José Luis Chilavert

José Luis Félix Chilavert González (born 27 July 1965) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg, Peñarol and the Paraguay national team.

In 1988, whilst Chilavert played for Real Zaragoza, he stated that "the fans used to freak out" when he would come out with the ball at his feet and "scream at me to get back in goal. I've never stopped to think about what others are saying. I just rely on my abilities. Later on, I started to practice penalties and free kicks until they gave me the job for real".

Chilavert admitted to staying behind after training to practice 80 to 120 free kicks, which in his opinion was how he got better.

Chilavert appeared for the Paraguay national team 74 times from 1989 to 2003, scoring eight goals and representing the team at five major tournaments.

In 1989, he played for the Paraguay national team for the first time.

He later moved to Spain, where he played for Real Zaragoza.

Chilavert won 12 club titles, including the 1994 Copa Libertadores and the 1994 Intercontinental Cup, while playing for Vélez Sarsfield, and is a three-time IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper award winner.

A fast and agile shot-stopper, known for his leadership, strong personality, and goalkeeping ability, he was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime; outside of his goalkeeping position, Chilavert was also known for his outfield skills and ability as a free kick specialist, and often took penalties.

He scored 67 goals in his professional career, many of them crucial, including eight in international matches.

After his time at Real Zaragoza, he moved to Argentina, where he played with Vélez Sársfield, helping them win the Primera División four times, as well as the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup, both in 1994.

Chilavert was voted World Goalkeeper of the Year by the IFFHS in 1995, 1997, and 1998.

He was sent off alongside Faustino Asprilla in the qualifiers, in which Asprilla had to convince a hitman to not murder Chilavert afterwards.

Chilavert was also known for his eccentricity and his fiery temper, which brought him his fair share of controversies; most notorious among them was his being sent off in 1997 for brawling with Colombian striker Faustino Asprilla.

He was nicknamed "El Buldog" ("The Bulldog") and often wore a cartoon bulldog on his goalkeeper jersey.

Chilavert appeared for Paraguay at two FIFA World Cup tournaments (1998 and 2002), where he served as captain on both occasions, and appeared in three Copa América tournaments (1991, 1993, and 1997).

Chilavert was also included in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament.

Chilavert ran for president of Paraguay in the 2023 general election under the Party of the Youth, getting less than 1% of the popular vote.

Chilavert grew up in Luque, Gran Asunción, in a poor family, and walked barefoot until the age of seven.

His parents were Catalino Chilavert, a state bureaucrat, and Nicolasa González.

At the age of five, he had three siblings and two responsibilities: to milk cows and sell the milk in Ñu Guazú, a rural suburb of Luque.

One of his siblings, Rolando Chilavert, is also a football player.

Chilavert made his footballing debut with Sportivo Luqueño, where he was trained by Modesto Sandoval.

Chilavert participated in the 1998 World Cup, where he became the first goalkeeper ever to take a direct free kick in the World Cup finals, almost scoring against Bulgaria.

With two clean sheets in the first round, he helped take Paraguay to the round of sixteen, where the team lost to France on a golden goal scored by Laurent Blanc.

Chilavert had made boasts about being the Cup's best goalkeeper before the tournament, and after the tournament, FIFA indeed named Chilavert on the tournament All-Star Squad for his performances, alongside French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.

In 1999, he became the first goalkeeper known to score a hat-trick in the history of professional football, while playing for Vélez against Ferro Carril Oeste, scoring all three goals through penalties.

He also scored a free kick from behind the half-way line against River Plate.

Chilavert refused to take part in the 1999 Copa América, angering the Paraguayan government, as he claimed funding should be used for education.

In the 2001 Coupe de France Final, Chilavert scored the winning penalty in the shootout victory over Amiens.

Four of his international goals were scored during Paraguay's qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Chilavert is the second-highest goalscoring goalkeeper of all time, surpassed only by Brazilian keeper Rogerio Ceni, and is one of only three goalkeepers to score a hat-trick.

FIFA gave Chilavert a four-game suspension (later reduced to three) for spitting on Brazil's Roberto Carlos at the conclusion of a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification game.

As a result, he watched Paraguay's first game of the 2002 World Cup against South Africa from the stands.

Chilavert accused Roberto Carlos of racism and of making obscene gestures during the match.

Chilavert later claimed that Roberto Carlos came up to him after the match and said "Indian, we have won 2–0, you are a disaster".

Before the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Paraguay manager Cesare Maldini had faced criticism in Paraguay, but Chilavert defended Maldini for his experience.

He also expressed great confidence in the ability of the Paraguayan team and downplayed his role on the team.

During the World Cup, Chilavert made an error against Spain on Morientes's 2–1 goal as Paraguay lost 3–1.

Chilavert almost redeemed himself later with a good free kick attempt, but the shot was saved by Casillas.

He also justified his action by saying he had been provoked by the Brazilians, who had called him the weakest link of Paraguay before the match, and also claimed the match was like a war and that Brazil should return land to Paraguay lost in the War of the Triple Alliance in the 19th century.