Wilfredo Iraheta Sanabria (born February 22, 1967 in
Sensuntepeque
Sensuntepeque () is a town and municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador. It is the seat of the department and principal town in the area. Sensuntepeque is located about northeast of the capital, San Salvador, at an altitude of .
His ...
,
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
) is a retired Salvadoran football (
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
) player who played as a
defender.
He is currently a politician.
Club career
Iraheta started playing football in the streets of his hometown and joined then
second division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
side Sesuntepeque at 15 years of age. At 20 he joined
Chalatenango and later played for
Atlético Marte
Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to:
Sports Teams Athletico
* Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy
* Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic ...
. In 1994 his father was killed during the civil war and he moved to
Águila to play alongside 41-year-old veteran
Luis Ramírez Zapata, then
Luis Ángel Firpo
Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed ''The Wild Bull of the Pampas''.
Boxing career
In 1917, Firpo began his professional boxing career by beating Frank Ha ...
and
FAS with whom he finished playing actively to pursue a career in politics.
Iraheta was a versatile and sturdy defender whose strength in the air and tackling made instant success, also gaining a spot in the national squad on several occasions. He has played in virtually every outfield position. In 2001, he retired from both international and domestic football bringing an end to a marvellous career.
International career
Iraheta made his debut for
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
in a December
1995 UNCAF Nations Cup
Six national football teams from Central America competed in the 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup (''Copa Centroamericana''). The winning team was Honduras, defeating Guatemala in the final.
Squads
Preliminary round
Stadium
First round
Group A
' ...
match against
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
and has earned a total of 37 caps, scoring 2 goals. He has represented his country in 11
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup.
Qualifying tournaments are hel ...
matches and played at the 1995 and
1997 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the
1996 and
1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).
The tournament was once again held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and O ...
s.
His final international match was a November 1998
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
against
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
.
International goals
:''Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first.''
Personal life and after retirement
Iraheta married Patricia Iraheta and they have four children: William, Maria Jose, Alejandra and Ximena. Since 1995, he has a degree in medicine which earned him the nickname ''Doctor'', and he has also entered into politics.
In February 2011, Iraheta was candidate to become mayor of
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
.
Ex futbolista Iraheta Sanabria posible candidato a alcalde de San Salvador
- ElSalvador.com
Honours
* Luis Ángel Firpo
Luis Ángel Firpo (October 11, 1894 – August 7, 1960) was an Argentine boxer. Born in Junín, Argentina, he was nicknamed ''The Wild Bull of the Pampas''.
Boxing career
In 1917, Firpo began his professional boxing career by beating Frank Ha ...
** Primera División de Fútbol Profesional (1): 1998
References
External links
*
Player profile
- CD FAS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraheta, Wilfredo
1967 births
Living people
People from Sensuntepeque
Association football defenders
Salvadoran footballers
El Salvador international footballers
1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
C.D. Chalatenango footballers
C.D. Atlético Marte footballers
C.D. Águila footballers
C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo footballers
C.D. FAS footballers
Sportsperson-politicians