Óscar Cardozo - ST - Benfica (1 Viewer)

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Jul 1, 2010
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Date of birth 20 May 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth Juan Eulogio Estigarribia, Paraguay
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 87 kg
Playing position Striker​

Óscar René Cardozo Marín (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈo̞skaɾ re̞ˈne̞ karˈð̞o̞so̞ maˈɾin], born 20 May 1983) is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker.

Known for his powerful left-foot shot and free-kick skills, he first gained notoriety whilst playing for Newell's Old Boys, which led to a move to Benfica, where he scored more than 100 official goals and won four major titles, namely the 2010 national championship, where he also was the top scorer.

Nicknamed "Tacuara" (Big cane in Guarani), Cardozo gained more than 50 caps for Paraguay, representing the nation at the 2010 World Cup.

Club career

Beginnings / Newell's

Born in Juan Eulogio Estigarribia, Cardozo started his senior career with modest Club Atlético 3 de Febrero of Ciudad del Este, helping it to the second division championship. In 2004 he moved to the top level with Asunción's Club Nacional, where he quickly established himself as the team's top scorer, scoring 17 overall goals in his last season.

Cardozo arrived at Argentina and Newell's Old Boys in the second half of the 2006–07 season for a transfer fee of $1.2 million, joining compatriots Diego Gavilán, Santiago Salcedo and Justo Villar. He netted 11 goals in only 16 games in the Apertura, but his team could only finish 18th in the tournament, and 13th overall; as a result of his performances, he was voted the 2006 Paraguayan Footballer of the Year.

Benfica

On 21 June 2007, Cardozo officially signed for Portuguese giants S.L. Benfica, after being bought for an approximate amount of €9.2 million for 80% of his playing rights.[1][2] This made him the second most expensive signing in the club's history, only surpassed by Simão Sabrosa, for whom the club paid €12 million in 2001. He finished his first season with 22 official goals, but the Reds came out empty in silverware; on 22 February 2008, he scored a last-minute goal against 1. FC Nuremberg for the season's UEFA Cup (2–2 away draw, 3–2 aggregate win): thus, he kept his promise of surpassing the 20-goal mark.[3]

In 2008–09, Cardozo netted 17 goals, all in the league, including the equalizer against F.C. Porto on 30 August 2008. He finished second in the Bola de Prata race, losing only to Liédson of Sporting Clube de Portugal.

Cardozo had a very positive 2009–10 pre-season, scoring eight goals in ten matches. On 31 August 2009, in the third league game, he scored a hat-trick in a 8–1 home demolition of Vitória de Setúbal.[4] On 22 October, in the Europa League group stage match against Everton, Tacuara netted twice in two minutes, in an eventual 5–0 thrashing at the Estádio da Luz,[5][6] and added a further three in the league against C.D. Nacional (6–1, at home), and with Académica de Coimbra (4–0, home).

In the Europa League quarter-finals against Liverpool, Cardozo scored two penalties for a 2–1 home win.[7] He also found the net in the second leg at Anfield with a free kick, but in a 1–4 loss and subsequent elimination;[8] as Benfica won the national championship, adding the year's domestic League Cup, he finished with a career-high 38 goals in 47 matches (26 in the domestic league, leading Porto's Radamel Falcao by only one), partnering well with Argentine Javier Saviola.

In 2011–12, Cardozo was crowned Portuguese League top scorer for the second time at 20 goals (joint with S.C. Braga's Lima), as Benfica finished in second position.

International career

On 5 June 2007, Cardozo made his international debut for Paraguay, in a friendly with Mexico, scoring the game's only goal, and being selected for the squad that appeared in that year's Copa América. The tournament in Venezuela ended in the quarterfinals, and the player netted once, in a 3–1 group stage win against the United States.

Cardozo scored two goals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, as Paraguay qualified for the finals in South Africa. On 29 June 2010, he scored the winning penalty in the shootout against Japan (5–3 victory), as La Albirroja qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time ever.[9] In the following game, however, with the score at 0–0, he missed a 59th-minute penalty against Spain, in a 0–1 defeat against the eventual champions.[10]

Cardozo was overlooked by coach Gerardo Martino for the 2011 Copa América squad, in spite of scoring 23 official goals for Benfica.
 

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ZoSo

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Jul 11, 2011
41,646
#2
He's coming, just like Jovetic, Dzeko, Van Persie, Llorente, Damiao, Higuain, Suarez, Aguero, Tevez, Balotelli etc
 
OP
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Jul 1, 2010
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  • Thread Starter #4
    I think we have a realistic chance of getting him, unlike with the others, for about 15 million euros.

    I approve of this potential signing.

    For those who haven't watched him:

     
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