Gonzalo Jara (footballer, born 1985)

Gonzalo Alejandro Jara Reyes (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡonˈsalo ˈxaɾa]; born 29 August 1985) is a Chilean professional footballer who currently plays for Chilean Primera División club Coquimbo Unido. He is a versatile defender and can play in either a full-back role or as a centre-back.

Not to be confused with Gonzalo Jara (footballer, born 1998).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Jara and the second or maternal family name is Reyes.
Gonzalo Jara
Jara playing for Chile at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup
Personal information
Full name Gonzalo Alejandro Jara Reyes[1]
Date of birth (1985-08-29) 29 August 1985
Place of birth Hualpén, Chile
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Coquimbo Unido
Number 18
Youth career
Huachipato
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Huachipato 69 (1)
2007–2009 Colo-Colo 64 (1)
2009–2013 West Bromwich Albion 56 (2)
2011 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 4 (0)
2012 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 10 (0)
2013 → Nottingham Forest (loan) 16 (0)
2013–2014 Nottingham Forest 32 (0)
2014–2016 Mainz 05 23 (0)
2016–2018 Universidad de Chile 58 (0)
2019 Estudiantes de La Plata 15 (0)
2020 Morelia 6 (0)
2020 Mazatlán 9 (0)
2021 Tijuana 13 (0)
2021 Unión La Calera 7 (0)
2022– Coquimbo Unido 0 (0)
International career‡
2005 Chile U20 3 (1)
2006–2019 Chile 115 (3)
Medal record
Representing  Chile
WinnerCopa América2015
WinnerCopa América Centenario2016
Runner-upFIFA Confederations Cup2017
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 January 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 July 2019

Formed at Huachipato, he later won three league titles at Colo-Colo. In 2009, he moved to England, where he represented West Bromwich Albion, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, joining Mainz in 2014.

Jara has played for the Chile national team since 2006, earning over 100 caps. He played in two FIFA World Cups (2010 and 2014), and four Copa América, being part of the team that won the title in 2015 and in 2016, in the Copa América Centenario.

Club career

Born in Hualpén, Jara made his professional debut in 2003 for Huachipato, where he played until his 2007 transfer to Colo-Colo.

Colo-Colo agreed to transfer him to English Championship team West Bromwich Albion for a fee of $3 million in August 2009,[3] but the buying club chose not to proceed with the deal.[4] However, they later resurrected the deal and Jara signed for Albion for a fee of £1.4 million on a three-year contract on 25 August 2009.[5] He scored his first goal for West Brom in a 2–1 away win against Leicester City on 7 November 2009.[6] His second came against Arsenal on 25 September 2010, scoring in a 3–2 victory for West Brom at the Emirates Stadium.[7]

On 21 October 2011, Jara joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal initially lasting until January 2012.[8] However, on 20 December 2011, West Brom recalled him and two other players also on loan at other clubs due to an injury crisis.[9] Jara returned to Brighton & Hove Albion on a loan deal lasting until the end of the season on 31 January 2012.[10]

He joined another Championship side, Nottingham Forest, on loan until the end of the season on 10 January 2013.[11] On 19 June, after his release from West Bromwich, he joined Forest on a permanent one-year deal.[12] He was one of seven players released from the club on 27 May 2014.[13]

On 16 July 2014, he was given a two-year contract with an option for a third year by 1. FSV Mainz 05.[14] On 16 January 2016, he agreed to terminate his contract with them.[15]

International career

Youth teams

In 2005, Jara represented Chile at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, scoring a goal in Chile's 7–0 victory over Honduras. Jara was Chile's captain in the prestigious 2008 Under-23 Toulon Tournament, where he has played in the 5–3 victory against France, as well as the 2–0 victories against the Netherlands and Japan. He missed the semi-final match versus Ivory Coast due to yellow cards.

Senior team
Jara competing for the ball against Brazil's Dani Alves at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

He was chosen by coach Nelson Acosta to play for Chile during their 2006 tour through Europe where they played the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, Ivory Coast in Toulon and Sweden in Stockholm.

He also played for Chile in the 2007 Copa América against Ecuador, Brazil, and Mexico. He scored his first international goal for Chile against Venezuela during the CONMEBOL 2010 World Cup qualifiers, and also played at the final tournament.

In 2013, during a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier he provoked Uruguayan Luis Suárez by holding and pinching him around the waist with one hand and grabbing his crotch with the other. Suárez subsequently punched Jara, but both parties went unpunished.[16] At the final tournament, he was the fifth and final Chilean player used in a penalty shoot-out against Brazil in the Round of 16 in Belo Horizonte. His shot missed, rebounding off the right-hand goal post, which eliminated his team from the competition.[17]

In the 2015 Copa América quarter-finals match against Uruguay he provoked Uruguayan Edinson Cavani into a second yellow card and expulsion by slapping Cavani and, according to replays, appeared to insert his finger into Cavani's anus. Jara then faked a fall to the ground.[18][19] The incident received almost immediate and prominent international coverage from newspapers and the internet, mostly condemning Jara. Massive coverage included articles, columns, blogs, memes, and cartoons accusing Jara of inappropriately touching Cavani and then diving theatrically.[19] Press in Australia likened the incident to the infamous on-field, anus-poking tactics of rugby league player John Hopoate in 2001.[19][20] Although unpunished during the match, Jara was suspended for two games, the remainder of the tournament,[21] which Chile eventually won. Mainz criticised Jara for the incident and stated that he would be sold.[22]

Career statistics

International
Chile
YearAppsGoals
200670
200730
200892
2009121
201080
2011120
201240
201380
2014100
2015120
2016140
2017110
201800
201950
Total1153

International goals

Scores and results list Chile's goal tally first.

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
119 June 2008Estadio Olímpico Luis Ramos, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela Venezuela2–13–22010 FIFA World Cup qualification
210 September 2008Estadio Nacional de Chile, Santiago, Chile Colombia1–04–0
317 November 2009Stadium Pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia Slovakia1–02–1Friendly

Other works

Still a player of Coquimbo Unido, in November 2022, Jara joined TNT Sports Chile as a football commentator for the program Todos somos técnicos (We are all coaches) in the context of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, alongside Gustavo Quinteros, Gissella Gallardo and Roberto Tobar.[23]

Honours

Club
Colo-Colo
Universidad de Chile

International
Chile

See also

References
  1. "Gonzalo Jara Reyes – Fichajes.com". Fichajes .com: Noticias y rumores sobre el mercado de fichajes de fútbol.
  2. "Gonzalo Jara , Club Universidad de Chile". 23 January 2016. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016.
  3. "Futbol-Colo Colo transfiere defensor Jara a West Bromwich inglés". Reuters (in Spanish). 3 August 2009. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
  4. Lepkowski, Chris (5 August 2009). "West Bromwich Albion drop interest in Gonzalo Jara". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 8 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  5. "Jara seals £1.4m switch". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 25 August 2009. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  6. "Leicester 1–2 West Brom". BBC Sport. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2009.
  7. "Arsenal 2–3 West Brom". BBC Sport. 25 September 2010.
  8. "Chilean international signs". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  9. "Depleted West Bromwich Albion recall three". BBC Sport. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  10. "Albion's Double Loan Deal". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. 31 January 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  11. "Gonzalo Checks In". Nottingham Forest F.C. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  12. Richardson, Nick (19 June 2013). "Reyes Returns". Nottingham Forest F.C.
  13. "Nottingham Forest release seven including Greening and Moussi". BBC Sport. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  14. "MAINZ SNAP UP CHILE'S WORLD CUP STAR JARA". Bundesliga. 16 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  15. "404 – Seite nicht gefunden". mainz05.de. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  16. David Maddock (27 March 2013). "Luis Suarez punch: New video shows clearer view of clash with Chile defender Gonzalo Jara in World Cup qualifier – Mirror Online". mirror.
  17. Ornstein, David (28 June 2014). "Brazil 1–1 Chile". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  18. "Streamable – free video publishing" – via streamable.com.
  19. Fleitas, Giovanna. "Edinson Cavani video: Gonzalo Jara will be investigated for incident in Chile v Uruguay at Copa America". foxsports.com.au.
  20. "Chile star gives Uruguay rival a 'Hopoate' poke". wwos.
  21. Grez, Matias (30 June 2015). "Copa America 2015: Gonzalo Jara's poke in backside earns him ban". CNN. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  22. "Angry Mainz to offload Gonzalo Jara for prodding Edinson Cavani's bottom". The Guardian. Reuters. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  23. @tntsportscl (20 November 2022). "Conoce a nuestros refuerzos para el #UltimoMundialDeLasLeyendas" (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2022 – via Instagram.
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