Faustino Asprilla

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Faustino Asprilla

Personal information
Full name

Faustino Hernn Asprilla Hinestroza

Date of birth 10 November 1969 (age 46)

Place of birth Tulu, Colombia
Height

1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Playing
position

Centre Forward, Right Winger, Attacking

Midfield
Youth career

19861987

Sarmiento Lora
Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

19881989

Ccuta Deportivo

36

(17)

19891992

Atltico Nacional

75

(32)

19921995

Parma

84

(25)

19961998

Newcastle United

48

(9)

19981999

Parma

12

(1)

19992000

Palmeiras

12

(2)

20002001

Fluminense

12

(8)

20012002

Atlante

12

(3)

2002

Atltico Nacional

11

(3)

2003

Universidad de Chile

13

(5)

20032004

Estudiantes de La Plata

(0)

2004

Cortulu

(0)

318

(105)

57

(20)

Total
National team
19932001

Colombia

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic

league only.
Appearances (goals)

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Asprilla and the
second or maternal family name is Hinestroza.
Faustino Hernn "Tino" Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969 in Tulu) is a
former Colombian footballplayer who most notably played for Parma A.C., Newcastle United
F.C. and the Colombia national football team as a forward. Though never a prolific goalscorer, he
was a quick, agile, and skilful player, known for his flair, creativity, power, and pace, as well as his
ability to create chances and score spectacular goals; [1][2] despite his talent, he was also known for
being temperamental and controversial both on and off the field. [3][4]
Asprilla was known by his supporters in his home country as The Octopus for his voracious
appetite.[5] In 1993, he was named by FIFA as the sixth best player in the world.[6]

Contents
[hide]

1Club career
o

1.1Early years

1.2Parma

1.3Newcastle United

1.4Palmeiras

1.5Later career and Darlington link

2International career
o

2.1Summary

2.21992 Summer Olympics

2.31993 Copa America

2.41994 FIFA World Cup

2.51995 Copa America

2.61998 FIFA World Cup

2.7International goals

3Retirement

4Career statistics

5Honours
5.1Club

6References

7External links

Club career[edit]
Early years[edit]
After starting out playing football with local team Carlos Sarmiento Lora School, Asprilla started
his professional career in 1988 for the Colombian team Ccuta Deportivo at the age of 18 for a
year before transferring to Atltico Nacional. 35 goals in 78 games brought him to the attention to
several Italian clubs who bid for him with Parmawinning the race to sign him for US$10.9 million
in 1992.

Parma[edit]
In his first season at Parma, Asprilla scored some important goals, including a 27-yard secondhalf free kick which helped Parma beat Milan 10, ending the Italian champions'unbeaten streak
at 58 matches.[7] It was at Parma that Asprilla arguably enjoyed his greatest club success. Asprilla
was part of the Parma team that won its first international tournament, the 199293 European
Cup Winners' Cup, scoring four goals in eight matches. It was his brace in Spain that rallied the
Italian team to a 21 victory over Atltico Madrid in the semi finals. However, an injury meant he
was an unused substitute as Parma defeated Belgian club Royal Antwerp 31 in the final.[7]
In early 1994, Asprilla was part of the Parma team which beat Milan 02 in the San Siro to
overturn a 01 first leg deficit and claim the 1993 European Super Cup.

Also in the 199394 season, Parma reached a second Cup Winners Cup final. However, a 01
defeat to Arsenal of England meant they would not retain their trophy.
In 199495, Parma again reached the final of a major European competition as they faced Italian
compatriots Juventus in the final of the UEFA Cup. Asprilla was instrumental in Parma's run to the
final, with three goals over two legs in the semi final against Germany's Bayer Leverkusen.[8] In
the final itself, Asprilla was in the starting XI for both legs as Parma defeated Juventus 21 on
aggregate.
At the start of the 199596 season, Asprilla found himself out of coach Nevio Scala's plans. In
February 1996, after making only 6 appearances in the opening 5 months of the season,
[9]
Asprilla joined English Premier League leaders Newcastle United for 6.7m.
During his first spell at Parma, Asprilla scored 25 goals in 84 Serie A appearances.[9] He is
considered one of the greatest players of Parma's successful period in the 1990s.[10] In his three
full seasons with the club, Parma finished 3rd, 5th and 3rd in Serie A. The club also reached a
European final in each of those seasons, as well as the 199495 Coppa Italia final.

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winner: 1992/93

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1993/94

European Super Cup winner: 1993

UEFA Cup winner: 1994/95, 1998/99

Newcastle United[edit]
Parma sold Asprilla to English Premier League side Newcastle United for 6.7m in February
1996, with 'Tino', as the fans nicknamed him, famously appearing at St James Park to finalise the
move during a snowstorm, dressed in a flamboyant fur coat. At the time, Newcastle were battling
Manchester United for the league title, having led the championship for much of the season.
He made his league debut in Newcastle's 21 win over Middlesbrough at The Riverside Stadium,
coming on as a second-half substitute with the score 10 in Middlesbrough's favour. He made an
immediate impact, creating the assist for Newcastle's equaliser. Unfortunately his time on
Tyneside would be blighted by inconsistency and off-field incidents, and Asprilla was blamed as
one of the reasons Newcastle would go on to concede the 1995/96 Premier League title to
eventual winners Manchester United.
Asprilla's second season for Newcastle ended with the club finishing in second place once again,
behind Manchester United. His role was largely reduced to substitute appearances, although he
retained his best performances for the clubs UEFA Cup campaign, scoring 5 goals. His wild
celebration of the goal he scored against FC Metz, whereby he removed his shirt and swung it
from a corner flag, resulted in Asprilla being given a yellow card, meaning a suspension from
Newcastle's next UEFA Cup game against AS Monaco.
The 1997/98 season would be Asprilla's last for Newcastle. With the sale of striker Les
Ferdinand to Tottenham Hotspur, and the serious injury to Alan Shearer during pre-season,
Asprilla was preferred as first choice striker alongside the young, inexperienced Jon Dahl
Tomasson. With the club competing in that season's Champions League, Asprilla's finest game
for Newcastle came in a 32 win over Barcelona in an unforgettable game at St James' Park;
Asprilla scored a hat-trick for Newcastle, which would be his last goals for the club. [11] By the end
of January 1998, with Newcastle struggling in the league and knocked out of the Champions
League, Asprilla's time at Newcastle came to an abrupt end, with the Newcastle manager Kenny
Dalglish finally running out of patience with the wild Colombian's playboy antics and on-field
inconsistency. He was sold back to Parma for 6m, having scored a total of 9 goals in 48 league
appearances, and an impressive 9 goals in 11 European games.

Palmeiras[edit]
Asprilla played in the successful Palmeiras team in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Rio-So Paulo Tournament winner: 2000

Brazilian Champions Cup winner: 2000

Later career and Darlington link[edit]

Although his brief time with Palmeiras saw the team achieve success, for Asprilla personally his
time there marked the beginning of a pattern of short, relatively unproductive stays with various
clubs across various countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.
During a time which was generally low-key, he appeared in the public eye again in 2002 amid
reports he had been approached by English Division Three side Darlington. Darlington
successfully appealed an initial work permit refusal and had offered around 17,000 per week
plus 20% of gate receipts, a car and a rent-free flat. Chairman George Reynolds considered they
were friends and in fact paraded Asprilla in front of 5,163 fans before Darlington's 2-0 win over
Carlisle United on Tuesday 27 August, believing the intended 2-year contract was good as
signed. However it was reported that following the player stalling on taking a medical on Thursday
29 August, in the early hours of Friday 30 August, Asprilla caught a flight from Newcastle Airport
to the Middle East, to apparently take up a more lucrative offer. Reynolds described himself as
"absolutely gutted" by the snub, complained Asprilla "did not even have the decency to say
goodbye" and said he would never talk to him again.[12][13] This was the second time that
Darlington was snubbed by a high profile ex-Newcastle player that summer the other was Paul
Gascoigne.
The identity of the Middle East club has never been revealed and whether Asprilla did join them
remains a mystery. There is no record of him officially playing for another professional team after
his departure from Argentine side Estudiantes de La Plata in 2004.

International career[edit]
Summary[edit]
Asprilla scored 20 goals in 57 matches for Colombia from 1993 to 2001 and played for his
country at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups. Asprilla was expected to be one of the top players of
the 1994 tournament, but failed to score a single goal as Colombia was eliminated in the first
round.

1992 Summer Olympics[edit]

Asprilla was a member of the Colombian team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona where
the team also went out in the first round with losses to Spain (40) and Egypt (34), and a draw
with Ireland (11).

1993 Copa America[edit]

In the 1993 Copa America held in Ecuador, Colombia finished third overall. After topping Group C
with a win over Mexico 21, and draws with Bolivia 11 and Argentina 11, Colombia beat
Uruguay 11 (53 on penalties) before losing 00 (65 on penalties) to Argentina in the semifinal. Argentina went on to win the tournament. In the third place
game, Colombia beat Ecuador 10 to claim third spot. Asprilla failed to score in the tournament.

1994 FIFA World Cup[edit]

Asprilla was part of the Colombian team which demolished Argentina 50 in a World Cup
Qualifier game in Buenos Aires in 1993, a game in which he scored twice. Colombia finished
undefeated in the South American qualifying group. Going into the 1994 FIFA World Cup, there
were high expectations for Colombia as a dark horse favorite to win the cup with a team that
included such notable players as Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincn, and Asprilla. With 1 win and
2 losses, Colombia finished at the bottom of their group and went out in the first round. Asprilla
himself had a disappointing tournament, failing to score at all. He walked out on his teammates
mid way through the group phase.Colombia failed to advance to the next round, despite having
an excellent team.

1995 Copa America[edit]

In the Copa America held in Uruguay and won by Uruguay, Colombia again finished third.
Colombia started out by finishing third in Group B with a 11 draw with Peru (Asprilla scored the
goal), a 10 win over Ecuador and a 03 loss to Brazil. The team then went on to
defeat Paraguay 54 on penalties after a 11 draw in the quarter-finals before losing
to Uruguay 20 in the semi-final. In the third place match, Colombia faced the United States who
they easily defeated 41 with Asprilla scoring one of the Colombians' four goals in the match.

1998 FIFA World Cup[edit]

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, expectations were again high for Colombia and Asprilla
remained in the team. Again, Colombia was out in the first round with 1 win and 2 losses. Asprilla
was dismissed from the team after complaining to reporters about the coach's decision to
substitute him near the end of Colombia's opening loss againstRomania.
Following the World Cup, Asprilla retired from international football for Colombia at the age of 32
in 2001.

International goals[edit]
Scores and results lists Colombia's goal tally first.[14]

[hide]
#

1.

2.

3.

4.

Opponen
t

Scor
e

Resul
t

Estadio Nemesio
Camacho, Bogot, Colombia

Chile

10

10

Friendly

5
Estadio Monumental Antonio
Septembe Vespucio Liberti, Buenos
r 1993
Aires, Argentina

Arge
ntina

50

1994 FIFA
World Cup
qualificatio
n

Date

6 June
1993

7 July
1995

Venue

20

40

Estadio Atilio Paiva

Olivera, Rivera, Uruguay

Peru

10

Competitio
n

11
1995 Copa
Amrica

5.

22 July
1995

Estadio Domingo
Unite
Burgueo, Maldonado, Uruguay d States

6.

28 March Estadio Atanasio

1996
Girardot, Medelln, Colombia

7.

24 April
1996

Estadio Metropolitano Roberto

Melndez, Barranquilla, Colom
bia

8.

29 May
1996

Miami Orange
Bowl, Miami, United States

Boliv
ia

Para
guay

Scotl
and

30

41

31

41

Friendly

10

10

1998 FIFA
World Cup
qualificatio
n

10

10

Friendly

9.

7 July
1996

10.

11.

1
Septembe
r 1996

Urug
uay

Chile

20

41

1998 FIFA
World Cup
qualificatio
n

40

13.

9 October Estadio Olmpico

1996
Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador

14.

8
February
1997

Estadio Hernn Ramrez

Villegas, Pereira, Colombia

15.

20
August
1997

Estadio Metropolitano Roberto

Melndez, Barranquilla, Colom
bia

17.

31

10

Estadio Metropolitano Roberto

Melndez, Barranquilla, Colom
bia

12.

16.

10

9
February
1999

Ecua
dor

Slov
akia

Boliv
ia

10

10

10

10

Friendly

30

1998 FIFA
World Cup
qualificatio
n

30

10
Miami Orange
Bowl, Miami, United States

Ger
many

33
22
Friendly

18.
17 June
1999
19.

20.

19
February
2000

Estadio
Palogrande, Manizales, Colomb
ia

Miami Orange
Bowl, Miami, United States

13
Peru

33
23

Unite
d States

11

22

2000 Gold
Cup

Retirement[edit]
In July 2009 Asprilla officially retired from top flight football following a retirement match in
Medelln, Colombia. Although this marks his official retirement date, he had not been actively
employed by a professional side in around 5 years.

Subsequently he was rumoured to at one stage be on the books of Slovenian side NK Bravo,
who play in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, and to have been running an academy, coaching
young players in Colombia. In 2008 he was arrested for allegedly firing a machine-gun at security
forces near his farm in Colombia. He was placed under house arrest on charges of weapons
possession and criminal damage.[15] He has appeared in various Colombian Reality Shows, such
as Desafio 2005 and Nomadas. In 2011 he was spotted attending Newcastle United matches, his
cult status amongst English supporters meaning his presence often draws comment. At the
Stadium of Light for the Sunderland vs Newcastle game on 17 January 2011 he was in the away
end sporting a Newcastle scarf. He made a return to St. James' Park on 22 January 2011
appearing on the pitch at half time during Newcastle United's Premier League home game
against Tottenham Hotspur and attended a charity dinner in Gateshead that evening,
alongside Les Ferdinand andPeter Beardsley, where he spoke of his affection for the Newcastle
fans.[16]
In early 2013, Asprilla was linked with a return to his former club Newcastle. Asprilla spoke of
performing a coaching role with the youth squad as well as developing a special role in
introducing young talent into the academy from his homeland Colombia. His intention is to give
Colombians a chance to showcase their skills in European/English football, based on the sheer
amount of talent that has come from Colombia in recent years.
Asprilla played in former Magpies goalkeeper Steve Harper's testimonial match on 11 September
2013 against AC Milan Glorie. He had a header disallowed for offside before the Italians won 2-1
on penalties.[17]
In September 2014 it was revealed that he was preparing to launch a range of flavoured
condoms in Colombia.[18]

Career statistics[edit]
[19][20]

Club performance

Seaso
n

Club

League

Colombia

1988

Ccuta
Deportiv
o

1989

Atltico
Nacional

League

Ap
ps

Goa
ls

Ap
ps

League

Categor
a
Primera
A

League
Cup

Cup

Goa
ls

Ap
ps

Continent
al

Goa
ls

Ap
ps

League
Cup

Cup

Goa
ls

South
America

36

17

15

1990

20

1991

34

12

+1[21
]

+2

Total

Ap
ps

Goa
ls

Total

36

17

16

22

39

12

1992

Italy

League

Coppa
Italia

League
Cup

13

Europe

Total

1992
93

26

39

12

1993
94

27

10

10

44

16

1994
95

25

41

10

1995
96

Parma

Serie A

England

League

1995
96

1996
97

Newcastl Premier
e United League

1997
98

Italy

1997
98
Parma
1998
99

FA Cup

League
Cup

Europe

Total

14

15

24

30

10

16

League

Coppa
Italia

League
Cup

16

Europe

Total

Serie A

Brazil

League

1999

Copa do
Brasil

League
Cup

South
America

Total

14

10

10

Palmeiras Srie A
2000

2000
Fluminen
se

Srie A

2001

Mexico

2001
02

Atlante
F.C.

League

Primera
Divisi
n

Colombia

2002

Atltico
Nacional

2003
04

League

Categor
a
Primera
A

Chile

2003

12

Primera
Universid
Divisi
ad Chile
n

11

League

Estudiant Primera
es La
Divisi

League
Cup

Cup

Copa
Chile

Argentina

North
America

League

13

League
Cup

Cup

12

South
America

League
Cup

League
Cup

Total

11

South
America

Cup

Total

Total

13

South
America

Total

Plata

Colombia

2004

Cortulu

Total

League

Categor
a
1+[22
]
Primera
A

South
America

Total

Colombia

123

52

14

138

57

Italy

96

26

25

29

10

150

43

England

48

11

61

18

Brazil

24

10

33

11

Mexico

12

12

Chile

13

13

Argentina

318

105

28

63

23

409

137

Career total

Honours[edit]
Club[edit]
Atltico Nacional

League
Cup

Cup

Categora Primera A: 1991

Copa Interamericana: 1990

Parma

Coppa Italia: 199899

European Cup Winners' Cup: 199293

European Super Cup: 1993

UEFA Cup: 199495, 199899

Palmeiras

Rio-So Paulo Tournament: 2000

Brazilian Champions Cup: 2000