Efraín Velarde Calvillo (born 18 April 1986), also known as Chispa, is a Mexican 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 as a left-back. Velarde joined the Pumas youth system at the age of 13 and worked his way through the ranks to debut in 2004; he usually plays in the left flank of the defense.

Pumas UNAM

Emerged from the Pumas quarry where he entered at the age of 13. He debuted in the First Division with the UNAM team on 15 May 2004 in the UNAM-3

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

-2 match, (wearing number 75 on his shirt) scoring a goal with his head in the last minutes, giving him the victory. to the Pumas, with

Hugo Sánchez Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...

as coach. With the feline team he won four league titles and became a benchmark behind UNAM.

Monterrey

Efraín 'Chispa' Velarde, was transferred from Pumas to Rayados de Monterrey in definitive purchase, in the annual Draft of the Bancomer MX League, where he would play the Apertura 2014 and Clausura 2015 tournaments.

Club Leon

On 11 June 2015, Velarde is transferred on loan to Club León, lasting only three tournaments in the Leon team. It was the third shirt that the former university player defended.

Toluca

On 14 December 2016, it is announced that he will be a new player for

Deportivo Toluca Deportivo Toluca Fútbol Club S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Club Deportivo Toluca, is a Mexican football club, playing in the Primera División de México, the top-flight of Mexican football. Toluca's stadium, Estadio Nemesio Díez Riega ...

Return to Monterrey from Loan

On 26 December 2017, his arrival at the club is confirmed, to be a reinforcement for the Clausura Tournament 2018 (Mexico), El "Chispa" returns to the institution since his last time in 2015.

Return to Pumas UNAM

On 9 June 2021, Chispa' Velarde was once again made official as a Pumas player from Mazatlán F.C. this time (wearing number 18 on his shirt)

Personal life

In August 2011, Velarde married his girlfriend of 6 years, Jessica Gómez Espinosa, in a mansion in Mexico City. The couple has two children, Sofía, born in Mexico City on 20 August 2010, and Santino, born on 12 November 2012 in the capital.

International career

On 4 September 2011, Velarde was called up to the senior national team by coach

José Manuel de la Torre José Manuel de la Torre Menchaca (born 13 November 1965), popularly nicknamed ''Chepo'', is a Mexican former professional footballer and a manager. As a player, de la Torre played as an attacking midfielder. Playing career "Chepo" came up ...

for a friendly in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

making it his first international appearance.

Career statistics

International Cups

International

Participation in the Copa Oro of Concacaf

Participation in Copa America

Honours

UNAM *

Mexican Primera División The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in al ...

: Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Clausura 2009, Clausura 2011 * Campeón de Campeones:

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Individual *

Best Full-back of the tournament: Clausura 2011

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Velarde, Efrain 1986 births Living people Footballers from Mexico City Association football defenders Liga MX players Club Universidad Nacional footballers C.F. Monterrey players Club León footballers Deportivo Toluca F.C. players Mexico international footballers 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2015 Copa América players Mexican footballers