Nelson Haedo Valdez

      Nelson Valdez
      Nelson A. Valdez.jpg
      Personal information
      Full name Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez
      Date of birth (1983 -11-28) 28 November 1983 (age 29)
      Place of birth Caaguazú, Paraguay
      Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
      Playing position Striker
      Club information
      Current club Valencia
      Number 16
      Youth career
      Primero de Mayo
      1998–2000 Tembetary
      Senior career*
      Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
      2000–2001 Tembetary 22 (11)
      2001–2005 Werder Bremen II 51 (24)
      2002–2006 Werder Bremen 80 (21)
      2006–2010 Borussia Dortmund 113 (15)
      2010–2011 Hércules 25 (8)
      2011–2012 Rubin Kazan 20 (3)
      2012– Valencia 28 (6)
      National team‡
      2003 Paraguay U-20 4 (1)
      2004– Paraguay 66 (12)
      * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 June 2013.

      † Appearances (Goals).

      ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16:44, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

      Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez (born 28 November 1983 in Caaguazú, Paraguay) is a Paraguayan football striker who currently plays for La Liga side Valencia CF and the Paraguayan national team.[1][2]

      Valdez started his career with Atlético Tembetary, progressing through their youth system to the first-team squad where he made his debut at the age of 16 in Paraguayan División Intermedia in 2000. He finished his career with the club having scored 11 goals in 22 league appearances. In 2001, he was scouted to Germany's Werder Bremen II where he scored 15 goals in 30 Regionalliga Nord appearances in his second season before joining the club's first-team. In 2003, Valdez was selected for the Paraguay under-20 national team where he scored 1 goal in 4 appearances at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. In his second season with Werder Bremen, he claimed the 2003–04 Fußball-Bundesliga and 2003–04 DFB-Pokal, having scored 5 goals in 21 league appearances that season. Valdez debuted in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League on 14 September 2004 and scored his first two Champions League goals in a 2–0 victory against Valencia in December. During his years at Werder Bremen, Valdez had his appearances limited due to competition from team mates Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, Angelos Charisteas, and both Miroslav Klose and Ivan Klasnić, who were the Bundesliga's top striking duo at the time.

      Valdez left Werdern Bremen in August 2006 to join fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €4.7million on a four-year contract, where he was given the number 9 shirt. Within that four years, Valdez scored 16 goals in 113 Bundesliga appearances, and helped Borrussia Dortmunt to qualify for the 2010–11 Europa League. After an impressive performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Valdez joined La Liga side Hércules for €3.5million on a three-year contract where he partnered up with French striker David Trezeguet. He became the most expensive signing in the club's history and scored a double on his debut in a 2–0 win at the Camp Nou against Barcelona on 11 September. After 8 goals in 25 league appearances in the 2010-11 La Liga season, Hércules were regelated to the Segunda División and Valdez was then transferred to Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan for €4million, where he competed in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League.

      Valdez has represented Paraguay at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments, he also participated at the 2004 Copa América and the 2011 Copa América, where Paraguay finished runners-up.

      Early life

      Growing up as a kid dreamed of playing for the Albirroja, Valdez and his family lived in poverty in the deprived district of San Joaquín, one of the poorest parts of Paraguay.[3] Valdez confessed that he had an "excellent childhood" and had the joy of being from a loving family. Not owning a football, his skills were developed by playing with an orange or a pair of socks as his family, which included six siblings, could not afford to buy a ball for him.[3] He first began to play club football when he joined local club 1º de Mayo of the San Joaquín district.[4] Before leaving home, Valdez was to convince his mother to let him play football. His father took his side and Valdez eventually managed to go to Asunción to pursue his dream.[5]

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      Club career

      Tembetary

      1998–2001

      Aged 15, Valdez left his home and family to move to Ypané when he joined the youth teams of Club Atlético Tembetary, and eventually made his first-team debut in the Paraguayan División Intermedia in 2000.[6] The second division club were not able to pay Valdez a salary large enough to earn a living and his family were not able to provide funding for him. Valdez confessed the difficulty he faced when leaving his impoverished family and his home to begin playing with the club, for two years he would spend some nights sleeping under the wooden planks and in a stairwell under the grandstand at the club's stadium, using a makeshift bed of blankets and cardboard which laid in the stairwell beneath the stand. Valdez never told his parents, who were poor land workers.[7][8] While living 250 kilometres away from his family, Valdez had no home while playing for Tembetary. He worked night shifts in a sawmill to pay for food and drink. Developing a penchant for cane liquor, Valdez revealed that he was once "almost an alcoholic". He was a 16-year-old exposed to danger and the Paraguayan climate, boiling hot summers and freezing cold winters, which Valdez described as "hell, frightening and horrible. But if you have nothing, what can they steal? I had nothing to give".[3]Jürgen Born, chairman of the board or management of Werder Bremen who worked for Deutsche Bank in Latin America stated that he saw a "madman who never stopped running", remembering youth games in Ypané. He bought Valdez a ticket to Germany and got on the phone to Werder Bremen.[7] In December 2001, Valdez flew over to Germany for a trial. Valdez failed at first, not impressing in his trial but the club president's wife, who was a fellow Paraguayan, asked for Valdez to be given another trial. He scored four times in his first trial match and was offered a contract to join SV Werder Bremen II, the club's Regionalliga Nord team.[3][9][10][11]

      Werder Bremen

      2001–2006

      Upon joining Werder Bremen in December 2001, Valdez did not know a word of German and knew just enough Spanish.[12] In his first season in the Regionalliga Nord, he scored 3 goals in 12 appearances. In the 2002–03 Regionalliga Nord, Valdez scored 15 goals in 30 league appreances. His performances earnt him a call-up to the first-team from manager Thomas Schaaf, where Valdez debuted in the 2002–03 Fußball-Bundesliga in a 1–0 home loss to Energie Cottbus 22 February 2003, where he was substituted onto the field in the 82nd minute for Christian Schulz.[13][14] One week later, Valdez gained in second appearance in a 3–0 away loss against Bayer Leverkusen on 1 March, where Valdez was substituted onto the field for Angelos Charisteas in the 72nd minute.[15] His performances also earnt him a call-up to the Paraguay under-20 national team for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Valdez made his first appearance of the 2003–04 Fußball-Bundesliga season in round 4 in a 4–1 home victory against Schalke 04 on 23 August, where he scored after three minutes of coming onto the field.[16] On 29 October, Valdez eventually signed a four-year professional contract with Werder Bremen's first-team.[17] On 8 November, Valdez made his full debut for Werder Bremen in a 5–1 away win against Hannover 96, Valdez scored a double for Bremen before being substituted off of the field for Markus Daun in the 81st minute.[18] On 31 January, Valdez scored his fourth league goal against Hertha BSC Berlin in a 4–0 home victory after entering the field in the 72nd minute.[19] In round 31, Valdez scored his fifth and final league goal for the 2003–04 season in the 80th minute in a 6–0 home victory against Hamburger SV, after being substituted onto the field in the 62nd minute.[20] In the 2003–04 DFB-Pokal final on 29 May, Valdez was substituted onto the field for Ivan Klasnić in the 87th minute of the 3–2 win against Alemannia Aachen, as Bremen were crowned champions. Bremen finished on top of the 2002–03 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 74 points and qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League. Valdez had scored 5 goals in 21 league appearances, although his appearances were limited due to competition between team mates Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, Angelos Charisteas and Ivan Klasnić.

      On the first day of the 2004–05 Fußball-Bundesliga season in a 1–0 home win against Schalke 04 on 6 August, Valdez was substituted onto the field for Miroslav Klose in the 74th minute and scored the match winning goal in the 83rd minute.[21] On 11 September, Valdez scored his second league goal in a 3–1 away loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach. He had again been substituted onto the field for Miroslav Klose, who was favoured more often instead of Valdez.[22] On 14 September, Valdez debuted in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League in a 2–0 away loss against Inter Milan. On 27 October in an away match against VfB Stuttgart, the scores were tied at 1–1 until Valdez scored in the 81st minute to give Bremen a 2–1 victory. Valdez had entered the field in the 61st minute for Christian Schulz.[23] On 7 December in a Champions League away match against Valencia, Valdez scored two goals within minutes of coming on as a substitute to win the game at 2–0 for Bremen in an ill-tempered match and enabled his side to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League at Valencia's expense.[24] On 6 February, Valdez scored an 87th minute goal to give Bremen a 3–2 away victory against VfL Wolfsburg. He had entered the field in the 75th minute for Ivan Klasnić.[25] During the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League knockout stage, Werder Bremen faced Lyon in the round of 16. Valdez played in both fixtures, as Bremen lost 3–0 at home on 23 February and lost 7–2 away on 8 March.[26][27] On the last day of the 2004–05 season, Valdez scored in a 2–1 away victory against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.[28] Werder Bremen finished third on the 2004–05 Fußball-Bundesliga table and qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round. Valdez had scored 7 goals in 25 league appearances, where his appearanes were restricted due to Miroslav Klose and Ivan Klasnić being the Bundesliga's top striking duo at the time.

      Valdez made his first appearance in the 2005–06 Fußball-Bundesliga in a 2–0 away win against FSV Mainz 05 in round 2 on 14 August, where he entered the field in the 68th minute.[29] Valdez made his full debut for the 2005–06 season in a 2–1 away victory against Hertha BSC Berlin on 1 October, where the game was tied at 1–1 until the 89th minute when Valdez scored to give Bremen a 2–1 victory.[30] On 26 November, Valdez scored in a 2–1 away loss against Schalke 04. He played a full 90-minutes of match and was the main striker as Bremen had played with a 4–2–2–1–1 formation.[31] One week later, he scored in a 2–0 home victory against MSV Duisburg on 3 December.[32] On 7 December in a 2005–06 UEFA Champions League group stage fixture, Valdez scored a double in a 5–1 home win against Panathinaikos. Bremen advanced to the knockout stage where they would faced Juventus in the round of 16. Werder Bremen won the first-leg 3–2 on 22 February and lost the second-leg 2–1 on 7 March. Both Bremen and Juventus were tied 4–4 on aggregate, however Juventus progrssed to the quarter-finals due to the away goals rule. On 25 March, Valdez scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 home win against Hannover 96.[33] On 15 April, Valdez scored his 9th league goal of the 2005–06 season in a 1–1 away draw against VfL Wolfsburg.[34] Werder Bremen finished second on the 2004–05 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 70 points, and qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League. Valdez had scored 9 goals in 30 league appearances. After Paraguay's early exit from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Valdez signed with Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €4.7million in July.

      Borussia Dortmund

      2006–2010

      Valdez was handed the number 9 shirt after joining Borussia Dortmund on a four-year contract. He became a regular starter for Dortmund's first-team but struggled to score. However, Valdez's lack of prolificacy was always compensated for by energy and creativity. His debut for Borussia Dortmund in the 2006–07 Fußball-Bundesliga season came in a 2–0 away loss to Bayern Munich.[35] In a 3–1 away loss to Schalke 04 on 10 December, Valdez was substituted off of the field after 23 minutes.[36] It was later reported that he had picked up a knee injury during the 3–1 defeat, and would be sidelined for approximately one month.[37] Valdez returned to action in a 3–2 home win against Bayern Munich on 26 January, when he was substituted onto the field for Euzebiusz Smolarek in the 46th minute.[38] He scored his first goal for Dortmund in a 2–0 away victory against VfL Wolfsburg on 5 May, Valdez scored in the 90th minute after entering the field for Alexander Frei.[39] Valdez made 29 league appearances, socring just 1 goal, as Borussia Dortmund finished in 9th position of the 2006–07 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 44 points. Valdez made his first appearance in the 2007–08 Fußball-Bundesliga season in a 3–1 home defeat to MSV Duisburg on 12 August.[40] One week later, he scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 4–1 away defeat against Schalke 04 on 18 August.[41] Valdez's second league goal came after 11 minutes in a 2–1 away win against VfB Stuttgart on 1 December.[42] One week later on 7 December, Valdez scored a penalty kick in a 6–1 home victory against Arminia Bielefeld.[43] On 19 April, Borussia Dortmund were defeated 2–1 by Bayern Munich in the 2007–08 DFB-Pokal final. Valdez was substituted onto the field in the 86th minute for Sebastian Kehl.[44] Valdez finished the 2007–08 season with 3 goals in 27 league appearances. Borussia Dortmund finished in 13th position of the 2007–08 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 40 points, but qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup First round as DFB-Pokal 2007–08 winners Bayern Munich had already qualified for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League via their league placement, losing finalists Borussia Dortmund took the UEFA Cup spot reserved for the cup winners.

      Haedo Valdéz with Dortmund.

      In round 1 of the 2008–09 DFB-Pokal on 9 August, Valdez scored Dortmund's third goal in their 3–1 away win against Rot-Weiss Essen. His first appearance in the 2008-09 Fußball-Bundesliga season came on 16 August in a 3–2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen, where Valdez scored after just four minutes.[45] During the first-leg of Dortmund's 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round fixture on 18 September, Dortmund were defeated 2–0 at home against Udinese Calcio. During the second leg of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round on 2 October, Dortmund defeated Udinese 2–0 in Italy. As the result meant that both teams were tied 2–2 on aggregate, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Valdez scored Dortmund's fifth spot-kick, however Udinese won 4–3. Three days later, Valdez scored after ten minutes of the game in a 1–1 home draw against Hannover 96 on 5 October.[46] On 16 May, Valdez scored Dortmund's third goal of their 6–0 home thrashing of Arminia Bielefeld.[47] Valdez scored 7 goals in 29 league appearances as Dortmund finished in 6th place of the 2008–09 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 59 points. Prior to the start of the 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund signed Paraguayan striker Lucas Barrios, which provided plenty of competition for Valdez and fellow Dortmund striker Mohamed Zidan. Valdez made his first appearance in the 2009–10 season in a 1–0 home victory against 1. FC Köln on 8 August.[48] One week later on 15 August, he scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season after 4 minutes in a 4–1 away defeat against Hamburger SV.[49] One week later, he scored in Dortmund's 1–1 home draw against VfB Stuttgart on 22 August.[50] On 23 January, Valdez scored for Dortmund in the 36th minute to give his side a 1–0 home victory against Hamburger SV.[51] One month later, he again scored in Dortmund's 4–1 home win against Hannover 96 on 20 February. Valdez had entered the field for Lucas Barrios in the 63rd minute before scoring Dortmund's third goal in the 77th minute.[52] Valdez's last goal for Dortmund came in a 1–1 draw against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on 18 April. Valdez had been substituted onto the field for Mohamed Zidan in the 29th minute and scored in the 57th minute to give Dortmund the lead.[53][54] Valdez scored 5 goals in 28 league appearances as Dortmund had finished in 5th spot of the 2009–10 Fußball-Bundesliga table with 57 points. Dortmund qualified for the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League Play-off round.

      On 10 May, it was reported in Germany that Fulham manager Roy Hodgson had considered a £3million move for Valdez. Valdez stated that he would 'love' to play in the Barclays Premier League or Spain, and it was thought £3million would be enough to tempt Borussia Dortmund to sell him.[55] On 19 May, it was reported that Wigan Athletic were weighing up a move for Valdez, who had expressed his interest in playing in England, after the club had signed his compatriot Antolín Alcaraz.[56] In June, Premier League club Sunderland had lined up a bid for Haedo Valdez after his impressive performance against Italy at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Borussia Dortmund had indicated that they wanted €10million or around £8m for Valdez but Sunderland's boss Steve Bruce had been hoping to sign him for less.[57][58][59] In July, it was reported that Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven were also after Valdez due to his performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Valdez's contract would run until the summer of 2012, but Borussia Dortmund were keen to cash in on him and had reportedly set a €5million asking price for Valdez following his good performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[60]

      Hércules

      Haedo Valdéz at Hércules CF.
      Haedo Valdéz during his presentation at Hércules CF.

      In August 2010 Valdez signed a three-year contract with Hércules CF after admitting that he had received offers to play in Russia. Valdez became the most expensive signing in the history of Hércules having been transferred for €3.5million.[61] His debut resulted in a brace against FC Barcelona on 11 September in a surprising 2–0 victory at the Camp Nou.[62] Valdez scored his second double for Hércules in a 3–1 win against Levante on 29 November.[63] He would then score in a 4–1 against Atlético Madrid on 11 January 2011.[64] In January, when Valdez had scored six times in 11 appearances, it was reported that Real Madrid had considered signing him when Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín was ruled out for the season following back surgery, however, a transfer was never established.[65][66][67] He received a red card on 61 minutes in his second last game of the 2010–11 season in a 3–2 loss against Racing Santander on 8 May.[68][69] He would finish the season having scored 8 goals in 25 league appearances as Hércules would finish 19th in La Liga and face relegation. Having been partnered up front with David Trezeguet, the two had scored 20 goals between them for the 2010–11 season.[70] Valdez took no part in the 2010–11 Copa del Rey, which saw Hércules eliminated against Málaga in the round of 32. During his performance at the 2011 Copa América in July, it was reported in Spanish newspapers that a Wigan Athletic party had traveled to Spain to make a €4 million offer for the striker, which was rejected as they were told to put up more money to meet the €5 million release clause in Valdez's contract.[71][72]Sunderland then proposed an offer of €4.2 million to sign Valdez, who by then had received a lucrative offer from the Netherlands' PSV Eindhoven and also offers from Russia, Portugal and England.[73] On 1 August it was reported by ABC de Sevilla that Real Betis had already began negotiations with Hércules for Valdez as a replacement for Achille Emana who was reported to being transferred to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, where Hércules had asked for €4 million for the striker, Valdez was also reportedly tempted by Al-Hilal.[74][75]

      Rubin Kazan

      2011–2012 season

      In August 2011, Valdez signed a four-year contract with Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan.[76] His debut in the 2011–12 season came in a 3–1 away loss to FC Krasnodar on 10 September, where Valdez received a yellow card on 27 minutes.[77] He made his first appearance in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League on 15 September in a 3–0 victory over Ireland's Shamrock Rovers.[78] Valdéz scored his first goals in the Europa League, a double, in a 4–1 home win against Shamrock Rovers on 30 November.[79] Two weeks later, he again scored in the Europa League in a 1–1 away draw against PAOK on 15 December.[80] This result meant that Rubin Kazan would progress to the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League knockout phase, where Rubin Kazan lost 2–0 on aggregate to Olympiakos.[81] Haedo scored his first league goal for Rubin in a 1–1 away draw against Zenit St. Petersburg on 25 March, Haedo was substituted onto the field in the 46th minute and equalised for Rubin in the 58th minute before being substituted off of the field in the 68th minute.[82] Two weeks later, he scored his second league goal in a 1–1 away draw against Dinamo Moskva on 7 April.[83][84] He made his first appearance in the 2011–12 Russian Cup in Rubin Kazan's 2–0 semi-final win against Rostov on 11 April.[85] In the final game of the season, Valdez opened the scoring for Rubin as they fought back from a goal down to defeat CSKA Moscow 3–1 on 13 May 2012.[86] On 8 July 2012, it was reported that Argentine Primera División club Newell's Old Boys had announced their intention to sign Haedo Valdéz with the signing of former Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino in charge of the team for the 2012–13 season.[87] It had also been reported that Haedo had stated that he was interested in transferring to Newell's Old Boys.[88] On 14 July 2012, Haedo was substituted onto the field for Obafemi Martins in the 64th minute of Rubin's 2–0 2012 Russian Super Cup victory against Zenit Saint Petersburg. The win meant that Haedo had claimed his second title at the club within just under 12-months since his arrival.[89][90] It was then reported that La Liga club RCD Espanyol and Primera División Paraguaya club Libertad were interested in signing him.[91]

      2012–2013 season

      Valdez debuted in the 2012–13 season in a 2–1 away loss to FC Krasnodar on 23 July, where he was substituted onto the field for Vladimir Dyadyun in the 46th minute.[92]

      Loan to Valencia

      In the summer of 2012 he signed for Valencia CF on loan. He came on as a substitute against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in which he scored a header where Valencia lost 2–1. Nelson's first league goal for Valencia came on 20 October, heading in a 90th minute winner to snatch a 3–2 victory over Athletic Bilbao.[93] On 3 November, Valdez scored in injury time to complete Valencia's 2–0 victory over Atletico Madrid, inflicting the capital side's first defeat of the season.[94]

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      International career

      Haedo Valdéz in a friendly match against Australia in Sydney on 9 October 2010.

      Having not been selected for Paraguay's Under-23 squad for the 2004 Summer Olympics, Valdez was part of the Paraguay 22-man squad at the 2004 Copa América in Peru. Playing in two of Paraguay's three group stage games as Paraguay finished in first place and were drawn against Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Valdez played in the quarter-final which Paraguay lost 3–1.[95] Valdez scored his first goal for Paraguay in a game against El Salvador on 17 August 2005.[96] During the 2006 FIFA World cup qualification campaign Valdez scored after 64 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Venezuela on 8 October 2005.[97] Paraguay finished fourth with 28 points as Valdez was selected for the final 23-man squad for the tournament where he was handed the number 18 shirt. Valdez was not included in Paraguay's squad for the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela, however, a few months later he took part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he opened his goal scoring account in round two of the qualifiers scoring in a 1–0 win against Uruguay on 7 October 2007.[98] Paraguay were undefeated until round six where they had lost 4–2 against Bolivia in La Paz, Valdez scored his third goal of the qualifiers.[99] On 9 September 2009, in Asunción in round 16 of the qualifiers Haedo Valdez scored after 27 minutes of the first half to give Paraguay a 1–0 lead against Argentina, who were coached by Diego Maradona at the time, Paraguay won the game 1–0 and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[100][101][102][103] Paraguay finished the campaign in third spot, behind Brazil and Chile, with 33 points as Valdez had scored five times in 17 appearances.

      2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup

      Valdez was selected for Paraguay's Under-20 squad for the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates as Paraguay had finished third at the 2003 South American Youth Championship. Valdez featured in all three group-stage fixtures scoring in the last game in a 2–0 win against Germany as Paraguay finished second in their group. Valdez then featured in Paraguay's round of 16 clash against Spain where which Paraguay were beaten 1–0.[104][105][106][107]

      2006 FIFA World Cup

      At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Valdez started in Paraguay's opening Group B clash against England which they lost 1–0.[108] After a solid performance from Valdez against Sweden in the second game Paraguay would lose 1–0 after 89 minutes and be eliminated from the tournament.[109] Valdez would play 66 minutes of Paraguay's final group stage fixture against Trinidad and Tobago, which they won 2–0, as he was replaced by Nelson Cuevas.[110]

      2010 FIFA World Cup

      Valdez was selected in the 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Paraguay were grouped with Slovakia, New Zealand and Italy, Valdez participated in all three matches as Paraguay finished top of the group with five points.[111][112][113] In the round of 16 Paraguay faced Japan where they drew 0–0 after extra-time, Valdez replaced Édgar Benítez after 60 minutes and played until extra-time had finished. The match was decided by a Penalty shootout, Valdez converted his, and Paraguay's fourth, spot kick and eventually won the shootout 5–3.[114] Paraguay faced Spain in the quarter-finals, during the first-half Valdez scored past Iker Casillas but had the goal ruled out as offside. Paraguay eventually lost the game 1–0.[115]

      2011 Copa América

      He was selected in the squad for the 2011 Copa América where Paraguay had been drawn in Group B with Brazil, Ecuardor and Venezuela. In Paraguay's opening group stage fixture on 3 July 2011 Haedo Valdez was substituted onto the field on 73 minutes for Lucas Barrios as Paraguay drew 0–0 with Ecuador.[116] On 9 July 2011, Paraguay faced Brazil when Valdez was substituted onto the field on 56 minutes for a yellow carded Lucas Barrios while Paraguay were drawing 1–1 with Brazil. Valdez then scored a goal on 66 minutes as Paraguay took the lead to 2–1. Brazil eventually levelled the score on 89 minutes as the game finished at 2–2.[117][118]

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      Career statistics

      Club

      [119]

      Club Season League Cup Europe Other1 Total
      Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
      Tembetary 2000 – – – – – – – – – –
      2001 – – – – – – – – – –
      Total 22 11 – – – – – – 22 11
      Werder Bremen 2002–03 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
      2003–04 21 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 26 6
      2004–05 27 7 4 2 8 2 0 0 39 11
      2005–06 30 9 3 0 9 2 0 0 42 11
      Total 80 21 13 3 17 4 0 0 110 28
      Borussia Dortmund 2006–07 29 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 31 2
      2007–08 27 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 30 2
      2008–09 29 7 3 1 2 0 0 0 34 8
      2009–10 28 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 31 5
      Total 113 15 11 2 2 0 0 0 126 17
      Hercules 2010–11 26 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 8
      Total 26 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 8
      Rubin Kazan 2011–12 17 3 2 0 8 3 1 0 28 6
      2012–13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
      Total 20 3 2 0 8 3 1 0 31 6
      Valencia 2012–13 28 6 5 2 7 1 0 0 40 9
      Total 28 6 5 2 7 1 0 0 40 9
      Career totals 289 64 31 7 34 8 1 0 355 79
      1Includes Russian Super Cup

      International

      Appearances

      Paraguay national team
      Year Apps Goals
      2004 4 0
      2005 4 2
      2006 6 2
      2007 6 2
      2008 9 2
      2009 9 1
      2010 8 1
      2011 11 2
      2012 5 0
      2013 3 0
      Total 66 12

      Goals

      Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first.
      # Date Venue Opponent Result Competition
      1. 17 August 2005 Estadio Antonio Oddone Sarubbi, Ciudad del Este  El Salvador 3–0 Friendly
      2. 8 October 2005 Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo  Venezuela 1–0 2006 World Cup qualifier
      3. 24 May 2006 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo  Norway 2–2 Friendly
      4. 31 May 2006 Estadio FC Dornbirn, Dornbirn  Georgia 1–0 Friendly
      5. 17 October 2007 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción  Uruguay 1–0 2010 World Cup qualifier
      6. 17 November 2007 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción  Ecuador 5–1 2010 World Cup qualifier
      7. 18 June 2008 Estadio Hernando Siles La Paz  Bolivia 2–4 2010 World Cup qualifier
      8. 9 September 2008 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción  Venezuela 2–0 2010 World Cup qualifier
      9. 9 September 2009 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción  Argentina 1–0 2010 World Cup qualifier
      10. 12 October 2010 Westpac Stadium  New Zealand 2–0 Friendly
      11. 11 June 2011 Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción  Romania 2–0 Friendly
      12. 9 July 2011 Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba  Brazil 2–2 2011 Copa América

      Career totals

      Professional career totals
      Teams Appearances Goals Goals per game
      Clubs 0355 079 0.22
      Paraguay U-20 04 001 0.25
      National team 066 0012 0.18
      Total 0425 092 0.22
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      Personal life

      Haedo Valdez provides his birthplace, San Joaquin, with £8,285 per month and buys 1,500 children presents every Christmas. San Joaquin depends on Valdez as he provides the people with a better chance than he ever had.[3]

      Valdez once, gun in hand, chased off thieves stealing his car and ran into his blazing home to save his dog.[7]

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      Honours

      Club

      Werder Bremen
      Rubin Kazan

      International

      Paraguay

      Individual

      • Best Paraguayan footballer abroad (APF): 2010
      • Best Paraguayan footballer abroad (Premios Guaraní – Canal 2 Red Guaraní): 2010
      • Most favourite player of Albirroja (Premios Guaraní – Canal 2 Red Guaraní): 2010
      • Special Consideration (President of Paraguayan Republic: Fernando Lugo): 2010
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      References

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      External links

      Valencia CF – current squad
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      Last modified on 17 June 2013, at 03:58