Antolín Alcaraz Viveros (born 30 July 1982) is a Paraguayan professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays for

Club Olimpia Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan sports club based in the city of Asunción. The club promotes the practice of various sports with most importance given to the football, rugby and basketball sides, the former being the highest priority and most s ...

as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He rarely settled with a team in his early career, before signing in 2003 with

Beira-Mar Sport Clube Beira-Mar () is a Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, Portugal. Its football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth national level, having gained promotion by winning the Aveiro FA First Division 2018/19 ...

and remaining with the club five seasons, after which he joined

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.

. He then spent five years in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

, in service of

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

and Everton; after one year in Spain with

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spain, Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife), the most populous city in th ...

, he returned to his country. Alcaraz represented

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

at the

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

and the

2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South Americ ...

, helping them to the final of the later tournament.

Club career

Early years and Beira-Mar

Hailing from a humble background, Alcaraz worked throughout his teenage years as a builder's assistant in his hometown of

San Roque González de Santa Cruz San Roque González de Santa Cruz is a '' distrito'' in the Paraguarí Department of Paraguay, it is located 97 km from Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on th ...

in the

Paraguarí Department Paraguarí (; Guaraní: Paraguari) is a ''departamento'' in Paraguay. At the 2002 census it had a population of 221,932.Ñemby Ñemby () is a city in the Central Department of Paraguay. It is part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. History Among the historical sites of this city stands the Church of San Lorenzo which was founded by Spanish settlers in 1718 when ...

, but he did not have the intention of one day playing professional football. Whilst Alcaraz was working as a builder at the age of 18, he met

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

and football agent Carlos Bruni who took him to Argentina's

Racing Club de Avellaneda Racing Club de Avellaneda, officially known as Racing Club or shortened to just Racing, is an Argentine professional sports club based in Avellaneda, a city of the Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered o ...

. He appeared rarely during his spell. Alcaraz was loaned to

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

in 2002, but the Italians soon faced bankruptcy and regrouped in the

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...

. He then had a trial at

U.S. Città di Palermo Palermo Football Club, more simply known as Palermo F.C. or Palermo (; scn, Paliemmu, link=no, ), is an Italian football club based in the Sicilian city of Palermo, conventionally founded for the first time on 1 November 1900. Among the club� ...

, but nothing came of it. In January 2003, Alcaraz signed for Portuguese club

S.C. Beira-Mar Sport Clube Beira-Mar () is a Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, Portugal. Its football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth national level, having gained promotion by winning the Aveiro FA First Division 2018/19 ...

. After seven appearances in half a

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

, he became a defensive mainstay at the Aveiro side. In 2005–06 he helped them return to the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

, playing 31 matches.

Brugge

Alcaraz joined

Club Brugge KV (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.

in Belgium on 30 April 2007, with the deal being effective as of July. After a slow first season he also eventually became first choice, helping his team to two third-places and one second.

Wigan Athletic

On 14 May 2010, Alcaraz signed with

on a free transfer for an undisclosed fee, as his contract with Brugge was due to expire at the end of June; his new manager,

Roberto Martínez Roberto Martínez Montoliu (born 13 July 1973) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player, currently as head coach of the Portugal national team. Martínez played as a defensive midfielder and began his career at Real Zaragoza ...

, stated that the player was in "the best form of his career" at that point. He scored his first goal for the club against

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

on 11 September 2010, netting in the 86th minute for a 1–1 home draw. Alcaraz caused widespread controversy on 6 November 2011, when replays showed him spitting at

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

defender

Richard Stearman Richard James Michael Stearman (born 19 August 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Derby County. He is a versatile defender, being able to play in any defensive slot although primarily a centre half or right ...

during a 3–1 defeat at

Molineux Stadium Molineux Stadium ( ) in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England, has been the home ground of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers since 1889. The first stadium built for use by a Football League club, it was one of the first British grounds ...

. He was handed a three-game suspension due to his actions, but later issued an apology. On 7 May 2012, Alcaraz scored the game's only goal at

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

to retain the Latics' top-division safety, whilst relegating their opponent to the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

. He won the 2013 FA Cup, featuring the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 upset of

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

. However, only three days later, with him on the pitch again, Wigan were relegated from the top division following a 1–4 away loss to

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Everton

On 9 July 2013, after becoming a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

, Alcaraz moved to Everton on a two-year deal as both he and goalkeeper Joel Robles followed coach Martínez to the club. He made his competitive debut on 29 December after an injury struck his start to the season, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win over

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. On 26 April 2014, Alcaraz scored an

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

in the first minute of a 0–2 loss to Southampton. On 1 January of the following year, he received his first sending off as an Everton player, being shown two yellow cards in a 0–2 away defeat against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

which was the team's fourth successive of the festive period. On 10 June 2015, Alcaraz was released.

Las Palmas

On 2 August 2015, aged nearly 33, Alcaraz signed a one-year contract with newly promoted

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

side

UD Las Palmas Unión Deportiva Las Palmas, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Las Palmas, on the island of Gran Canaria in the autonomous community of Canary Islands. Founded on 22 August 1949, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at the ...

with the option of a second one. He scored his first goal on 23 September, helping best

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA Euro ...

2–0 at home. During his spell at the

Estadio Gran Canaria Estadio Gran Canaria is a football stadium in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. It is currently used for football matches and is home to UD Las Palmas. It was opened in 2003 as a multi-purpose stadium to become the successor of the old Estadio In ...

, Alcaraz made only seven competitive appearances due to injury. On 29 January 2016, he left by mutual consent.

Return home

In February 2016, Alcaraz agreed to a deal at

Club Libertad Club Libertad is a professional association football, football club based in Asunción, Paraguay that currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División. The club plays its home games at Estadio Tigo La Huerta; which holds 10,100 people. Fo ...

. He made his

Paraguayan Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (; "Professional Division of the Paraguayan Football Association"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship reasons Copa de Primera TIGO-Vis ...

debut the following month at the age of 33, in a 2–1 home victory against

Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football clubs in Paraguay. Its presi ...

. On 2 January 2019, Alcaraz signed with

of the same league. In his debut campaign, he was part of the squad that won the national championship.

International career

In November 2008, Alcaraz received his first call-up to the Paraguay national team at the age of 26. He was picked for the squad present at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

; on 14 June, in the group stage opener against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, in just his seventh

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

, he headed home through a powerful header following a

set piece In film production, a set piece is a scene or sequence of scenes whose execution requires complex logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term is often also used more broadly to describe a sequence in which the film-maker's ...

in an eventual 1–1 draw in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, and went on to play all the matches (save one due to suspension) and minutes for the quarter-finalists. Alcaraz was again first choice for Paraguay during the

, held in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. On 13 July, he scored the 1–1 equaliser against

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

in an eventual 3–3 group stage draw. Four days later, in the quarter-finals with

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, he was sent off after an altercation with

Lucas Leiva Lucas Pezzini Leiva (born 9 January 1987), known as Lucas or Lucas Leiva (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Grêmio. Lucas began his career as a box-to-box midfielder at Grêmio where he won the ...

, and the national side finished runners-up.

Career statistics

Club

:''Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alcaraz goal''.

Honours

Club

Beira-Mar * Segunda Liga: 2005–06 Wigan Athletic *

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Libertad *

: 2016 Apertura, 2017 Apertura Olimpia *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

International

Paraguay *

Copa América The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...

runner-up:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcaraz, Antolin 1982 births Living people Paraguayan footballers Association football defenders Paraguayan Primera División players Club Libertad footballers Club Olimpia footballers Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers ACF Fiorentina players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players S.C. Beira-Mar players Belgian Pro League players Club Brugge KV players Premier League players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Everton F.C. players La Liga players UD Las Palmas players Paraguay international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 Copa América players Paraguayan expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Argentina Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Portugal Expatriate footballers in Belgium Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Spain Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in England Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain FA Cup Final players Paraguayan people of Italian descent