Barcelona
SC (Ecuator), Nacional (Ecuator), Barcelona SC (Ecuator), Cruz
Azul(Mexico), Necaxa (Mexico), Southampton (England), Aucas (Ecuator),
UNAM Pumas (Mexico), Barcelona SC (Ecuator), Liga Deportiva
Universitaria de Quito (Ecuator)
Honours
???
Biography
Agustín Delgado (nicknamed "Tin"),
(born December 23, 1974, in a small village in the Chota River
valley in Imbabura) is an Ecuadorian football player. He plays
center forward for Barcelona SC in the Ecuadorian Torneo
Clausura 2005 as well as in the national football team, where he
surpassed Eduardo Hurtado as top scorer in 2002.
He had a brief spell in the Barclays Premier League, with
disastrous results. He barely played and spent most of the time
in the physio's office. Southampton F.C. tried to bring him back
to fitness after the injury he picked up during the 2002 World
Cup Qualifiers, to no avail. However, history might have been
different, had the striker refused to play injured during the
World Cup. The pressure on him to play was enormous, Ecuadoreans
believed him (and his 9 goals) to be indispensable, plus
naturally, he dreamed of playing in a world cup. All that lead
to his decision -playing with an injury while heavily medicated
on painkillers- that effectively destroyed his future in Europe.
Upon return to England, it was found that his injury had become
chronic. It may even be said that he is not the same striker
anymore.
After the Southampton saga, he was released, and promptly went
to Mexico. This brought the end to a disappointing time for
Delgado although this was considered best for both parties.
Delagado did however leave a memorable event for the fans of
Southampton. He scored the winning goal for Southampton in a 3-2
home victory over the then Premiership champions Arsenal. He
memorably remarked on leaving the club that he would be, 'Dancing
in the Streets' with the clubs fans the day Southampton won the
Premiership. This absurd image became even more unlikely however
when the club where relegated in the 2004/05 season.
Delgado was then transferred to Barcelona Sporting Club from
UNAM Pumas on January 1, 2005, for an undisclosed amount. Before
that, he played for Nacional, Pumas, Southampton, Necaxa, Cruz
Azul and Aucas.
Delgado scored a goal at the 2002 World Cup, the first goal for
the Ecuadorian team in a World Cup, against Mexico. Delgado was
also the top scorer (with Hernán Crespo) in the CONMEBOL
qualifiers for the tournament, with nine goals.
Delgado is known for being a strong albeit rather slow player,
equally apt in offense and defense, ready to score in all the
matches. He is also known for his air prowess. However, critics
point out that he is a bit of a "tweener", his shooting just not
good enough to be a pure "number 11", and his finesse just not
good enough to be a pure "number 10".
However, as of 2005, he is one of the prime Ecuadorian sports
icons and the joint top scorer of the Ecuadorian national team
that reached the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He has plans to
retire from the Ecuadorian national team after the World Cup in
Germany.
