Antolín Alcaraz Viveros (born 30 July 1982) is a Paraguayan 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 lea ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. He rarely settled with a team in his early career, before signing in 2003 with

Beira-Mar Sport Clube Beira-Mar (), commonly known as Beira-Mar, is a Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, Portugal. Its Association football, football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal (league), Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth natio ...

and remaining with the club five seasons, after which he joined

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...

. He then spent five years in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

, in service of

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

and Everton; after one year in Spain with

Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...

, he returned to his country. Alcaraz represented

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

at the

2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

and the

2011 Copa América The 2011 Campeonato Sudamericano Copa América, better known as the 2011 Copa América or the Copa América 2011 Argentina, was the 43rd edition of the Copa América, the main international association football, football tournament for national ...

, helping them to the final of the later tournament.

Club career

Early years and Beira-Mar

Hailing from a humble background, Alcaraz worked throughout his teenage years as a builder's assistant in his hometown of San Roque González de Santa Cruz in the

Paraguarí Department Paraguarí (; Guaraní: Paraguari) is a '' departamento'' in Paraguay. At the 2002 census it had a population of 221,932.Ñemby Ñemby () is a city in the Central Department of Paraguay. It is part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. History Among the historical sites of this city stands the Church of San Lorenzo which was founded by Spanish settlers in 1718 wh ...

, but he did not have the intention of one day playing professional football. Whilst Alcaraz was working as a builder at the age of 18, he met

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

and football agent Carlos Bruni who took him to Argentina's

Racing Club de Avellaneda Racing Club () is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Avellaneda, Argentina. They compete in the Argentine Primera División, Primera División, the top tier of Argentine football league system, Argentine f ...

. He appeared rarely during his spell. Alcaraz was loaned to

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

in 2002, but the Italians soon faced bankruptcy and regrouped in the

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Serie C2 was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. History Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Serie C. The league menaging ...

. He then had a trial at

U.S. Città di Palermo Palermo Football Club () is an Italian professional football club based in Palermo, Sicily, that currently plays in Serie B. It is part of the City Football Group. Founded for the first time on 1 November 1900 as Anglo Palermitan Athletic and F ...

, but nothing came of it. In January 2003, Alcaraz signed for Portuguese club

S.C. Beira-Mar Sport Clube Beira-Mar (), commonly known as Beira-Mar, is a Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, Portugal. Its football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth national level, having gained promotion by winning the Ave ...

. After seven appearances in half a

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

, he became a defensive mainstay at the Aveiro side. In 2005–06 he helped them return to the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

, playing 31 matches.

Brugge

Alcaraz joined

Club Brugge KV (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional Association football, football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capac ...

in Belgium on 30 April 2007, with the deal being effective as of July. After a slow first season he also eventually became first choice, helping his team to two third-places and one second.

Wigan Athletic

On 14 May 2010, Alcaraz signed with

on a free transfer for an undisclosed fee, as his contract with Brugge was due to expire at the end of June; his new manager,

Roberto Martínez Roberto Martínez Montoliu (; born 13 July 1973) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Portugal national team. Martínez played as a defensive midfielder and began his career at Re ...

, stated that the player was in "the best form of his career" at that point. He scored his first goal for the club against

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

on 11 September 2010, netting in the 86th minute for a 1–1 home draw. Alcaraz caused widespread controversy on 6 November 2011, when replays showed him spitting at

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

defender

Richard Stearman Richard James Michael Stearman (born 19 August 1987) is an English former professional footballer who is first team coach at Swansea City. He was a versatile defender, being able to play in any defensive slot although primarily a centre half or ...

during a 3–1 defeat at

Molineux Stadium Molineux Stadium ( ) is a association football, football stadium situated in Wolverhampton, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It has been the home ground of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers ...

. He was handed a three-game suspension due to his actions, but later issued an apology. On 7 May 2012, Alcaraz scored the game's only goal at

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

to retain the Latics' top-division safety, whilst relegating their opponent to the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...

. He won the 2013 FA Cup, featuring the full 90 minutes in the 1–0 upset of

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. However, only three days later, with him on the pitch again, Wigan were relegated from the top division following a 1–4 away loss 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 ...

Everton

On 9 July 2013, after becoming a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

, Alcaraz moved to Everton on a two-year deal as both he and goalkeeper

Joel Robles Joel Robles Blázquez (; born 17 June 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Liga Portugal club Estoril. Robles started his professional career at Atlético Madrid, initially in the C team in 2008, before pro ...

followed coach Martínez to the club. He made his competitive debut on 29 December after an injury struck his start to the season, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win over

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. On 26 April 2014, Alcaraz scored an

own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...

in the first minute of a 0–2 loss to Southampton. On 1 January of the following year, he received his first

sending off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

as an Everton player, being shown two yellow cards in a 0–2 away defeat against

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...

which was the team's fourth successive of the festive period. On 10 June 2015, Alcaraz was released.

Las Palmas

On 2 August 2015, aged nearly 33, Alcaraz signed a one-year contract with newly promoted

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

side

UD Las Palmas Unión Deportiva Las Palmas S.A.D. is a professional association football, football club based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. The club will compete in Segunda División, the 2nd division in the Spanish football league syst ...

with the option of a second one. He scored his first goal on 23 September, helping best

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Seville, Andalusia, that competes in La Liga, the Spanish football league system, top flight of Spanish football. The club was formed on 25 January ...

2–0 at home. During his spell at the

Estadio Gran Canaria Estadio de Gran Canaria is a football stadium in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. It is currently used for football matches and is home to UD Las Palmas. It was opened in 2003 as a multi-purpose stadium to become the successor of the old Estadi ...

, Alcaraz made only seven competitive appearances due to injury. On 29 January 2016, he left by mutual consent.

Return home

In February 2016, Alcaraz agreed to a deal at

Club Libertad Club Libertad is a Paraguayan professional football club based in Asunción that currently plays in the Paraguayan Primera División. The club plays its home games at Estadio Tigo La Huerta; which holds 10,100 people. Founded in 1905, Liber ...

. He made his

Paraguayan Primera División The División Profesional de la Paraguayan Football Association, Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (; "Professional Division of the Paraguayan Football Association"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship ...

debut the following month at the age of 33, in a 2–1 home victory against

Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...

. On 2 January 2019, Alcaraz signed with

Club Olimpia Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan professional sports club based in the city of Asunción. It promotes the practice of various sports, with most importance given to the football, rugby and basketball sides, football being the most successful. Fou ...

of the same league. In his debut campaign, he was part of the squad that won the national championship.

International career

In November 2008, Alcaraz received his first call-up to the Paraguay national team at the age of 26. He was picked for the squad present at the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

; on 14 June, in the group stage opener against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in just his seventh

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

, he headed home through a powerful header following a set piece in an eventual 1–1 draw in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, and went on to play all the matches (save one due to suspension) and minutes for the quarter-finalists. Alcaraz was again first choice for Paraguay during the

, held in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. On 13 July, he scored the 1–1 equaliser against

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

in an eventual 3–3 group stage draw. Four days later, in the quarter-finals with

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, he was sent off after an altercation with

Lucas Leiva Lucas Pezzini Leiva (born 9 January 1987), known as Lucas or Lucas Leiva (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for Grêmio, Liverpool, Lazio and the Brazil national team. Lucas began his caree ...

, and the national side finished runners-up.

Career statistics

Club

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

Honours

Club

Beira-Mar * Segunda Liga: 2005–06 Wigan Athletic *

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

Libertad *

: 2016 Apertura, 2017 Apertura Olimpia *

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

International

Paraguay *

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

runner-up:

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcaraz, Antolin 1982 births Living people Paraguayan men's footballers Men's association football defenders Paraguayan Primera División players Club Libertad footballers Club Olimpia footballers Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers ACF Fiorentina players Primeira Liga players Liga Portugal 2 players S.C. Beira-Mar players Belgian Pro League players Club Brugge KV players Premier League players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Everton F.C. players La Liga players UD Las Palmas players Paraguay men's international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 Copa América players Paraguayan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in England Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Paraguayan people of Italian descent Footballers from Paraguarí Department 21st-century Paraguayan sportsmen