Cata Díaz
Díaz with Boca Juniors in 2016 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Daniel Alberto Díaz | ||
Date of birth | 13 July 1979 | ||
Place of birth | San Fernando del Valle, Argentina | ||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
Playing position | Centre back | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Fuenlabrada | ||
Youth career | |||
Juventud Catamarca | |||
1997–1999 | Rosario Central | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1999–2003 | Rosario Central | 97 | (2) |
2003–2004 | Cruz Azul | 46 | (1) |
2004–2005 | Colón | 35 | (2) |
2005–2007 | Boca Juniors | 67 | (7) |
2007–2012 | Getafe | 165 | (3) |
2012–2013 | Atlético Madrid | 9 | (0) |
2013–2016 | Boca Juniors | 77 | (6) |
2016–2017 | Getafe | 38 | (0) |
2017– | Fuenlabrada | 43 | (1) |
National team | |||
2003–2009 | Argentina | 12 | (1) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 September 2018 |
Daniel Alberto 'Cata' Díaz (born 13 July 1979) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Spanish club CF Fuenlabrada as a central defender.
After starting at Rosario Central he went on to spend most of his career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 174 matches and three goals over six seasons, mainly with Getafe. He also had two spells with Boca Juniors.
Díaz appeared for Argentina at the 2007 Copa América.
Club career
Nicknamed Cata because of his origins from San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Díaz started playing at youth amateur local Juventud de Catamarca before moving in 1997 to Rosario Central, still as a junior. Three years later, he first appeared professionally with the latter team.
Díaz moved to Cruz Azul in 2003. After only one season with the Mexican club, he returned to Argentina to become Alfio Basile's captain in Colón de Santa Fe; he subsequently drew attention from Argentine giants Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate, but as Basile was at that time the former's coach, the player decided to make the move for around US$3 million.
Cata made his debut for Boca in a 4–1 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, and was a big part in the side's 2005 Apertura-winning campaign. He added the South American Supercup (win over Once Caldas of Colombia), and the South American Cup (defeat of Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional).
In the middle of 2007, Díaz moved to Spain's Getafe CF for €4 million, being a defensive cornerstone from the very beginning as the Madrid outskirts team reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2007–08. During his spell at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez he rarely missed one game when healthy – for instance, in his third season, he appeared in 30 matches (2,700 minutes of action) to help them finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.[1][2]
On 15 June 2012, at nearly 33, Díaz signed with fellow La Liga side Atlético Madrid for two years and €1 million.[3][4] He was scarcely used during his only campaign by compatriot Diego Simeone[5][6] and, subsequently, returned to his homeland and Boca.
On 23 July 2016, Díaz returned to Getafe after agreeing to a one-year contract for his first experience in Segunda División at the age of 37.[7] On 1 September of the following year, after leaving the club due to his wife's direct criticism of manager José Bordalás,[8] he joined CF Fuenlabrada in Segunda División B.[9]
International career
Díaz made his first appearance with the Argentina national team in 2003, and was called to the 2007 Copa América squad as the nation finished second in Venezuela. On 6 June 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia, he scored his first and only international goal, finding the net in the 57th minute for a 1–0 home win;[10] he would be, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.
Honours
Club
Boca Juniors
- Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, 2015 Primera División
- Copa Argentina: 2014–15
- Copa Libertadores: 2007
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2005
- Copa Sudamericana: 2005
Atlético Madrid
International
Argentina
- Copa America: Runner-up 2007
References
- ↑ Díaz, el "Ironman" de la Liga BBVA (Díaz, Liga BBVA's Ironman); ESPN Deportes, 18 February 2012 (in Spanish)
- ↑ Ni un minuto sin El Cata (Not one minute without Cata); Marca, 2 March 2012 (in Spanish)
- ↑ El Atletico de Madrid ficha al Cata Díaz (Atletico de Madrid sign Cata Díaz); Marca, 15 June 2012 (in Spanish)
- ↑ Atletico Madrid signs Daniel Diaz from Getafe Archived 20 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.; Footballcracy, 18 June 2012
- ↑ Cata Díaz: "Simeone ha demostrado la valía con números y títulos" (Cata Díaz: "Simeone has shown his worth with numbers and titles"); Marca, 19 December 2012 (in Spanish)
- ↑ El calvario del Cata Díaz (Cata Díaz's ordeal); Vavel, 20 July 2013 (in Spanish)
- ↑ Cata Díaz vuelve a su casa (Cata Díaz returns to his home); Getafe CF, 23 July 2016 (in Spanish)
- ↑ Cata Díaz dejará de ser del Geta tras la rajada de su mujer (Cata Díaz will leave Geta after his wife's rant); Diario AS, 25 August 2017 (in Spanish)
- ↑ Comunicado: El C.F. Fuenlabrada incorpora a Cata Díaz (Announcement: C.F. Fuenlabrada sign Cata Díaz); CF Fuenlabrada, 1 September 2017 (in Spanish)
- ↑ Sólo para pragmáticos (Only for the pragmatic); ESPN, 7 June 2009 (in Spanish)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cata Díaz. |
- Argentine League statistics (in Spanish)
- Career details at Irish Times
- Cata Díaz at BDFutbol
- Cata Díaz at National-Football-Teams.com
- Cata Díaz – FIFA competition record
(archive) - Cata Díaz at Soccerway