career in the youth divisions of TacuaryTacuary
Tacuary Foot Ball Club is a Paraguayan football team, based in the neighborhood of Barrio Jara, Asunción. The club was founded in 1923. Despite being a small team that got promoted to the first division fairly recently , Tacuary qualified to the prestigious Copa Libertadores tournament twice and...
and then moved to the youth divisions of Club Olimpia
Olimpia Asunción
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División....
, where he made his debut in the first team squad in 1992, playing the Torneo Republica
Torneo República
The Torneo República is a defunct football tournament from Paraguay. The competition was held at the beginning of the year and its purpose was to integrate teams from the Asunción area with teams from other departments in order to give teams from all over the country a chance to qualify for...
. In Olimpia he would go on to win several national and international championships, becoming a fan-favorite. Tavarelli was a pivotal part of the 2002 Olimpia team that won the Copa Libertadores. His skills helped Olimpia win two key penalty shoot-outs against Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
of Porto Alegre (semi-finals) and São Caetano
Associação Desportiva São Caetano
Associação Desportiva São Caetano, commonly known as São Caetano, is a Brazilian football team based in the city of São Caetano, Brazil, part of the São Paulo greater metropolitan area. The team is dubbed Azulão , after the shirt colour. The sponsor is Consul, a well known Brazilian producer of...
(finals). In 2004 he played for Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly known as just Grêmio , is a Brazilian professional association football team based in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul founded by English and German immigrants on September 15, 1903. Major titles captured by Grêmio include one Intercontinental Cup, two Copa...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
with little success. Tavarelli returned to Club Olimpia
Olimpia Asunción
Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División....
and also had a brief sting playing for Sportivo Luqueño before finally retiring. He earned the nickname "Mono" (monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
) because of his quick goalkeeping skills.
Tavarelli was also part of the Paraguayan national team
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, playing the team's first two matches following the suspension of captain José Luis Chilavert
José Luis Chilavert
José Luis Félix Chilavert González is a Paraguayan former football player who played as a goalkeeper. He was a three-time IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award winner....
prior to the tournament.
Tavarelli's sister, Giselle, is the wife of Paraguayan footballer Roque Santa Cruz
Roque Santa Cruz
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero is a Paraguayan footballer currently playing as a striker for La Liga club Real Betis on loan from Manchester City and the Paraguay national football team....
.
Titles
| Season | Team | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 |  OlimpiaOlimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Torneo República Torneo República The Torneo República is a defunct football tournament from Paraguay. The competition was held at the beginning of the year and its purpose was to integrate teams from the Asunción area with teams from other departments in order to give teams from all over the country a chance to qualify for... |
| 1993 | Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguayan 1st division Liga Paraguaya: Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol , also known as the Primera División , or due to sponsorship reasons Copa TIGO, is the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay... |
| 1995 | Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguayan 1st division Liga Paraguaya: Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol , also known as the Primera División , or due to sponsorship reasons Copa TIGO, is the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay... |
| 1997 1997 in Paraguayan football -Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. After every draw during this stage the game went on to a penalty kick shootout, awarding two points to the winner of the shootout and one point to the losing team... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguayan 1st division Liga Paraguaya: Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol , also known as the Primera División , or due to sponsorship reasons Copa TIGO, is the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay... |
| 1998 1998 in Paraguayan football -Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguayan 1st division Liga Paraguaya: Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol , also known as the Primera División , or due to sponsorship reasons Copa TIGO, is the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay... |
| 1999 1999 in Paraguayan football -Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system. At the end, the top eight teams qualified to a playoff stage to determine the Apertura champion.-Apertura playoff stage:... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguayan 1st division Liga Paraguaya: Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol , also known as the Primera División , or due to sponsorship reasons Copa TIGO, is the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay... |
| 2000 2000 in Paraguayan football -Torneo Apertura:The Apertura tournament was played in a two-round all-play-all system, with the champion being the team with the most points at the end of the two rounds.-Torneo Clausura:The Clausura tournament was played in a single all-play-all system... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Paraguayan 1st division Liga Paraguaya: Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol , also known as the Primera División , or due to sponsorship reasons Copa TIGO, is the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay... |
| 2002 Copa Libertadores 2002 The 2002 Copa Libertadores de América was the 43rd edition of CONMEBOL's premier club football tournament. It was won by the Paraguayan club Olimpia; their third title.-First round:... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Copa Libertadores |
| 2003 Recopa Sudamericana 2003 The 2003 Recopa Sudamericana was the 11th edition of the match-up contested between the winners of CONMEBOL's two continental tournaments. This was the first Recopa contested since 1999 when the competition was discontinued due to the Supercopa Sudamericana folding in 1997. However, in 2002 the... |
Olimpia Olimpia Asunción Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sport club based in Asunción. It is best known for its professional football team which plays in the Paraguayan Primera División.... |
Recopa Sudamericana Recopa Sudamericana The Recopa Sudamericana is an annual football match-up between the reigning champions of the previous year's Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, South America's premier club competitions.... |