Horacio Raúl "Pepa" Baldessari (born 21 November 1958 in Córdoba) is a former Argentine football striker 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 Sportivo Belgrano is an Argentine football club, which home town is located in San Francisco, Córdoba. The team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second division of the Argentine football league system. History On 15 April 191 ...

, but joined

Belgrano de Córdoba Belgrano may refer to: People * Joaquín Belgrano (1773–1848), an Argentine patriot * José Denis Belgrano (1844–1917), Spanish painter * Joseph Belgrano (1762–1823), Argentine military officer and politician, brother of Manuel * Manuel Bel ...

the following season. In 1978, he went abroad to play for Bolivian side

Blooming Bloom or blooming may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant * Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system * Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...

. Years later he would also play for

Oriente Petrolero Club Deportivo Oriente Petrolero () is a Bolivian football club based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. They play at the 38,000-capacity Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera. Oriente have been Bolivian champions five times, Copa Aerosur winners two ti ...

, Bolívar and

Destroyers In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

. During his spell in the 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

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. In 1988, he returned to Argentina and played for his beloved

once again. By 1990, he transferred to Peruvian side 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 Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

, and became a football analyst for several television and radio networks.

Club titles

Honours

References

Dos viejos conocidos y queridos
at echalaca.combr>Raúl Horacio Baldessari: "La Pepa" remueve el pasado
at ldeber.com.bobr>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