Municipal
(Peru), Sporting Cristal (Peru), Boca Juniors (Argentina),
Newcastle United (England), Aston Villa (England), Newcastle
United ((England)
Honours
-
Biography
Nolberto Albino Solano Todco (born December 12, 1974 in Callao)
is a Peruvian football player who currently plays for Newcastle
United in the English Premiership. He is a popular figure in his
Peru - he is seen as one of the most famous Peruvians. He even
has a postage stamp in his name and figure.
His career started in Peru, first for Municipal (1993), and then
Sporting Cristal (1994-97); with this club he achieved a triple
championship (1994-1996) and reached the finals of the 1997's
Copa Libertadores, before leaving for Boca Juniors (1997-98),
and then to England, where he played for Newcastle United since
August 12, 1998 having scored five league goals in Argentina.
His debut Newcastle performance came in a Premier League match
against Chelsea on August 22, after 67 minutes of play, as a
substitute for goalscorer Andreas Andersson.
In June 2001, he signed a new contract which would mean he could
keep his place at the club for five years. Nevertheless, when
the manager of Newcastle, Sir Bobby Robson, showed his
displeasure at Solano's loyalty to his country, he was sold in
the "January window" of 2004 to Aston Villa. He had been an
extremely popular member of Newcastle and many fans voiced their
anger over his sale.
For Aston Villa, Solano became a valuable asset, having been,
curiously enough, their top scorer for the 2004-2005 season, and
elected Player of the Year by the supporters, the press and his
team mates.
However, Solano was re-signed by Newcastle in 2005 from Aston
Villa, just moments before the closure of the summer transfer
window on August 31st for £1.5 million with James Milner also
going on loan to Villa until the end of the season. He signed a
2 year contract, with the option to extend an additional year.
Solano's re-signing was met with delight by Newcastle fans, who
had chanted "Nobby's" name during the unveiling of record
signing Michael Owen earlier on the 31st.
An accurate and creative passer of the ball, he also has a fine
shot and scores many of his goals from free kicks. His best
contribution to his teams are perhaps the crosses that he swings
in for his attackers which result in many goals.
So far this season, Solano has scored two goals. The first was a
winning goal for Newcastle against Arsenal F.C. and the second
was a free-kick in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough F.C.
For Peru, Solano has been capped over 70 times, scoring 20 goals
(as of 2005). He has been a key member of the squad since the
mid-1990s.
