Antony William de Ávila Charris (born December 21, 1962) is a Colombian former soccer striker nicknamed El Pitufo ("The Smurf"), who last played for América de Cali.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antony William de Ávila Charris | ||
| Date of birth | December 21, 1962 | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Marta, Colombia | ||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1987 | América de Cali | 470 (total) | (201) |
| 1987–1988 | Unión de Santa Fe | 37 | (17) |
| 1988–1996 | América de Cali | (see above) | |
| 1996–1997 | MetroStars | 31 | (15) |
| 1997–1999 | Barcelona SC | 52 | (27) |
| 2009 | América de Cali | 9 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 1983–1998 | Colombia | 54 | (13) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editDe Ávila began his career with América de Cali in his native Colombia in 1982.[2] He spent the majority of his career with the club, winning seven league titles with América, including five in a row from 1982 to 1986.[2] His 25 goals for América in the 1990 season led all scorers in the Colombian top flight. His time with América also led him to be runner-up in the Copa Libertadores on three occasions in 1985, 1986, and 1996.[2]
De Ávila also spent time abroad, playing for Unión de Santa Fe of Argentina in between spells with América,[3] the MetroStars of Major League Soccer, and Barcelona SC of Ecuador.
De Ávila's MLS career spanned a season and a half, as he joined the Metros midway through the 1996 season as a replacement for colossal disappointment Rubén Darío Hernández. With the club playing on AstroTurf for parts of the season, El Pitufo was surprisingly adept at what was called "ping-pong soccer".[4] He scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in his time in the league, plus another two goals and an assist in the playoffs.
In 1997, De Ávila left the MLS and moved to Ecuador to play for Barcelona de Ecuador. With the club, he reached another Copa Libertadores final but again failed to win, becoming the only player to have lost five Libertadores finals.[5]
De Ávila retired in 1999, but returned to competitive football at the age of 46 with América de Cali,[5] eventually finishing his career with a club record 208 goals.[1]
His 29 goals in the Copa Libertadores ranked him sixth highest scorer in the history of the tournament.[1]
International career
editDe Ávila made his senior debut on 26 July 1983. He went on to score 13 goals in 54 appearances for the Colombia national team between 1983 and 1998.[6] He represented his country at two World Cups, in 1994[7] and 1998 respectively.[8]
Personal life
editNicknamed El Pitufo ("The Smurf") or El Pipa, he was known as much for his short height of 1.57m (5 ft 3 in) as for his goal-scoring prowess.[2] After retiring, de Ávila bought a farm and he was still living there as of 2020.[2]
Career statistics
editScores and results list goal tally first.[9]
- Scores and results list Colombia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each de Ávila goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 27, 1989 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States |  Haiti | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | July 3, 1989 | Estádio Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil |  Venezuela | 3–0 | 4–2 | 1989 Copa América |
| 3 | February 3, 1991 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States |  Switzerland | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1991 Miami Cup |
| 4 | June 25, 1991 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Costa Rica | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | July 7, 1991 | Estadio Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile |  Ecuador | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1991 Copa América |
| 6 | July 13, 1991 | Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar, Chile |  Brazil | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1991 Copa América |
| 7 | July 21, 1991 | Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago, Chile |  Argentina | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1991 Copa América |
| 8 | March 31, 1993 | Estadio Atanasio Girardot, Medellín, Colombia | Costa Rica | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 9 | April 17, 1994 | Estadio Centenario, Armenia, Colombia |  Nigeria | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | May 5, 1994 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States |  El Salvador | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1994 Miami Cup |
| 11 | July 7, 1996 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia |  Uruguay | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | July 20, 1997 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia | Ecuador | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | August 20, 1997 | Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia |  Bolivia | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
editAmérica de Cali
- Categoría Primera A: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992[2]
- Copa Libertadores runner-up: 1985, 1986, 1996[2]
Barcelona de Ecuador
- Ecuadorian Serie A: 1997
- Copa Libertadores runner-up: 1998[5]
Individual
- Categoría Primera A top scorer: 1990
- Copa Libertadores top scorer: 1996[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ántony Wílliam de Ávila Charris" (in Spanish). América de Cali. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "¿LO RECUERDA? ASÍ LUCE ANTHONY DE ÁVILA, ÍDOLO DEL AMÉRICA Y VERDUGO DE NACIONAL". Antena2 (in Spanish). November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ BDFA profile
- ^ Ping-pong soccer
- ^ a b c "Former MetroStar De Avila, 46, Signed By Colombian Club". SoccerAmerica.com. July 23, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
- ^ rsssf: Colombia record international footballers Archived December 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Colombia's World Cup squad 1994". Planet World Cup. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ "Colombia's World Cup squad 1998". Planet World Cup. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ "Ántony de Ávila International Matches"., 11v11.com Retrieved on August 8, 2014
- ^ "Copa Libertadores - Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
External links
edit- Antony de Ávila at National-Football-Teams.com