Group H
Manager: Marcelo Bielsa
Star Player: Matias Fernandez, Alexis Sanchez and Humberto Suazo
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Best result: Semifinals (1962)
All-time record: 25 games played, 7 wins, 6 draws, 12 losses
Goals for: 31, Goals against: 40
Biggest victory: 5-2 vs. United States in 1950
Biggest defeat: 4-1 vs. West Germany in 1982 and 4-1 vs. Brazil in 1998
Top scorer: Guillermo Subiabre, Leonel Sanchez and Marcelo Salas (4 goals)
Most appearances: Leonel Sanchez and Elias Figueroa (9 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1962
LIVE STREAM CHILE MATCHES :
June 16, 2010 @ 12:30UK Group Stage Group H
Honduras vs Chile
at Mbombela Stadium
June 21, 2010 @ 15:00UK Group Stage Group H
Chile vs Switzerland
at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
June 25, 2010 @ 19:30UK Group Stage Group H
Chile vs Spain
at Loftus Versfeld Stadium
A 30-man squad was announced on May 12 and the final squad of 23 has to be submitted to FIFA by June 1
- Claudio Bravo Goalkeeper 1.84m 84 kg April 13, 1983
- Luis Murillo Marin Goalkeeper 1.88m 87 kg May 18, 1983
- Miguel Pinto Goalkeeper 1.83m 81 kg July 4, 1983
- Roberto Cereceda Defender 1.73m 70 kg October 10, 1984
- Pablo Contreras Defender 1.80m 73 kg September 11, 1978
- Ismael Fuentes Defender 1.82m 76 kg August 4, 1981
- Mauricio Isla Defender 1.75m 72 kg June 12, 1988
- Gonzalo Jara Defender 1.78m 77 kg August 29, 1985
- Gary Medel Defender 1.72m 71 kg January 3, 1987
- Waldo Ponce Defender 1.83m 76 kg December 4, 1982
- Arturo Vidal Defender 1.81m 75 kg May 22, 1987
- Jean Beausejour Midfielder 1.77m 84 kg June 1, 1984
- Carlos Carmona Midfielder 1.71m 68 kg February 21, 1987
- Marco Estrada Midfielder 1.78m 75 kg May 28, 1983
- Matias Fernandez Midfielder 1.77m 73 kg May 15, 1986
- Gonzalo Fierro Midfielder 1.70m 71 kg March 21, 1983
- Mark Gonzalez Midfielder 1.74m 70 kg July 10, 1984
- Rodrigo Millar Midfielder 1.83m 75 kg November 3, 1981
- Rodrigo Tello Midfielder 1.67m 70 kg October 14, 1979
- Hector Mancilla Forward 1.79m 75 kg November 12, 1980
- Fabián Orellana Forward 1.69m 70 kg January 27, 1986
- Esteban Paredes Forward 1.76m 78 kg August 1, 1980
- Alexis Sánchez Forward 1.68m 62 kg December 19, 1988
- Humberto Suazo Forward 1.72m 72 kg May 10, 1981
- Jorge Valdivia Forward 1.73m 71 kg October 19, 1983
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Qualification route: Chile finished in second place (33 points) in the South American qualifiers behind Brazil (34 points).
Qualifying record: 18 games played, 10 wins, 3 draws, 5 losses
Goals for: 32, Goals against: 22
Top goal scorer in qualifying: Humberto Suazo (10)
Short Team History CHILE :
FIFA member since: 1913
Team nickname: La Roja
All-time caps leader: Leonel Sanchez (84)
All-time leading scorer: Marcelo Salas (37 goals)
Notable achievements: Olympic Bronze Medal (2000)
Legendary Player: Nicknamed El Matador, Marcelo Salas is one of Chile's most famous and talented players, having achieved fame at some of the biggest clubs in the world. The former River Plate and Lazio forward ranks as the country's all-time leading scorer with 37 goals in over 70 appearances.
Appearances at finals:
1930 - First round
1950 - First round
1962 - Third place
1966 - First round
1974 - First round
1982 - First round
1994 - Disqualified
1998 - Second round
Overall record at finals: Played 25, Won 7, Drew 6, Lost 12.
Best performance: Third place in the 1962 World Cup, as hosts.
Most appearances at finals: Leonel Sánchez (1962, 1966), Elías Figueroa (1966, 1974, 1982) - 9.
Most goals at finals: Guillermo Subiabre (1930), Leonel Sánchez (1962, 1966), Marcelo Salas (1998) - 4.
World Cup high: Reaching the semi-finals as hosts in 1962 and doing their best to cheer a nation that had been wracked by a catastrophic earthquake.
World Cup low: Being banned from qualification for the 1994 tournament after goalkeeper Roberto Rojas faked injury at Brazil's Estádio do Maracanã during a qualifier for Italia 90. He had claimed a firecracker hurled from the crowd had hit his head, causing the game to be abandoned. He was consequently banned for life.
World Cup legend: Elías Figueroa is, without doubt, Chile's greatest international player, having played and starred at three World Cups.
The story so far: One of the original 13 countries to play in the first finals in 1930, victories over Mexico and France left them playing a deciding group game with Argentina, but their South American neighbours came out on top. They next appeared in a finals tournament in 1950 and suffered 2-0 defeats to both Spain and England before beating USA 5-2 in their final match, having already failed to make the second round.
As hosts in 1962, they put up their best performance to date, qualifying from the group stage after defeats of Switzerland and Italy, the latter being the infamous 'Battle of Santiago' in which the teams needed police protection to leave the field due to a crowd angered by the vicious scenes on the pitch. Appearances in 1966, 1974 and 1982 saw three first-round exits. A long wait - including the Rojas-inflicted ban until France 98 - saw a team featuring Iván Zamorano and Marcelo Salas draw all three matches in the first round before losing 4-1 to Brazil in the knockout stage.
Qualification: Argentinean coach Marcelo Bielsa, who coached his own country at the 2002 finals, pulled off a famous victory against Diego Maradona's men as his team made determind progress to South Africa. Chile eventually came second in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, only a point behind Brazil. Famous striker Marcelo Salas retired early on in the campaign, but a group of unheralded players always looked likely to qualify.
Qualifying record: P18, W10, D3, L3, F32, A22, Pts33.
Most appearances: Claudio Andres Bravo, Humberto Suazo (18).
Top goalscorer: Humberto Suazo (10).
TEAM PROFILE CHILE:
Chile's recent renaissance has been capped by a return to the FIFA World Cup™ finals following a 12-year absence. In the international wilderness since France 1998, when Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano showcased their consummate finishing skills, La Roja believe they have the resources to emulate their illustrious predecessors and advance beyond the group phase.Coached by the experienced Argentinian Marcelo Bielsa, the Chileans qualified for the finals with some ease, atoning for poor performances in the qualifying competitions for Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006, when they finished ninth and seventh respectively. And having finally found talented replacements to fill the void left by the Za-Sa partnership, hopes are high that they can go on and excel themselves in South Africa.
The road to South Africa
Bielsa's side, which boasts the youngest average age of all the South American teams, finished second in the continental qualifying group, just one point behind Brazil. That performance, their best since the group format was introduced, was rounded off in style with a spectacular 4-2 win in Colombia in October, a result that rubber-stamped their return to the world elite with one game remaining.
In total, La Roja would win 16 of their 33 points away from Santiago, an impressive statistic that underlines the resolve of the team.
Raising expectations further is the fact that the attack-minded Chileans ended the group as the second-highest scorers with 32 goals, including ten from top marksman Humberto Suazo, and recorded ten wins in all, more than any of their continental rivals.
The star players
As you might expect of a compact side that likes to get forward at every opportunity, Chile's star performers are to be found in advanced positions. Leading the line with distinction are Matias Fernandez, Alexis Sanchez and Humberto Suazo, three players who teamed up to great effect for domestic giants Colo Colo in 2006 and who have since gone their separate ways.
The scheming Fernandez and the explosively talented Sanchez form part of a new breed of Chilean footballer anxious to build reputations abroad, while the more experienced Suazo is a lethal finisher with a happy knack for appearing in the right place at the right time.
The coach
Marcelo Bielsa was the man in charge of Argentina's ill-fated bid for glory at the FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan 2002. While memories of La Albiceleste's shock first-round exit in the Orient linger, Bielsa has given himself a shot at redemption by engineering Chile's unlikely revival.
Nicknamed El Loco (The Madman) for his unique dedication to the game, the 54-year-old strategist enjoyed only a brief playing career but commands the respect of players, fellow coaches and reporters alike. The hard-working and principled Bielsa is a devoted student of tactics and an advocate of enterprising football, characteristics that have earned him huge popularity in his adopted homeland, where the fans are anxious for him to remain in the post for many years to come.
Previous FIFA World Cups
- Chile will be taking part in the FIFA World Cup finals for the eighth time at South Africa 2010.
- Their best performance to date came when they hosted the tournament in 1962 and finished third.
Records
- Guillermo Subiabre (1930), Leonel Ramirez (1962) and Marcelo Salas (1998) are Chile's top scorers in the finals with four goals apiece.
What they said
"I'm not looking at this as a chance to get revenge for what happened to me in 2002. Nothing I can ever achieve in the future will make that sadness go away. The most important thing at a World Cup is to make sure the players are in top form and that depends on so many different factors. Some of them you can control, but some are the result of everything the player has been through in the previous ten months. I hope everything comes together for Chile." Coach Marcelo Bielsa
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