Ildefons Lima

Ildefons Lima Solà (born 10 December 1979) is an Andorran former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lima and the second or maternal family name is Solà.

Ildefons Lima
Lima with Andorra in 2016
Personal information
Full name Ildefons Lima Solà
Date of birth (1979-12-10) 10 December 1979
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Youth career
Damm
FC Andorra
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1999 FC Andorra 64 (2)
1999–2000 Espanyol B 1 (0)
2000–2001 Sant Andreu 25 (2)
2001–2002 Ionikos 0 (0)
2002 Pachuca 3 (1)
2002–2003 Las Palmas 25 (2)
2004 Poli Ejido 2 (0)
2004–2005 Rayo Vallecano 34 (1)
2005–2009 Triestina 79 (1)
2009–2011 Bellinzona 43 (4)
2011–2012 Triestina 17 (2)
2012–2014 FC Andorra 45 (15)
2014–2018 Santa Coloma 84 (18)
2018–2022 Inter d'Escaldes 53 (5)
2022–2023 FC Andorra B 13 (0)
Total 488 (53)
International career
1997–2023 Andorra 137 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played club football in Spain, Greece, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland and Andorra. In a 26-year international career, the longest in men's football history, Lima set the records for most appearances and most goals for Andorra (137 and 11).[1]

Early life

Lima was born in Barcelona, Catalonia[2] to an Andalusian father and a Catalan mother.[3] His family moved to Andorra when he was two months old.[4]

Club career

Lima's first years as a senior were spent with FC Andorra, playing one season each in the Spanish third and fourth divisions. Subsequently, he played at both levels with RCD Espanyol B and UE Sant Andreu, splitting the following campaign abroad between Ionikos F.C. of Greece and C.F. Pachuca in Mexico.[5]

In the summer of 2002, Lima returned to Spain, playing one and a half seasons with newly relegated UD Las Palmas in the second tier; he played just three times in his second season, which ended with relegation.[6] He moved in January 2004 to another club in that league, Polideportivo Ejido, and spent the following campaign with Rayo Vallecano in division three.[7]

Lima then played four years with US Triestina Calcio 1918 in Italy.[8] With the Trieste side, he was occasionally used as a forward at the request of elusive chairman Flaviano Tonellotto.[9] In 2009, aged nearly 30, he switched countries again, signing for AC Bellinzona of the Swiss Super League.[10]

After two seasons in Switzerland and one back at Triestina,[11] Lima signed again for FC Andorra, now of the Primera Catalana, instead of several offers to play in the principality's Primera Divisió.[12] On 12 June 2014, he joined the latter league's champion FC Santa Coloma.[13] He scored for them on 8 July in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League away to FC Banants, as they advanced on away goals.[14]

Having spent four years with Santa Coloma, Lima signed with Inter Club d'Escaldes in August 2018.[15] Following another spell of the same length, he returned to FC Andorra to play for the reserve team, with the club now owned by Gerard Piqué.[16]

International career

Lima made his debut for Andorra aged 17, in the country's second ever game on 22 June 1997, scoring in a 4–1 friendly defeat in Estonia. He went on to lead the national team's scoring charts, and also earned more than 130 caps.[17][18]

In June 2009, near the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Lima scored his first competitive goal for over eight years and six years overall, netting the last goal of a 5–1 away loss against Belarus. On 9 September 2014, in Andorra's first match of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualification phase, he netted a sixth-minute penalty to give the side a 1–0 lead over Wales, but in an eventual 1–2 home defeat.[19]

After Óscar Sonejee, Lima was the second Andorran to reach a century of caps, playing his 100th game on 1 June 2016, a 2–0 friendly loss to Estonia in Tallinn.[20] On 22 February 2017 he opened a 2–0 away win over San Marino in another exhibition game, ending an 86-game winless run.[21]

Lima surpassed Sonejee's national record of 106 internationals on 16 August 2017, when he played a friendly against Qatar in Burton-on-Trent.[22] In 2020, the Andorran Football Federation removed him from the team – against the wishes of coach Koldo Álvarez – when the player spoke out against football resuming in the principality without COVID-19 testing. FIFPro, the world's trade union for footballers, called for FIFA to intervene in his favour.[23]

On 3 June 2021, Lima became just the third European footballer (after Billy Meredith and Jari Litmanen) to be capped in four different decades when playing in a friendly defeat to Republic of Ireland.[24] On 16 June 2023, the 43-year-old became the oldest ever player to appear at a UEFA European Championship qualifying match.[25]

Lima retired from the national team after a Euro 2024 qualifier against Switzerland on 12 September 2023; he was substituted after 23 minutes to a standing ovation by both sets of supporters and replaced by Ricard Fernández, a player born two years into his international career. His 26-year spell for his country was the longest in men's football history.[26][16]

Personal life

Despite debuting for the Andorra national team when he was 17, Lima became a citizen of the country when he lived there for 20 years.[4] His older brother, Antoni, was also a footballer and a defender. He too spent most of his career in the lower leagues of Spain, and the pair shared teams at Ionikos.[27][28]

Career statistics

International
National teamYearAppsGoals
Andorra[29][17] 199721
199870
199980
200081
200131
200241
200320
200450
200550
200600
200760
200861
200952
201040
201160
201270
201360
201462
201571
201660
201781
201880
201990
202000
202150
202210
202330
Total13711
Scores and results list Andorra's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lima goal.[29][17]
List of international goals scored by Ildefons Lima
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
122 June 1997Linnastaadion, Kuressaare, Estonia Estonia1–31–4Friendly
22 September 2000Communal d'Aixovall, Andorra La Vella, Andorra Cyprus2–12–32002 FIFA World Cup qualification
325 April 2001Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland1–01–3
427 March 2002Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta Malta1–01–1Friendly
54 June 2008Comunal d'Aixovall, Andorra la Vella, Andorra Azerbaijan1–11–2
611 February 2009S. Darius and S. Girėnas, Kaunas, Lithuania Lithuania1–21–3
76 June 2009Neman Stadium, Grodno, Belarus Belarus1–51–52010 FIFA World Cup qualification
89 September 2014Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella, Andorra Wales1–01–2UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
913 October 2014 Israel1–11–4
1011 October 2015 Belgium1–21–4
1122 February 2017Olimpico di Serravalle, Serravalle, San Marino San Marino1–02–0Friendly

See also

References
  1. Duret, Sébastien; Mamrud, Roberto. "Andorra – Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  2. Mentruit, Inmaculada (8 October 2008). "Aventuras de un andorrano en la Serie B" [Adventures of an Andorran in Serie B]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  3. Doral, Alba (7 April 2019). "Ildefons Lima i el mapamundi" [Ildefons Lima and the world map]. Diari d'Andorra (in Catalan). Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. "Fiebre Maldini: Ildefons Lima, orgullo de Andorra | Movistar+" [Fiebre Maldini: Ildefons Lima, pride of Andorra | Movistar+] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2019 – via YouTube.
  5. Moschovos, Kostas (10 October 2021). "Ιλντεφόνς Λίμα: Από το πέρασμα από τον Ιωνικό στο… Ανδόρρα – Αγγλία!" [Ildefons Lima: From Ionikos spell to… Andorra – England!] (in Greek). News 12. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  6. Funetes, Pablo (2 March 2023). "¿Qué fue del mítico exjugador de la UD Las Palmas y andorrano Ildefons Lima?" [What became of the legendary Andorran ex-UD Las Palmas player Ildefons Lima?]. La Provincia (in Greek). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  7. Pérez, Marc (15 December 2018). "Ildefons Lima: "Ser el representant de l'equip al camp és un motiu de molt orgull"" [Ildefons Lima: "To represent the team on the pitch is something to be very proud of"]. Ara (in Catalan). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  8. Rodio, Antonello (3 August 2005). "Arriva Lima, stopper della nazionale di Andorra" [Lima, Andorran national team stopper, arrives]. Il Piccolo (in Italian). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  9. "Il calcio andorrano oltre la playstation" [Andorran football as well as playstation] (in Italian). Rovesciate. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  10. "El defensa Ildefons Lima triomfa a l'equip suís de Bellinzona" [Defender Ildefons Lima triumphs in Switzerland's Bellinzona]. Diari d'Andorra (in Catalan). 9 December 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  11. "Triestina, "Nanu" Galderisi è il nuovo allenatore. Ufficiali il ritorno di Lima e l'acquisto di Galasso" [Triestina, "Nanu" Galderisi is the new manager. Return of Lima and acquisition of Galasso official] (in Italian). Sportest. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  12. "Lima accepta l'oferta esportiva de l'Andorra abans que la de la Lliga" [Lima accepts FC Andorra's sporting offer rather than that of the League]. El Periòdic d'Andorra (in Catalan). 29 August 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  13. "L'FC Santa Coloma fitxa Ildefons Lima i Iban Parra" [FC Santa Coloma sign Ildefons Lima and Iban Parra] (in Catalan). Andorra Difusió. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  14. "Keeper Casals edges Santa Coloma past Banants". UEFA. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  15. López-Egea, Miquel (24 August 2018). "Lima fitxa per l'Inter d'Escaldes buscant «nous objectius»" [Lima signs for Inter d'Escaldes searching for "new objectives"]. El Periòdic d'Andorra (in Catalan). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  16. Rindl, Joe (13 September 2023). "Ildefons Lima: Andorra captain ends international career after 26 years". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  17. Mamrud, Roberto. "Ildefons Lima Solá – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  18. Ruiz, David (15 October 2015). "Ildefons Lima, el 'Panenka' pirenaico, es el defensa más goleador de la Eurocopa" [Ildefons Lima, the 'Panenka' of the Pyrenees, is the top-scoring defender in the European Championship]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  19. "Gareth Bale double rescues feeble Wales from embarrassment in Andorra". The Guardian. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  20. "Derrota ajustada de la Selecció a Tallinn en el centenari d'Ilde Lima" [National team's close defeat in Tallinn on Ilde Lima's centenary] (in Catalan). Andorran Football Federation. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  21. "Andorra has finally ended the longest-running losing streak in international football". Esquire. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  22. Blasco, Joan Josep (17 August 2017). "Ildefons Lima: l'home rècord" [Ildefons Lima: the record man]. El Periòdic d'Andorra (in Catalan). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  23. Cole, Sean (17 November 2020). "Ildefons Lima: The national icon shunned by his country over coronavirus comments". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  24. Togher, Liam (17 February 2022). "Ildefons Lima: Andorra's four-decade international icon". Football Pink. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  25. "Ildefons Lima becomes oldest player in EURO qualifying history". UEFA. 15 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  26. "After 26 years – making his debut in 1997, Andorra captain RETIRES". Football Post. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  27. "Andorra – El milagro contra Macedonia" [Andorra – The miracle against Macedonia] (in Spanish). Pablo Aro Geraldes. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  28. Blanco, Jordi (13 November 2014). "Ildefons Lima, un andorrano en Wembley" [Ildefons Lima, an Andorran in Wembley] (in Spanish). AM 14. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  29. "Ildefons Lima". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
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