Honduran footballer (born 1979)
In this
Spanish name
, the first or paternal
surname
is
Suazo
and the second or maternal family name is
Velasquez
.
David Suazo
|
|
Full name
|
Oscar David Suazo Velazquez
|
---|
Date of birth
|
(
1979-11-05
)
5 November 1979
(age 44)
|
---|
Place of birth
|
San Pedro Sula
, Honduras
|
---|
Height
|
1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
|
---|
Position(s)
|
Striker
|
---|
|
0000
?1997
|
Marathon
|
---|
|
Years
|
Team
|
Apps
|
(
Gls
)
|
---|
1997?1999
|
Olimpia
|
10
|
(5)
|
---|
1999?2007
|
Cagliari
|
255
|
(94)
|
---|
2007?2011
|
Internazionale
|
27
|
(8)
|
---|
2008?2009
|
→
Benfica
(loan)
|
12
|
(4)
|
---|
2010?2011
|
→
Genoa
(loan)
|
16
|
(3)
|
---|
2011?2012
|
Catania
|
6
|
(0)
|
---|
Total
|
|
327
|
(114)
|
---|
|
2000
|
Honduras U23
|
5
|
(6)
|
---|
1999?2012
|
Honduras
|
57
|
(17)
|
---|
|
2018
|
Brescia
|
---|
2021?2022
|
Carbonia
|
---|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
|
Oscar David Suazo Velazquez
(born 5 November 1979) is a Honduran retired professional
footballer
turned
coach
who played as a
striker
. Suazo played more than 300 league games and scored over 90 league goals in Italy during a span of 12 seasons.
Club career
[
edit
]
Early career
[
edit
]
Nicknamed
La Pantera
(The Panther) or
El Rey David
(The King David),
[1]
Suazo was born in
San Pedro Sula
. In his early career, he developed alongside his cousin,
Maynor Suazo
, who also went on to play for the
Honduras national team
. Suazo took his first steps at
Olimpia
Reserves and later went on to play at the
Liga Bancaria
. After his participation in
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
, he was acquired by domestic club team Olimpia. He continued to impress playing for Olimpia's youth system under the coaching of the late
Angel Ramon Paz
("Mon Paz") and earned a spot on the top squad before turning 20 years old.
[2]
Cagliari
[
edit
]
Oscar Tabarez
, then-coach of Italian side
Cagliari
, was impressed by Suazo's performance and did not hesitate in bringing him to Europe,
[2]
for US$2 million transfer fee and US$200,000 tax to
National Autonomous Federation of Football of Honduras
, as well as 15?20% of the future capital gain if Cagliari sold the player above the US$2.2 million price tag.
[3]
Suazo officially joined the club ahead of the
1999?2000 Serie A
season. In his first year with the team, he scored one goal in 13 league appearances, and at the end of the 1999?2000 season, Cagliari were relegated to
Serie B
where they would remain until the
2003?04 season
Internazionale
[
edit
]
On 13 June 2007, reports arose that Suazo had agreed terms with Serie A champions
Internazionale
. Six days later, however, crosstown rivals and reigning European champions Milan announced that they themselves had acquired Suazo.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
While Milan claimed they had successfully negotiated with Cagliari, the deal with Inter was confirmed by Cagliari chairman
Massimo Cellino
. Meanwhile, one of Suazo's agents, Carlo Pallavicino, added to the confusion by saying, "Suazo has not had any contact with Milan and he still has not given his consent to the transfer." It was later announced that Suazo was confirmed with Inter on 26 June for €14 million fee (with about US$2.5 million was required to pay by Cagliari to Olimpia)
[3]
[9]
[10]
after Milan officially withdrew their contract offer.
[11]
Since Suazo himself wanted to keep his initial agreement with Inter. "It was an issue of respect. The
Rossoneri
(nickname of Milan) understood that I had a promise with coach
Roberto Mancini
,
Marco Branca
and chairman
Massimo Moratti
."
[12]
He scored his first Inter goal against
Genoa
and scored a total of eight goals throughout his first season with the
Nerazzurri
(the nickname of Inter).
Loans
[
edit
]
After a less-than-impressive first season with Inter, Suazo was loaned to Portuguese club
Benfica
for the
2008?09 season
. Suazo however, appeared in just 12 league matches and scored just four goals during the season. Following his return to Inter in June 2009, he was given limited squad space and failed to make any starts for his club.
On 29 December 2009, it was confirmed that Suazo had been authorized to play friendly match for Genoa, two days before the opening of the winter transfer window.
[13]
[14]
After the opening of the transfer window, Suazo officially joined Genoa on a six-month loan deal, where he replaced
Sergio Floccari
, who was transferred to
Lazio
on 4 January. This was part of a deal that completed a three-way, three-man swap in which Inter also received
Goran Pandev
from Lazio on free transfer.
Suazo made his debut for Genoa against Milan in a losing effort, appearing on the scoresheet in the process. He scored the second goal for Genoa and was eventually substituted in the 80th minute for
Hernan Crespo
. His loan with Genoa proved to be highly unsuccessful, as the player scored a mere 2 goals in 16 Serie A appearances.
Return to Inter
[
edit
]
After his Genoa loan expired, Suazo returned to Inter but, in part because of a long-term injury, he was not included in the first-team, thus failing to make a single appearance in the entire
2010?11 season
. Suazo's contract with Inter expired on 30 June 2011, leaving the player without a contract. Since then, he was linked with a comeback at Cagliari following a trial period. This was a possibility that was later confirmed by club chairman Massimo Cellino, who, on 13 July 2011, confirmed Suazo's return to
Sardinia
by the end of the transfer window, and defined his signing as "a cherry on the pie".
[15]
The transfer, however, collapsed after Suazo was asked to leave Cagliari's pre-season camp after Cellino opted against the move and changed his decision about the transfer.
Catania
[
edit
]
On 12 August 2011, Suazo signed for
Catania
on a one-year deal. He was officially presented on the same day alongside new arrivals
Mario Paglialunga
and
Davide Lanzafame
. Suazo was assigned the
number 9 jersey
, though only would make six appearances during his time in Sicily, which ended upon the expiration of his contract on 30 June 2012.
[16]
On 27 March 2013, at the age of 33, he announced his retirement from football, due to his persisting struggles with knee injuries.
[17]
International career
[
edit
]
Suazo played for the
Honduras national under-20 football team
at the
1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
. He made his senior debut for
Honduras
in a May 1999
friendly match
against
Haiti
and has earned a total of 57 caps, scoring 17 goals. He has represented his country in 30
FIFA World Cup qualification
matches and at the
2010 FIFA World Cup
.
[18]
He also played at the
2000 Summer Olympics
and at the
2003 UNCAF Nations Cup
[19]
as well as at the
2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup
.
[20]
He also played a few minutes of Honduras' first match at the
2001 Copa America
.
[21]
His final international appearance came on 12 June 2012, in a
2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying
match against
Canada
.
[22]
Post-playing and coaching career
[
edit
]
Following his retirement as a player, Suazo was hired by his former team
Cagliari
as a scout. In 2014, he joined the first team coaching staff as an assistant to
Ivo Pulga
for the final part of the season; he successively was appointed to the same role by the end of the 2014?15 season, supporting new head coach
Gianluca Festa
.
For the 2015?16 season, he was named new youth team coach for the
Giovanissimi Nazionali
.
On 5 June 2018, he was appointed manager of
Serie B
side
Brescia
by
Massimo Cellino
, former chairman of his while at Cagliari.
[23]
He was however sacked on 18 September 2018 after a negative start to the new season.
[24]
On 13 May 2021, Suazo returned into management as the new head coach of struggling Sardinian
Serie D
side Carbonia.
[25]
After guiding Carbonia to safety, on 31 July 2021 he agreed a two-year contract extension with the club.
[26]
On 24 June 2022, Carbonia and Suazo parted ways, following the team's relegation to Eccellenza at the end of the
2021?22 Serie D
season.
[27]
Style of play
[
edit
]
A quick and physically strong striker, Suazo is considered to be one of the greatest players Honduras has ever produced. His main characteristic as a
forward
was his incredible speed, both on and off the ball, which made him arguably one of the fastest Serie A players of his time. His pace and acceleration made him a dangerous offensive threat on counter-attacks and allowed him to create space and provide depth to his team with his runs from behind. In spite of his ability, however, he was often injury prone throughout his career.
[1]
[28]
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
He also possessed notable determination and great leadership skills on the pitch, serving as Cagliari's
captain
.
[17]
[33]
Suazo also took several
penalties
and occasionally scored from
free kicks
.
Personal life
[
edit
]
David's brothers are
Nicolas
and Ruben Suazo. Former internationals
Maynor Suazo
and
Hendry Thomas
are his cousins. He holds Italian nationality due to his marriage to an Italian woman, Elisa Secchi, in 2005.
[34]
They have two sons, David Edoardo and Luis Gabriel,
[35]
with the latter (born 2008) having followed on his father's footsteps and having been signed by
Juventus
in 2022, joining the Under-15 team.
[36]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Club
[
edit
]
International
[
edit
]
- Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Suazo goal.
List of international goals scored by David Suazo
No.
|
Date
|
Venue
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Result
|
Competition
|
1
|
16 July 2000
|
Estadio Cuscatlan
,
San Salvador
, El Salvador
|
El Salvador
|
5?0
|
5?2
|
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
2
|
2 September 2000
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano
,
San Pedro Sula
, Honduras
|
El Salvador
|
4?0
|
5?0
|
2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
|
3
|
12 June 2004
|
Stadion Ergilio Hato
,
Willemstad
, Netherlands Antilles
|
Netherlands Antilles
|
1?0
|
2?1
|
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
4
|
12 June 2004
|
Stadion Ergilio Hato
,
Willemstad
, Netherlands Antilles
|
Netherlands Antilles
|
2?0
|
2?1
|
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
5
|
19 June 2004
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
|
Netherlands Antilles
|
2?0
|
4?0
|
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
6
|
18 August 2004
|
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
,
Alajuela
, Costa Rica
|
Costa Rica
|
1?1
|
5?2
|
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
7
|
8 September 2004
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
|
Guatemala
|
2?2
|
2?2
|
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
8
|
7 October 2006
|
Lockhart Stadium
,
Fort Lauderdale
, United States
|
Guatemala
|
3?2
|
3?2
|
Friendly
|
9
|
12 September 2007
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
|
Ecuador
|
1?0
|
2?1
|
Friendly
|
10
|
26 March 2008
|
Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, United States
|
Colombia
|
1?0
|
2?1
|
Friendly
|
11
|
4 June 2008
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
|
Puerto Rico
|
3?0
|
4?0
|
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
12
|
4 June 2008
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
|
Puerto Rico
|
4?0
|
4?0
|
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
13
|
7 June 2008
|
Estadio Nilmo Edwards
,
La Ceiba
, Honduras
|
Haiti
|
2?0
|
3?1
|
Friendly
|
14
|
14 June 2008
|
Estadio Juan Ramon Loubriel
,
Bayamon, Puerto Rico
|
Puerto Rico
|
1?0
|
2?2
|
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
15
|
5 September 2009
|
Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras
|
Trinidad and Tobago
|
4?0
|
4?1
|
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
|
16
|
18 November 2009
|
Land Shark Stadium
,
Miami Gardens
, United States
|
Peru
|
1?1
|
1?2
|
Friendly
|
17
|
11 April 2012
|
Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica
,
San Jose
, Costa Rica
|
Costa Rica
|
1?0
|
1?1
|
Friendly
|
Honours
[
edit
]
Olimpia
Cagliari
Internazionale
Benfica
Honduras
Individual
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"David Suazo: una pantera si aggira per la Serie A"
(in Italian). CalcioNews24.com. 18 May 2016
. Retrieved
16 March
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"David Suazo, the black-and-blue panther"
.
FIFA.com
. 10 July 2007. Archived from
the original
on 24 August 2007.
- ^
a
b
"Arbitration CAS 2010/A/2193 Club Cagliari Calcio S.p.A. v. Club Olimpia Deportivo, award of 15 September 2011"
(PDF)
. Court of Arbitration for Sport. 15 September 2011
. Retrieved
5 July
2017
.
- ^
"Inter, AC fight over Suazo"
. Setanta Sport. 19 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 30 September 2007
. Retrieved
19 June
2007
.
- ^
"Milan confirm Suazo swoop"
. Football Italia. 19 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 22 June 2007
. Retrieved
19 June
2007
.
- ^
"Suazo mystery deepens!"
. Football Italia. 19 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 22 June 2007
. Retrieved
19 June
2007
.
- ^
"AC Milan cool Eto'o interest as row erupts over Suazo"
.
Soccerway.com
. Agence France-Presse. 19 June 2007
. Retrieved
19 June
2007
.
- ^
"Both Milan clubs claim Suazo deal"
. CNN. 22 June 2007
. Retrieved
19 June
2007
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
FC Internazionale Milano 2006?07
Bilancio
(Report and Accounts), PDF purchased in Italian
CCIAA
(in Italian)
- ^
"David Suazo joins Inter"
(Press release). F.C. Internazionale Milano. 26 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 29 November 2018
. Retrieved
5 July
2017
.
- ^
"Official Milan Release Suazo"
. Football Italia. 23 June 2007. Archived from
the original
on 26 June 2007
. Retrieved
5 July
2017
.
- ^
"Suazo Thanks Milan For "Understanding"
"
. Goal.com. 25 June 2007
. Retrieved
25 June
2007
.
- ^
"DAVID SUAZO ARRIVING AT THE SIGNORINI"
. Genoa C.F.C. 29 December 2009. Archived from
the original
on 14 December 2009
. Retrieved
29 December
2009
.
- ^
"Inter reach agreement with Genoa over Suazo"
. inter.it. 29 December 2009. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2010
. Retrieved
31 December
2009
.
- ^
"Cellino annuncia Suazo "Ciliegina sulla torta"
"
[Cellino announces Suazo "Cherry on the pie"] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 13 July 2011
. Retrieved
14 July
2011
.
- ^
"Suazo cambia isola: al Catania fino al 30 giugno 2012"
(in Italian). Sky.it. 12 August 2011. Archived from
the original
on 28 March 2017
. Retrieved
27 March
2017
.
- ^
a
b
JAVIER ESTEPA (29 March 2013).
"El adios de 'La Pantera' Suazo"
(in Spanish). Marca
. Retrieved
27 March
2017
.
- ^
David Suazo
?
FIFA
competition record (archived)
- ^
Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup 2003 - Details
Archived
26 April 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
- RSSSF
- ^
CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2003 - Full Details
Archived
24 October 2008 at the
Wayback Machine
- RSSSF
- ^
Copa America 2001
Archived
19 October 2013 at the
Wayback Machine
- RSSSF
- ^
"Canada 0-0 Honduras"
. ESPN FC. 12 June 2012
. Retrieved
27 March
2017
.
- ^
"Brescia, Suazo nuovo allenatore: Cellino gli da una chance"
. 2018.
- ^
"Comunicato ufficiale"
(in Italian). Brescia Calcio. 18 September 2018
. Retrieved
18 September
2018
.
- ^
"David Suazo nuovo allenatore del Carbonia"
(in Italian). L'Unione Sarda. 13 May 2021
. Retrieved
15 September
2021
.
- ^
"David Suazo-Carbonia: il matrimonio continua"
(in Italian). Sportal.it. 31 July 2021
. Retrieved
15 September
2021
.
- ^
"Carbonia, si separano le strade con mister David Suazo"
(in Italian). Centotrentuno.com. 24 June 2022
. Retrieved
28 December
2022
.
- ^
MARCO PIATTI (11 August 2011).
"L'ultima idea per l'attacco e Suazo"
(in Italian). La Stampa
. Retrieved
16 March
2017
.
- ^
Enrico Sisti (5 April 2014).
"Valencia e il fascino dello scatto"
(in Italian). La Repubblica
. Retrieved
16 March
2017
.
- ^
Ed Vulliamy (16 October 2004).
"Messina turn Italian football on its head"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
16 March
2017
.
- ^
"Mourinho rilancia Suazo Eto'o resta a casa"
(in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 16 October 2009
. Retrieved
16 March
2017
.
- ^
"David Suazo: It's no fun being a fan"
. FIFA.com. 9 September 2013. Archived from
the original
on 6 April 2016
. Retrieved
16 March
2017
.
- ^
Matteo Sechi (16 October 2011).
"Quella volta ando cosi - Cagliari - Siena 1-0, la notte che si abbandono l'inferno"
(in Italian). Tutto Cagliari
. Retrieved
27 March
2017
.
- ^
"Io, Suazo, tra matrimonio calcio e la morte del Papa"
(in Italian). L'Unione Sarda. 4 April 2005
. Retrieved
11 February
2011
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"CALCIO, INTER: NATO A CAGLIARI IL SECONDO FIGLIO DI SUAZO"
(in Italian). Repubblica.it Sport. 30 June 2008
. Retrieved
28 December
2022
.
- ^
"Juventus Under 15, preso Luis Gabriel Suazo: figlio di David, ex bandiera del Cagliari"
(in Italian). CagliariNews24.com. 31 August 2022
. Retrieved
28 December
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"David Suazo | Players | F.C. Internazionale | inter.it"
.
- ^
"Los 10 grandes momentos de la esplendorosa carrera de David Suazo"
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
The club
| |
---|
Grounds
| |
---|
Categories
| |
---|
Notable players
| |
---|
Supporters
| |
---|