Ivan Zamorano: Chile’S Most Celebrated Footballer!
Ivan Luis Zamorano Zamora (born January 18, 1967 in Santiago) is a retired Chilean football striker. Along with Marcelo Salas and Elias Figueroa he is regarded as Chile’s most celebrated footballer of all time.
He was a member of the Chilean national team and played in the 1998 World Cup and four Copa America tournaments.
Zamarano played for several clubs, notably Spanish clubs Sevilla and Real Madrid as well as Italian club Internazionale.
He won the 1994-95 La Liga title and was the season’s top scorer with Real Madrid. He also won the UEFA Cup with Internazionale. A powerful and prolific goal-scorer, he was particularly renowned for his ability in the air, with many of his goals coming from headers.
In 2004, Zamorano was selected among the FIFA 100, a list of the best living football players in the world compiled by Pele.
Club career
Zamorano started his career at the club Trasandino then he moved to Cobresal in Chile in 1985.
In 1988, he moved to Europe to Swiss team FC St. Gallen, scoring 34 goals in 56 matches in three seasons. In 1991 Zamorano debuted in the Spanish PrimeraDivisión with Sevilla, where he would play 59 matches and score 21 goals before he was sold to Real Madrid for $5 million.
With Real Madrid, between 1992 and 1996, Zamorano won one league, one Copa del Rey, and one Spanish Supercup title. In 1995, under manager Jorge Valdano, Zamorano helped Real Madrid win the Spanish League title, scoring 27 goals – including a hat–trick against FC Barcelona – and received the Pichichi Trophy as the season’s top scorer. That year, he formed a particularly effective attacking partnership with playmaker Michael Laudrup.
In the 1992–93 and 1994–95 seasons, he won the EFE Trophy, which is awarded to the best Ibero-American player in La Liga every year by Spanish news agency EFE. In total, Zamorano appeared 173 times for Real Madrid, scoring 101 goals.
After five seasons in the Spanish league, Zamorano played four seasons in Serie A with Internazionale, from 1996 to 2000, where he was the teammate with YouriDjorkaeff, Diego Simeone, Javier Zanetti, and Ronaldo, among others.
He was initially the club’s premier striker, holding the coveted number nine shirt. However, upon Baggio’s arrival at the club, Ronaldo was forced to give up number ten, and wear number nine, therefore Zamorano had to give up his number and started wearing a shirt bearing the number ‘1+8’, therefore making him mathematically still a number 9 striker.
In May 1998, Inter won the UEFA Cup after beating Lazio in the final 3–0, with Zamorano scoring the opening goal. He had also scored in second leg of the previous year’s final, with the game going to penalties. However, Zamorano missed his penalty as Inter lost to Schalke 1–4.
Zamoranomoved to Mexico in 2001 to play for America for two seasons, winning the Torneo de Verano in the first season. He concluded his career playing in Colo-Colo making a childhood dream come true, in 2003, after a professional career spanning more than 16 years.
International career
Zamorano made his debut at the age of 20 on June 19, 1987, scoring a goal in a 3–1 friendly win against Peru. He scored five goals on April 29, 1997 in a 1998 World Cup qualifier against Venezuela, which ended in a 6–0 victory.
He played all four of Chile’s matches at the 1998 World Cup, setting up Marcelo Salas’ goal in a 1–1 draw against Austria.
In the 2000 Olympic Games, he won the bronze medal, scoring a brace in a 2–0 victory against United States and was the top scorer with six goals.
His last international match, at age 34, was a farewell friendly between Chile and France on September 1, 2001, which Chile won 2–1. Zamorano was capped 69 times, scoring 34 goals.
