Horacio Raúl "Pepa" Baldessari (born 21 November 1958 in Córdoba) is a former

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

football

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who played professionally in Argentina, Bolivia and Peru during the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s. He also managed some clubs after his retirement, but currently works as a football analyst.

Club career

He began his career in 1975 with modest club Sportivo Belgrano, but joined Belgrano de Córdoba the following season. In 1978, he went abroad to play for Bolivian side

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. Years later he would also play for Oriente Petrolero, Bolívar and Destroyers. During his spell in the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano, Bolivian league, he scored a total of 161 goals, placing his name eight in the list of all-time topscorers. Even though Baldessari became a naturalized Bolivian, he was never considered as an option for the Bolivian national football team, national team. In 1988, he returned to Argentina and played for his beloved Belgrano de Córdoba once again. By 1990, he transferred to Peruvian side Club Centro Deportivo Municipal, Deportivo Municipal before signing with popular team Sporting Cristal the following year. At first he was heavily questioned by club fans and the media about his age; nonetheless, ''La Pepa'' proved them wrong and finished the season as the topscorer that year with 25 goals, and consequently helped Cristal win the 1991 Peruvian title. Baldessari always admitted having spent the best years of his career playing for the ''cerveceros'' because he received so many affections that made him feel like at home. After his retirement in 1993, Baldessari settled in Lima, and became a football analyst for several television and radio networks.

Club titles

Honours

References

Dos viejos conocidos y queridos
at [dechalaca.com]
Raúl Horacio Baldessari: "La Pepa" remueve el pasado
at [eldeber.com.bo]
Bolivian league topscorers
at RSSSF {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldessari, Horacio 1958 births Living people Sportspeople from Córdoba Province, Argentina Argentine people of Italian descent Association football forwards Argentine footballers Bolivian Primera División players Peruvian Primera División players Club Atlético Belgrano footballers Racing de Córdoba footballers Club Blooming players Oriente Petrolero players Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Peru Club Bolívar players Club Destroyers players Sporting Cristal footballers Argentine expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Bolivia Expatriate footballers in Peru Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Bolivia Juan Aurich managers León de Huánuco managers Deportivo Municipal managers Argentine football managers Carlos A. Mannucci managers