Joaquín Botero Explained

Joaquín Botero
Fullname:Joaquín Botero Vaca
Birth Date:10 December 1977
Birth Place:La Paz, Bolivia
Height:1.71 m
Position:Striker
Years1:1997
Clubs1:Mariscal Braun
Caps1:22
Goals1:18
Years2:1998
Clubs2:Deportivo Municipal
Caps2:24
Goals2:18
Years3:1999–2003
Clubs3:Bolívar
Caps3:132
Goals3:111
Years4:2003–2006
Clubs4:UNAM
Caps4:81
Goals4:21
Years5:2006
Clubs5:San Lorenzo de Almagro
Caps5:2
Goals5:0
Years6:2007
Clubs6:Deportivo Táchira
Caps6:5
Goals6:0
Years7:2008
Clubs7:Bolívar
Caps7:25
Goals7:11
Years8:2009–2010
Clubs8:Correcaminos UAT
Caps8:28
Goals8:10
Years9:2010
Clubs9:Al Arabi (loan)
Caps9:4
Goals9:3
Years10:2011
Clubs10:San José
Caps10:16
Goals10:8
Years11:2013–2014
Clubs11:Sport Boys
Caps11:20
Goals11:5
Totalcaps:350
Totalgoals:198
Nationalyears1:1999–2009
Nationalteam1:Bolivia
Nationalcaps1:48
Nationalgoals1:20

Joaquín Botero Vaca (born 10 December 1977) is a Bolivian former professional footballer who played as a striker.[1]

He is the second all-time top goalscorer for the Bolivia national team with 20 goals and was the top goalscorer in world football in the 2002 season, with 49 goals scored for Club Bolívar.[2]

Club career

Botero not only played in Bolivia's football league, he also played abroad, in the football leagues of Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela.[3]

After scoring 133 goals for Club Bolívar and becoming the club's second highest goalscorer of all time behind Luis Fernando Salinas,[4] he left the club to play abroad.

Botero's first foreign club was the Mexican team Pumas. In his first season with Pumas, the 2003 Apertura, he scored three goals in 17 games. After scoring another three in nine games in the 2004 Clausura, Botero broke out in the 2004 Apertura, registering 11 goals in 19 games.

In 2006, he joined San Lorenzo de Almagro of the Primera División de Argentina and in 2007 he played for Deportivo Táchira of Venezuela. After an unsuccessful stint in both clubs, Botero returned to Bolívar as a free agent in 2008.

He joined the Mexican team Correcaminos UAT for the Clausura 2009 season, marking his return to Mexico.[5]

In January 2010, he was loaned out to Al Arabi Kuwait for $170,000. He made four appearances and scored three goals.[3]

In 2011, Botero returned to his country to play for San José and Sport Boys Warnes; in the latter, he was the author of two goals that allowed promotion of the team to the First Division of Bolivia for the first time. In this team, he played until his retirement in 2014.

For six years and after his retirement, Botero decided to dedicate himself to personal activities and projects. However, in 2020 he announced his return to the fields, playing for Club Universidad San Francisco de Asís of the Primera A de Potosí in Tupiza, Bolivia.[3]

International career

Since 1999, Botero was a regular player for the Bolivia national team, including participation in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which he played in all three of Bolivia's group stage matches, the 2001 Copa América and the 2004 Copa América.

On 1 April 2009, Botero scored a hat-trick for Bolivia in a historic 6–1 victory over Argentina in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier,[6] [1] [7] Argentina's first loss under the recently appointed manager, Diego Maradona. On 15 May 2009, Botero surprisingly announced the end of his era with the national team, putting as an excuse that his motivation "was not there anymore."[8] [1]

In his ten years playing for Bolivia, Botero earned a total of 48 caps and scored 20 goals, becoming the highest scorer in the national team's history, before being surpassed by Marcelo Moreno in 2020.[9]

Botero represented his country in 30 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, scoring 16 goals.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year[10]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Bolivia199930
200063
200173
200220
200344
2004102
200550
200895
200923
Total4820

Scores and results list Bolivia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Botero goal.

List of international goals scored by Joaquín Botero
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.5 March 2000 5-1 align=center rowspan=3 9–2 Friendly
2. 8-2
3. 9-2
4. 25 April 20013–1 3–3 2002 World Cup qualification
5.3 June 2001 2-0 align=center rowspan=2 5–0
6. 4-0
7.10 September 2003 2-0 align=center rowspan=3 4–0 2006 World Cup qualification
8. 3-0
9. 4-0
10. 18 November 20030-1 2–1
11. 6 July 20040-1 2–2 2004 Copa América
12. 9 October 2004Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 1–0 1–0 2006 World Cup qualification
13.18 June 2008 1-0 align=center rowspan=2 4–2 2010 World Cup qualification
14. 3-1
15. 6 September 20081-1 3–1
16.11 October 2008 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 1-0 align=center rowspan=2 3–0
17. 2-0
18.1 April 2009 2-1 align=center rowspan=3 6–1
19. 4-1
20. 5-1

Honours

Bolívar

UNAM

Individual

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ¿Qué fue de Botero, el goleador de Bolivia sobre Argentina?(What happened to Botero, Bolivia's scorer over Argentina?) . Goal - www.goal.com . Goal . 7 June 2022 . Spain . Spanish . 1 April 2020.
  2. https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/worldtops.html rsssf: World league topscorers
  3. Web site: Geovanni Guzmán . ¿Qué fue de Joaquín Botero? El goleador boliviano de Pumas (What happened to Joaquin Botero? The Bolivian striker for Pumas) . MedioTiempo - www.mediotiempo.com . MeddioTiempo . 7 June 2022 . Mexico City, Mexico . Spanish . 19 December 2020.
  4. https://web.archive.org/web/20090222125448/http://www.geocities.com/bolivarweb/goleadores.html Bolívar all time topscorers
  5. Web site: Botero en el Correcaminos (Botero in the team "Correcaminos") . Diario Opinión - www.opinion.com.bo . Opinión . 7 June 2022 . Santa Cruz, Bolivia . Spanish . 27 December 2008.
  6. Web site: Dismal Argentina are hit for six in Bolivia. 1 April 2009. CNN. 16 May 2020.
  7. News: 1 April 2009. Maradona's Argentina hit for six. BBC. 16 May 2020.
  8. Web site: No hay vuelta atrás. 20 May 2009. eldeber.com.bo. es. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090520151215/http://www.eldeber.com.bo/2009/2009-05-16/vernotaahora.php?id=090516105426. 20 May 2009. 16 May 2020.
  9. https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/bol-recintlp.html Bolivia – Record International Players
  10. Web site: Mamrud . Roberto . Joaquín Botero - Goals in International Matches . 24 January 2022 . RSSSF.