Faustino Asprilla
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Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian 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, rugby le ...
who most notably played for Parma,
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
and the Colombia national team as a
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
.


Club career


Early years

After starting out playing football with local team Carlos Sarmiento Lora School, Asprilla started his professional career in 1988 for the Colombian team Cúcuta Deportivo at the age of 18 for a year before transferring to Atlético Nacional. He scored 35 goals in 78 games, which brought him to the attention of several Italian clubs. Parma won the race to sign him for US$10.9 million in 1992.


Parma

In his first season at Parma, Asprilla scored some important goals, including a 27-yard second-half free-kick which helped Parma defeat Milan 1–0, ending the Italian champions' unbeaten streak at 58 matches. It was at Parma Asprilla arguably enjoyed his greatest club success. Asprilla was part of the Parma squad which won its first international tournament, the
1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup The 1992–93 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by Parma in the final against Royal Antwerp. Both were first time finalists in the competition, and Antwerp were the last Belgian side to reach a European final up to the present day. T ...
, scoring four goals in eight matches. It was his brace in Spain that rallied the Italian team to a 2–1 victory over
Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, 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 profess ...
in the semi-final. However, an injury meant he was an unused substitute as Parma defeated Belgian club Royal Antwerp 3–1 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 cont ...
. In early 1994, Asprilla was part of the Parma side that defeated Milan 2–0 at the San Siro to overturn a 1–0 first-leg deficit and claim the
1993 European Super Cup The 1993 European Super Cup was contested between AC Milan (the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League runners-upEuropean champions Marseille were suspended due to bribery scandal) and Parma (the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup champions). It was w ...
. Also in the 1993–94 season, Parma reached a second Cup Winners' Cup final. However, a 0–1 defeat to
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
meant they would not retain their trophy. In 1994–95, Parma again reached the final of a major European competition as they faced Italian compatriots
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
in the final of the UEFA Cup. Asprilla was instrumental in Parma's run to the final, with three goals over two legs in the semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen. In the final itself, Asprilla was in the starting XI for both legs as Parma defeated Juventus 2–1 on aggregate. At the start of the 1995–96 season, Asprilla found himself out of head coach Nevio Scala's plans. In February 1996, after making only six appearances in the opening five months of the season, Asprilla joined English Premier League leaders
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
for a £6.7 million transfer fee. During his first spell at Parma, Asprilla scored 25 goals in 84 Serie A appearances. He is considered one of the greatest players of Parma's successful period in the 1990s. In his three full seasons with the club, Parma finished
third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...
, fifth and
third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...
in Serie A. The club also reached a European final in each of those seasons, as well as the
1994–95 Coppa Italia The 1994–95 Coppa Italia was the 48th edition of the tournament. The final was contested between Juventus and Parma, who also met in the previous month in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simps ...
final. He also won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1992–93, as well as a runners-up medal in 1993–94 edition of the tournament, the
European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
in
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, and the UEFA Cup in 1994–95 and 1998–99. In 1993, he was also ranked by
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
as the sixth-best player in the world in the FIFA World Player of the Year award.


Newcastle United

Parma sold Asprilla to English Premier League side Newcastle United for £6.7 million in February 1996, with "Tino", as the fans nicknamed him, appearing at St James' Park to finalise the move during a snowstorm, dressed in a fur coat. At the time, Newcastle were ahead of
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
in the Premier League, although their lead at the top of the table was narrowing. Asprilla's arrival on Tyneside came just months after earlier media reports of a move to England, with Leeds United being linked with his signature. Asprilla made his league debut in Newcastle's 2–1 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on 10 February 1996, coming on as a second-half substitute with the score 1–0 in Middlesbrough's favour. He made an immediate impact, creating the assist for Newcastle's equaliser. However, his time on Tyneside was blighted by inconsistency and off-field incidents, and Asprilla was blamed as one of the reasons Newcastle would go on to concede the 1995–96 Premier League title to eventual winners Manchester United. Asprilla's second season for Newcastle ended with the club finishing in second place once again, behind Manchester United. His role was largely reduced to substitute appearances, although he retained his best performances for the club's UEFA Cup campaign, scoring five goals. His celebration of the goal he scored against Metz, whereby he removed his shirt and swung it from a corner flag, resulted in Asprilla being given a yellow card, meaning a suspension from Newcastle's next UEFA Cup match against Monaco. The 1997–98 season was Asprilla's last for Newcastle. With the sale of striker
Les Ferdinand Leslie Ferdinand MBE (born 8 December 1966) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and television pundit, who is currently the director of football at Queens Park Rangers. A striker, his playing career included notable sp ...
to Tottenham Hotspur and a serious injury to
Alan Shearer Alan Shearer CBE DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English football pundit and retired football player and manager who played as a striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in Premie ...
during the pre-season, Asprilla was preferred as first-choice striker alongside the young, inexperienced
Jon Dahl Tomasson Jon Dahl Tomasson (; born 29 August 1976) is a Danish football manager and former player who is the current head coach of EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers. A forward, his most notable run of football came in his first stint at Feyenoord, w ...
. Newcastle's second-place league finish the season before meant they qualified for the
1997–98 UEFA Champions League The 1997–98 UEFA Champions League was the 43rd season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier club association football, football tournament, and the sixth since its re-branding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The ...
; Asprilla started the first game against Barcelona and scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win. These would turn out to be his last goals for the club. By the end of January 1998, with Newcastle struggling in the league and eliminated from the Champions League, Asprilla's time at Newcastle came to an end. He was sold back to Parma for £6 million, having scored a total of nine goals in 48 Premier League appearances and nine goals in 11 European matches.


Return to Parma

In his second spell at Parma, Asprilla won his second UEFA Cup, coming on as a substitute as Parma defeated Marseille in the final.


Palmeiras

Asprilla played in the successful Palmeiras team in the 1999 and 2000 seasons. He won both the Rio-São Paulo Tournament and the Brazilian Champions Cup in 2000.


Later career and Darlington link

Although his brief time with Palmeiras saw the team achieve success, for Asprilla personally his time there marked the beginning of a pattern of short, relatively unproductive stays with various clubs across various countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. During a time which was generally low-key, he appeared in the public eye again in 2002 amid reports he had been approached by English Division Three side
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
. Darlington successfully appealed an initial work permit refusal and had offered around £17,000 per week plus 20% of gate receipts, a car and a rent-free flat. Chairman George Reynolds considered they were friends and in fact paraded Asprilla in front of 5,163 fans before Darlington's 2–0 win over
Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...
on 27 August, believing the intended two-year contract was good as signed. However, it was reported that after Asprilla stalled on taking a medical on 29 August, in the early hours of 30 August, Asprilla caught a flight from Newcastle Airport to the Middle East, apparently to accept a more lucrative contract offer. Reynolds described himself as "absolutely gutted" by the snub, complaining Asprilla "did not even have the decency to say goodbye" and said he would never talk to him again. This was the second time Darlington was snubbed by a high-profile ex-Newcastle player that summer, the first being
Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...
. The identity of the Middle East club has never been revealed.


International career


Summary

Asprilla scored 20 goals in 57 matches for
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
from 1993 to 2001 and played for his country at the
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
and
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
s. Asprilla was expected to be one of the top players of the 1994 tournament, but failed to score a single goal as Colombia was eliminated in the first round.


1992 Summer Olympics

Asprilla was a member of the Colombian team at the
1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
in Barcelona where the team was eliminated in the first round following losses to Spain (4–0) and Egypt (3–4) and a draw with Qatar (1–1).


1993 Copa America

In the
1993 Copa América The 1993 Copa América was the 36th Copa América, CONMEBOL's football tournament for national teams. It was held in Ecuador between 15 June and 4 July. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, but for the first time two nations from outside CONMEBOL w ...
, held in Ecuador, Colombia finished third overall. After topping Group C with a 2–1 win over Mexico and draws with
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
(1–1) and Argentina (1–1), Colombia defeated Uruguay 1–1 (5–3 on penalties) before losing 0–0 (6–5 on penalties) to Argentina in the semi-final, the eventual tournament winners. In the match for third place, Colombia defeated hosts Ecuador 1–0 to claim third place. Asprilla did not score in the tournament.


1994 FIFA World Cup

Asprilla was part of the Colombian team which demolished Argentina 5–0 in a World Cup Qualifier match in Buenos Aires in 1993, where Asprilla scored twice. Colombia finished undefeated in the South American qualifying group. Entering the 1994 World Cup, there were high expectations for Colombia as a dark horse favourite to win the tournament with a squad that included such notable players as Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincón and Asprilla. However, with one win and two losses, Colombia finished at the bottom of their group and was eliminated after the first round. Asprilla himself had a disappointing tournament, failing to score, and left the tournament before the group stage had concluded.


1995 Copa América

In the
1995 Copa América The 1995 Copa América football tournament was staged in Uruguay. It was won by Uruguay, who beat Brazil 5–3 in the penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw in the final. All 10 CONMEBOL members took part, with Mexico and the United States invited i ...
, held and won by Uruguay, Colombia again finished third. Colombia started out by finishing third in Group B with a 1–1 draw with Peru (Asprilla scored the goal), a 1–0 win over Ecuador and a 0–3 loss to Brazil. The nation then went on to defeat Paraguay 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the quarter-finals before losing to Uruguay 2–0 in the semi-final. In the third place match, Colombia faced the United States, which Colombia easily defeated 4–1 with Asprilla scoring one of the Colombians' four goals in the match.


1998 FIFA World Cup

In the
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
, held in France, expectations were again high for Colombia and Asprilla remained in the team. However, again Colombia was eliminated in the first round following one win and two losses. Asprilla was dismissed from the team after complaining to reporters about the head coach's decision to substitute him near the end of Colombia's opening loss against Romania. In 2001, at age 32, Asprilla retired from international football.


Retirement

In July 2009, Asprilla officially retired from top flight football following a retirement match in Medellín, Colombia. Although this marks his official retirement date, he had not been actively employed by a professional side in around five years. In 2008, he was arrested for allegedly firing a machine gun at security forces near his farm in Colombia. He was placed under house arrest on charges of weapons possession and criminal damage. He has appeared in various Colombian Reality Shows, such as ''Desafio'' 2005 and ''Nomadas''. He made a return to St James' Park on 22 January 2011 appearing on the pitch at half time during Newcastle United's Premier League home match against Tottenham Hotspur and attended a charity dinner in
Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
that evening, alongside Les Ferdinand and
Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder between 1979 and 1999. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his coun ...
, where he spoke of his affection for the Newcastle fans. In early 2013, Asprilla was linked with a return to his former club Newcastle. Asprilla spoke of performing a coaching role with the youth squad as well as developing a special role in introducing young talent into the academy from his homeland Colombia. His intention is to give Colombians a chance to showcase their skills in European/English football, based on the sheer amount of talent that has come from Colombia in recent years. Asprilla played in former ''Magpies'' goalkeeper
Steve Harper Stephen Alan Harper (born 14 March 1975) is an English former professional footballer, and currently first team coach for Newcastle United and goalkeeping coach for the Northern Ireland national team. He is best known for his time playing at ...
's testimonial match on 11 September 2013 against A.C. Milan Glorie. He had a header disallowed for offside before the Italians won 2–1 on penalties. In September 2014, it was revealed Asprilla was preparing to launch a range of flavoured
condom A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...
s in Colombia. In 2020, he sold the products at a special promotional price in order to ease the strains of the COVID-19 pandemic in his home country. Asprilla revealed in 2019 that a hitman wanted to murder Paraguay goalkeeper
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, Pe ...
after both players were sent off in Colombia's 2–1 defeat during a
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
qualifier in 1997.


Style of play

Regarded as one of the greatest Colombian players of all time, Asprilla was capable of playing as a forward, as a
striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant *Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America People wi ...
, as a centre-forward, as a second striker, or even as a creative, playmaking attacking midfielder in the number ten role. Though never a prolific goalscorer, he was a quick, agile and skilful player known for his flair, creativity, technique, power, acceleration, and pace, as well as his eye for goal and ability to create chances and score spectacular goals with either foot; moreover, he was an accurate free kick taker. Former playing colleague,
Robbie Elliott Robert James Elliott (born 25 December 1973) is an English football coach and former professional player, who is the strength coach for the United States U20 men's football team. As a player, he was a left-back and centre-half who notably p ...
described Asprilla's playing style: "There were reasons behind everyone Kevin eegansigned. With Tino it was that unpredictability, he just unlocked teams. His nickname was the octopus because his legs were everywhere and you literally had no idea what he was going to do." Despite his talent and unpredictability, he was known for being inconsistent, as well as temperamental and controversial, both on and off the field. He was also known for his somersault then double-fist-pump goal celebration. Due to his long limbs, he was given the nickname ''il polipo'' ("the octopus," in Italian), during his time in Serie A, as well as ''cobra'', due to his playing ability.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Asprilla goal.''


Honours


Club

Atlético Nacional *
Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor (between 2015 and 2019 ''Liga Águila'') due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a Colombian professional league for association football clubs. It is the ...
: 1991 * Copa Interamericana: 1990 Parma * Coppa Italia: 1998–99 * UEFA Cup: 1994–95, 1998–99 * European Cup Winners' Cup: 1992–93 *
European Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
:
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
Palmeiras * Torneio Rio – São Paulo: 2000 * Copa dos Campeões: 2000


References


External links

*
International statistics
at rsssf * *
Interview
with FourFourTwo {{DEFAULTSORT:Asprilla, Faustino 1969 births Living people Sportspeople from Valle del Cauca Department Association football midfielders Colombian footballers Colombian expatriate footballers Colombia international footballers 1993 Copa América players 1995 Copa América players 1997 Copa América players 1994 FIFA World Cup players 1998 FIFA World Cup players 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Cúcuta Deportivo footballers Atlético Nacional footballers Parma Calcio 1913 players Newcastle United F.C. players Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras players Fluminense FC players Atlante F.C. footballers Universidad de Chile footballers Estudiantes de La Plata footballers Cortuluá footballers Olympic footballers of Colombia Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Categoría Primera A players Serie A players Premier League players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Chilean Primera División players Liga MX players Argentine Primera División players Expatriate footballers in Argentina Expatriate footballers in Brazil Expatriate footballers in Chile Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Mexico Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Chile Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Colombian expatriate sportspeople in England Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Italy UEFA Cup winning players Colombian people of African descent