Ricardo Javier Tavarelli Paiva (born 2 August 1970) is a former Paraguayan
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 ...
, who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
.
Career
Tavarelli started his career in the youth divisions of
Tacuary
Tacuary Football Club is a Paraguayan First Division football team, based in the neighborhood of Jara, Asunción. The club was founded in 1923.
Tacuary qualified for the Copa Libertadores tournament twice (in 2005 and 2007) and the Copa Sudam ...
and then moved to the youth divisions of
Club Olimpia, where he made his debut in the first team squad in 1992, playing the
Torneo Republica. In Olimpia he would go on to win several national and international championships, becoming a fan-favorite. Tavarelli was a pivotal part of the 2002 Olimpia team that won the
Copa Libertadores. His skills helped Olimpia win two key penalty shoot-outs against
Grêmio of Porto Alegre (semi-finals) and
São Caetano (finals). In 2004, he played for
Grêmio of
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 ...
with little success. Tavarelli returned to
Club Olimpia and also had a brief sting playing for
Sportivo Luqueño
Club Sportivo Luqueño is a Paraguayan football club, based in the city of Luque on the outskirts of the capital Asunción. The club has won two Paraguayan championships.
History
The club was founded in 1921 when three teams from the city of L ...
before finally retiring. He earned the nickname "Mono" (
monkey) because of his quick goalkeeping skills. He was also called "Lettuce Hands".
Tavarelli was also part of the
Paraguay national team in the
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
, playing the team's first two matches following the suspension of captain
José Luis Chilavert
José Luis Félix Chilavert González (; born 27 July 1965) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, ...
prior to the tournament.
FIFA Profile
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Tavarelli's sister, Giselle, is married to Paraguayan footballer Roque Santa Cruz
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (; born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Club Libertad. He is the record goal scorer and has earned over 100 caps for the Paraguay national team, ...
.
Titles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavarelli, Ricardo
1970 births
Living people
Paraguayan men's footballers
Club Olimpia footballers
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players
Sportivo Luqueño players
Paraguayan Primera División players
Paraguay men's international footballers
1999 Copa América players
2001 Copa América players
2002 FIFA World Cup players
Paraguayan expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Brazil
Paraguayan people of Italian descent
Men's association football goalkeepers