|
The target man as Uruguay's lone striker, Dario Silva
is vital to the South Americans' cause if they are to
progress at this year's World Cup.
Silva is a talented striker combining tight ball possession,
physical strength and natural finishing ability. Instantly
recognizable on the pitch by his distinctive dyed blond
hair, Silva was his nation's top scorer in qualifying,
netting six goals in helping Uruguay secure its first
World Cup berth since 1990.
Born November 2, 1972, Silva began his career with
Defensor Sporting in 1992, helping the modest club win
the league championship and breaking the Nacional-Penarol
grip on the Uruguayan first division.
Penarol, the country's biggest club, took notice and
scooped him up the following year. In three seasons
there, Silva amassed an amazing strike record, scoring
35 goals in 56 games to help Penarol win three consecutive
league titles.
He made his international debut in 1994 against Peru
and has been an automatic national team selection ever
since. Like all major South American soccer stars he
eventually left for Europe, singing with Italian club
Cagliari in 1995.
Silva had a breakout season in Italy during the 1997-98
campaign, when he scored 13 goals, before he was shipped
off to Spanish club Espanyol the following year.
After a disappointing run with Espanyol, Silva was
sold to Malaga in 1999. In three seasons with the club,
he has established himself as one of the most dangerous
strikers in Spain, scoring 26 goals.
With Uruguay lacking attacking depth, it will be up
to Silva to carry the goal-scoring load in Japan and
South Korea for his country, which sorely desires to
recapture its glory days as a soccer powerhouse and
World Cup titan in the first half of the last century.
|
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
