The cliché 'has changed more clubs than Jack Nicklaus' could have been invented for him. And, before retiring, he is giving his people every reason to dance in the streets back home. His brilliant finishing has helped Ecuador into the last 16 of the World Cup.
From the Andes via an unglamorous southern English port to headline-maker at the World Cup might be one of the more circuitous routes to stardom in the tournament's recent history. But it will do very nicely for Ecuador's Agustin Delgado, otherwise known as 'Tin'.
A place in the second phase of a World Cup looked a distant pipedream for the veteran from El Juncal who, after travels took him from his homeland to Mexico via an injury-ridden spell in the English Premiership with Southampton and back again, is now turning out in the unheralded Liga de Quito.
Fans had better make the most of their man as "El Tin" who said afterwards that "I will retire from the national side after the World Cup. We have a number of youngsters coming along and the national team makes a lot of demands on you."
A draw against the hosts would see the Latin American minnows win Group A — not bad for a side who crashed out in the opening phase four years ago, their only previous visit to the finals.
"I think we can win that game and win the group," Delgado said of Tuesday's encounter in Berlin, knowing that would condemn the Germans to runners-up spot and a potentially trickier last 16 rival. "It is going to be a really great game against Germany because we have both already qualified," added the 31-year-old for whom the cliche 'has had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus' could have been invented, at least in a Latin American context.
His goals in two stirring wins have had them dancing in the streets back home, and the celebrations have reverberated as far as Spain, where in recent years hundreds of thousands of his compatriots have been making their new livelihoods to help out struggling families back home.
Born in Imbabura province two days before Christmas in 1974, Agustin Javier Delgado Chala cut his footballing teeth with Barcelona SC Guayaquil, for whom he was active between 1992 and 1996.
Tin ultimately made his exit from that club after he was said to have been caught partying late at wild clubs with his teammates, Edwin Villafuerte and Walter Ayovi, which prompted all their exits.
During that time he made an inauspicious international debut in a 2-0 loss to neighbours Peru, but he stuck at his task and was on target in the 2002 finals in a loss to Mexico in Japan which ultimately meant an early flight home.
That won't happen this time with Suarez's side yet to concede a goal and mimicking Brazil with flowing moves and incisive passing when it comes to going forward. Five goals in 11 qualifiers from Delgado helped the side come third in the Latin American qualifiers behind the Brazilians and Argentina.
By the start of that campaign, Delgado, who has a rebellious streak, had swanned in and out of Independiente Medellin (1996-97), El Nacional Quito (1997) and Barcelona SC Guayaquil (1997-1999), where he would return in 2005 after further moves to Cruz Azul and Necaxa in Mexico, as well as Southampton, who tried to bring him back to fitness, after the injury he picked up during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, to no avail. The striker played in the World Cup subsequently despite being injured as the pressure on him to play was enormous.
All that lead tohim playing while heavily medicated on painkillers — that effectively destroyed his future in Europe. But, the world could still be his.
Comments