PAULO WANCHOPE - COSTA RICA

Date of birth: July 31, 1976
Birthplace: Heredia, Costa Rica
Club: Herediano (Costa Rica)
Position: Striker
International debut: October 1996 vs. Venezuela

As Central America's best-known soccer export, Paulo Wanchope will spearhead Costa Rica's attack in Germany.

Wanchope is Costa's Rica's all-time leading scorer with over 40 goals and is a national icon in his country thanks to his propensity of scoring highlight-reel goals.

With talent and strength to spare, Wanchope is a gifted striker who is slight of foot and is very agile, but he has been plagued by knee problems the last few years.

Wanchope is set to retire from the national team after the World Cup and inconsistent stints in England (with Derby County, West Ham and Manchester City) and Spain (with Malaga) leaves him with a point to prove in Germany.

The talented striker began his pro career as an 18-year-old with Herediano in Costa Rica before earning a move to England in 1997. Wanchope made an immediate impact with Derby County, scoring a spectacular goal at Old Trafford against Manchester United in his debut.

Wanchope scored 28 goals in 83 appearances in three seasons with Derby before the club sold him to West Ham United in 1999. The Costa Rican never quite settled at the club despite scoring 15 goals and he was sold again at the end of the season to Manchester City.

Wanchope scored nine goals for Manchester City during the 2000-01 campaign and played a pivotal role in helping the club win promotion to the Premiership. His time at Manchester was marred by injuries and inconsistency over the ensuing three seasons, leading the club to sell him to Malaga in 2004.

Again, inconsistent form dogged him in Spain, and the club let him go at the end of the season. Wanchope moved on to Qatar, but his stay in the Middle East lasted a mere six months and he eventually returned home and joined Herediano this past January.

While Wanchope has struggled to find his form at club level, he's had no such problems with Costa Rica. He's been a key player for his country ever since making his national team debut in 1996.

He's played in three CONCACAF Gold Cup finals, the Copa America in 1999 and is a veteran of Costa Rica's last three World Cup qualifying campaigns. Wanchope scored eight goals in the latest qualifying round, underscoring his importance to the Costa Rica as it prepares to play in its second consecutive World Cup.