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Carlos Javier Cuéllar Jiménez (; born 23 August 1981) is a Spanish former 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, rugb ...
. Mainly a
central defender 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 ...
, he could also operate as a
right-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 ...
.


Club career


Early career

Born in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Cuéllar represented Internacional de Argibay,
DAV Santa Ana Deportivo Asociación de Vecinos Santa Ana is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the namesake community. Founded in 1974 it plays in Tercera División – Group 7, holding home games at '' Polideportivo Santa Ana'', which has a capacit ...
, CD Pegaso and AD San Federico as a youth. In 2000, after a short trial at
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...
, he was signed by
CD Numancia Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home games at ''Nuevo Estadio Los ...
, being immediately loaned to
CD Calahorra Club Deportivo Calahorra is a Spanish football team based in Calahorra, in the autonomous community of La Rioja. Founded in 1946 it plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home games at the '' Estadio Municipal La Planilla'', with ...
in
Segunda División B Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foo ...
. Cuéllar returned to the
Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...
after his loan expired, and made his professional debut on 23 September 2001, starting and being booked in a 1–2 away loss against
Xerez CD Xerez Club Deportivo, known simply as Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Xerez currently plays in Tercera División RFEF, the fifth tier of Spanish football. Founded on 24 ...
in the
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
championship. He scored his first professional goal on 12 May of the following year, netting the last in a 4–0 home routing of
Racing de Ferrol Racing Club de Ferrol is a Spanish football team based in Ferrol, Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Founded in 1919, the club currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 1, holding home games at '' Estadio ...
.


Osasuna

On 29 August 2003 Cuéllar signed a three-year deal with
CA Osasuna Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El S ...
in
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 Banco Santander, Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaL ...
. He made his debut in the competition on 19 October, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win against
Real Murcia Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in Primera División RFEF – Group 2, playing ho ...
. Cuéllar spent his first two seasons as a backup to César Cruchaga and Josetxo, but still renewed his contract with the club on 1 December 2005. He became an important part of the
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager who is currently in charge of Spanish team RCD Mallorca. Aguirre played for Mexico at the 1986 Wo ...
side that reached the
Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
final in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
and finished fourth in the league in the following season, thus qualifying for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
. As Osasuna "dropped" to the
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
Cuéllar, by then not an automatic first-choice in the league, played seven times in
European competition The European Competition is a student competition in which students of all ages submit creative, artistic, or written pieces of work on the activities of the European Union. Tendered by European Movement Germany, it is the oldest student competition ...
, as the
Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
se reached the semifinals. He scored twice, notably in the 3–0 win at the
BayArena Bay Arena () is a football stadium in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which has been the home ground of Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen since 1958. History The stadium was originally known as ''Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion'' (; en ...
against
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, ...
in April 2007, which was the fastest goal of the tournament that season.


Rangers

Scottish club Rangers made two offers for Cuéllar in June 2007 that were rejected by Osasuna, but the eventual transfer was completed on 5 July, for a fee of £2.37 million. He signed a four-year contract, worth a reported £15,000 per week, and made his competitive Rangers debut against FK Zeta on 31 July 2007, in a 2–0 victory. After impressing early in the season, Cuéllar was awarded the
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...
Player of the Month award for August 2007. He scored his first Rangers goal on 1 September 2007, during a 4–0 victory over Gretna. Cuéllar continued to play well for Rangers, but he was
sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...
during a critical
Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...
match for handling a goal-bound
Shunsuke Nakamura is a Japanese former professional footballer. He is the only person to have been named J.League Most Valuable Player more than once, receiving the award in 2000 and 2013. Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans wi ...
shot. The resultant
penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
was saved by
Allan McGregor Allan James McGregor (born 31 January 1982) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Rangers. McGregor has also previously played for St Johnstone, Dunfermline Athletic, Turkish team Beşikta ...
, but Celtic went on to win the match and the league title. As personal reward for what was an outstanding season, Cuéllar collected the Scottish Premier League Player of the Year award and was named the Scottish Football Writers Associations Player of the Year. At the event, he was quoted as saying "I want to stay at Rangers for life." Following the departure of
Thomas Buffel Thomas Buffel (, born 19 February 1981) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. He represented the Belgium national team at international level. Club career Early career Buffel began hi ...
during the summer, Cuéllar was handed the number 4 shirt for the 2008–09 season, but never wore it as he was injured for the first game against
Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had ...
and transferred to
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
just days later. He made a total of 65 appearances for Rangers, a club record for a single season, and scored 5 goals.


Aston Villa

On 12 August 2008, English
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 Fo ...
side
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...
signed Cuéllar in a deal worth £7.8 million on a four-year contract. Villa's offer had triggered a release-clause in Cuéllar's Rangers contract. He was given the squad number 24, which he also wore at his previous club. His move to Aston Villa 'surprised' and 'disappointed' manager
Walter Smith Walter Ferguson Smith (24 February 1948 – 26 October 2021) was a Scottish association football player, manager and director, primarily associated with his two spells as manager of Glasgow club Rangers. A defender, Smith's playing car ...
. Cuéllar made his official first team début on 18 September in the 3–1
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
first round victory against
PFC Litex Lovech Litex ( bg, Литекс) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Lovech, which currently competes in the Second League. The club was founded in 1921 as Hisarya Sports Club. The club's home ground is the Gradski Stadion ...
in Bulgaria. He made his first league appearance for Aston Villa in the West Midlands Derby match against
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
on 21 September. Cuéllar came on as a late substitute in a match which Aston Villa won 2–1. His first league start came against
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...
on 19 October 2008, where he however operated as a right back. Most of Cuéllar's league appearances during his first season were in that position, due to the good form in the central partnership of
Curtis Davies Curtis Eugene Davies (born 15 March 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Derby County. Davies began his career at Luton Town, for whom he made his professional debut in 2003. Davies moved to Premie ...
and Martin Laursen. Cuéllar performed for Villa at the
2009 Peace Cup The 2009 Peace Cup Andalucia was an invitational friendly football tournament. It was the fourth edition of Peace Cup and was held in Spain from 24 July to 2 August in the cities of Madrid, Seville, Málaga, Jerez and Huelva. It was the first ti ...
in his homeland. He went on to score the winning penalty in the
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...
where
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...
went down 4–3 in a shootout to Villa. He scored his first goal for Villa against Bolton Wanderers on 7 November 2009 at
Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway station ...
. His second goal for the Villa came against Manchester United on 10 February 2010, opening the scoring with a header which was 1–1. In the third round of a FA Cup, Cuéllar scored a header in a 3–1 win over
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. Th ...
on 2 January 2010. Aston Villa accepted an offer from Cuéllar's old club Rangers in the summer of 2011 but the player was injured and the move broke down. In February 2012, Cuéllar announced that he would be willing to play anywhere on the pitch if it was good for the team. He then started against Manchester City at left back ahead of Stephen Warnock in a
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 Fo ...
match. On 6 May 2012, following a 1–1 draw with
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
that confirmed Aston Villa's Premier League survival, Cuéllar announced via his official Twitter and Facebook pages that he would leave the club at the end of his contract in the summer of 2012. Cuéllar called his final home game "one of the saddest days". After his release, Cuéllar said he was keen to stay at England despite an option to move back to Spain.


Sunderland

On 2 July 2012, Sunderland confirmed the free signing of Carlos Cuéllar on a two-year contract following his departure from Aston Villa, signed by his former Villa manager
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
. He made his debut on 18 August in a goalless draw against Arsenal and scored his first goal for the club on 18 November in a 3–1 victory at Fulham. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was released by the club.


Norwich City

Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
side
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on 20 August 2014. He made his debut six days later in Norwich's
League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
match against
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
. Cuéllar conceded an own goal in the 55th minute, but Norwich won the match 3–1. Cuéllar was released by Norwich a few days after the club secured promotion back to the Premier League, having made 10 appearances for the Canaries.


Almería

On 10 August 2015, Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with
UD Almería Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001, when it was renamed ''Unión D ...
in the second level, mainly as a replacement to Levante UD-bound Ángel Trujillo.


Maccabi Petah Tikva

On 12 August 2016, Cuéllar signed a short-term deal with
Maccabi Petah Tikva Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C. ( he, מכבי פתח תקווה) (Full name: "Maccabi Avshalom Ironi Petah Tikva F.C., ) is an Israeli football club based in the city of Petah Tikva. It is part of the Maccabi World Union for international Jewish spo ...
for an undisclosed fee.


Ironi Kiryat Shmona

On 22 May 2017, Cuéllar signed a one-year deal with Ironi Kiryat Shmona.


Beitar Jerusalem

On 15 May 2018, Cuéllar joined
Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem Football Club ( he, מועדון כדורגל בית"ר ירושלים, Moadon Kaduregel Beitar Yerushalayim), commonly known as Beitar Jerusalem () or simply as Beitar (), is an Israeli football club based in the city of Jerus ...
, with his teammate Itamar Nitzan. He was released from the team on 16 August 2018.


Bnei Yehuda

On 7 September 2018, Cuéllar signed with Bnei Yehuda. He left the club in the summer 2019 and announced his retirement on 17 October 2019.


Personal life

In December 2015, Cuéllar became a
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
for health reasons. He made this decision after watching the documentary ''
Forks Over Knives ''Forks Over Knives'' is a 2011 American advocacy film and documentary that advocates a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet (that excludes all animal products and processed foods) as a way to avoid or reverse several chronic diseases. The film ...
''.


Career statistics


Honours

Osasuna *
Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...
runner-up: 2004–05 Rangers *
Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2007–08 *
Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
: 2007–08 *
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
runner-up: 2007–08 Aston Villa * Football League Cup runner-up: 2009–10 Bnei Yehuda * Israel State Cup: 2018–19 Individual * Scottish Premier League Player of the Year: 2007–08 *
SFWA Footballer of the Year The Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the SFWA Footballer of the Year, or simply the Scottish Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the se ...
: 2007–08


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuellar, Carlos 1981 births Living people Footballers from the Community of Madrid Spanish footballers Association football defenders La Liga players Segunda División players Segunda División B players CD Numancia players CA Osasuna players UD Almería players Scottish Premier League players Rangers F.C. players Premier League players Aston Villa F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Maccabi Petah Tikva F.C. players Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. players Beitar Jerusalem F.C. players Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv F.C. players Spanish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Israel Spanish expatriate sportspeople in England Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Israel