Antony William de Ávila Charris (born December 21, 1962) is a Colombian former soccer striker nicknamed El Pitufo ("The Smurf"), who last played for América de Cali.
| Antony de Ávila | |
| Fullname: | Antony William de Ávila Charris |
| Height: | 1.6m (05.2feet) |
| Birth Date: | 21 December 1962 |
| Birth Place: | Santa Marta, Colombia |
| Position: | Striker |
| Years1: | 1982–1987 |
| Years2: | 1987–1988 |
| Years3: | 1988–1996 |
| Years4: | 1996–1997 |
| Years5: | 1997–1999 |
| Years6: | 2009 |
| Clubs1: | América de Cali |
| Clubs2: | Unión de Santa Fe |
| Clubs3: | América de Cali |
| Clubs4: | MetroStars |
| Clubs5: | Barcelona SC |
| Clubs6: | América de Cali |
| Caps1: | 470 (total) |
| Caps2: | 37 |
| Caps3: | (see above) |
| Caps4: | 31 |
| Caps5: | 52 |
| Caps6: | 9 |
| Goals1: | 201 |
| Goals2: | 17 |
| Goals4: | 15 |
| Goals5: | 27 |
| Goals6: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1983–1998 |
| Nationalteam1: | Colombia |
| Nationalcaps1: | 54 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 13 |
De Ávila began his career with América de Cali in his native Colombia in 1982. He spent the majority of his career with the club, winning seven league titles with América, including five in a row from 1982 to 1986. His 25 goals for América in the 1990 season led all scorers in the Colombian top flight. His time with América also led him to be runner-up in the Copa Libertadores on three occasions in 1985, 1986, and 1996.
De Ávila also spent time abroad, playing for Unión de Santa Fe of Argentina in between spells with América,[1] the MetroStars of Major League Soccer, and Barcelona SC of Ecuador.
De Ávila's MLS career spanned a season and a half, as he joined the Metros midway through the 1996 season as a replacement for colossal disappointment Rubén Darío Hernández. With the club playing on AstroTurf for parts of the season, El Pitufo was surprisingly adept at what was called "ping-pong soccer".[2] He scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in his time in the league, plus another two goals and an assist in the playoffs.
In 1997, De Ávila left the MLS and moved to Ecuador to play for Barcelona de Ecuador. With the club, he reached another Copa Libertadores final but again failed to win, becoming the only player to have lost five Libertadores finals.
De Ávila retired in 1999, but returned to competitive football at the age of 46 with América de Cali,[3] eventually finishing his career with a club record 208 goals.[4]
His 29 goals in the Copa Libertadores ranked him sixth highest scorer in the history of the tournament.[4]
De Ávila made his senior debut on 26 July 1983. He went on to score 13 goals in 54 appearances for the Colombia national team between 1983 and 1998.[5] He represented his country at two World Cups, in 1994[6] and 1998 respectively.[7]
Nicknamed El Pitufo ("The Smurf") or El Pipa, he was known as much for his short height of 1.57m (5 ft 3 in) as for his goal-scoring prowess. After retiring, de Ávila bought a farm and he was still living there as of 2020.
Scores and results list goal tally first.[8]
Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each de Ávila goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 27, 1989 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | ||
| 2 | July 3, 1989 | Estádio Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1989 Copa América | ||
| 3 | February 3, 1991 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1991 Miami Cup | ||
| 4 | June 25, 1991 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | ||
| 5 | July 7, 1991 | Estadio Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1991 Copa América | ||
| 6 | July 13, 1991 | Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1991 Copa América | ||
| 7 | July 21, 1991 | Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago, Chile | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1991 Copa América | ||
| 8 | March 31, 1993 | Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly | ||
| 9 | April 17, 1994 | Estadio Centenario, Armenia, Colombia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | ||
| 10 | May 5, 1994 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1994 Miami Cup | ||
| 11 | July 7, 1996 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 12 | July 20, 1997 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 13 | August 20, 1997 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
América de Cali
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992[9]
Barcelona de Ecuador
1997
Individual
1996[10]