Cristian Gonzáles

Cristian Gonzáles

Personal information
Full name	Cristian Gérard Alfaro Gonzáles
Date of birth	30 August 1976
Place of birth	Montevideo, Uruguay
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current team	Arema Cronus
Number	10
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1995–1999	Sud América	13	(1)
1997	→ Huracán Corrientes (loan)	3	(0)
2000–2002	Deportivo Maldonado	22	(1)
2003–2004	PSM Makassar	56	(32)
2005–2008	Persik Kediri	106	(157)
2009–2011	Persib Bandung	72	(41)
2011–2012	Persisam Putra Samarinda	32	(18)
2013–	Arema Cronus	57	(33)
National team^‡
1994–1996	Uruguay U20
2010–2015	Indonesia	31	(13)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 July 2012. † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 March 2015

Cristian Gérard Alfaro Gonzáles (born 30 August 1976) is an Uruguayan-Indonesian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Arema Cronus. He has been 4 times Liga Indonesia top scorer and has scored 191 goals in the Liga Indonesia. In his early career he played along with Álvaro Recoba in the Uruguay U20.^[1] As of 3 November 2010, he officially holds an Indonesian passport and has become the first naturalized player to be called up to the Indonesian national football team.

Career in Uruguay

Sud America

In 1995, he joined the Uruguayan club Sud America. During the 28 months there, he played only once, scoring no goals.

Huracán Corrientes

He was loaned to Huracán Corrientes where he played three times without scoring a goal.

Back to Sud America

After being loaned to Huracán Corrientes, he went back to Sud America in the starting lineup. He played 12 times and scored one goal.

Deportivo Maldonado

In 2000, on expiry of his contract, he moved to Deportivo Maldonado on a free transfer. He played 22 times and scored one goal.

Career in Indonesia

PSM Makassar

He started playing in Indonesia in 2003, joining PSM Makassar. In that season he scored 27 goals. PSM won the Liga Indonesia in that season. He was fined Rp20 million for hitting one of the officials from Persita Tangerang and was suspended.

Persik Kediri

Free from suspension, he joined and led Persik Kediri to become champions of Liga Indonesia in 2006. In 2008 he was sentenced to suspension by the PSSI for unsportsmanlike behaviour. A financial crisis at Persik Kediri led Persik management to rationalize salaries. Gonzáles was one of the few players who was against the decision and looked for another club.

Persib Bandung

On 30 January 2009, Persib Bandung management announced that they had recruited Gonzáles with remission from PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid. Gonzáles was contracted as a loan from Persik Kediri and was paid 60 million rupiahs per month by Persib Bandung.

He debuted as a starter in the Super League for Persib against Persipura Jayapura in a 1–1 draw thanks to a goal he scored. In 2008 he played 16 times in the League and scored 14 goals, making Gonzáles a top scorer in the Super League.

After his contract at Persik Kediri expired, he was immediately hired by Persib Bandung. In the 2009–10 pre-season, he scored a goal for Persib in the East Java Government Cup. In the 2009–10 season, he scored 51 goals.

Persisam Putra Samarinda

In September 2011, he joined Persisam.

Arema Cronus

After his contract at Persisam Samarinda expired. He joined Arema Cronus and wear number 10 on his jersey

International career

Although Gonzales began his career in Indonesia as an Uruguayan, he became an Indonesian national on 3 November 2010 after a six-year wait, including not going home to his father's funeral.^[2] He is the first naturalized football player in Indonesia and the first to join the Indonesia national football team. His debut with the national team was on 21 November 2010, in a friendly game against Timor-Leste, where he scored twice in a 6–0 win.^[3]

International goals

Score and Result list Indonesia'a goal tally first

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	21 November 2010	Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia	Timor-Leste	3–0	6–0	Friendly
2.				4–0
3.	24 November 2010	Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia	Chinese Taipei	1–0	2–0	Friendly
4.	1 December 2010	Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Tanah Abang, Indonesia	Malaysia	2–1	5–1	2010 AFF Championship
5.	16 December 2010	Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Tanah Abang, Indonesia	Philippines	1–0	1–0	2010 AFF Championship
6.	19 December 2010	Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Tanah Abang, Indonesia	Philippines	1–0	1–0	2010 AFF Championship
7.	28 July 2011	Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Tanah Abang, Indonesia	Turkmenistan	1–0	4–3	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.				2–0
9.	22 August 2011	Manahan Stadium, Surakarta, Indonesia	Palestine	2–1	4–1	Friendly
10.	11 October 2011	Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Tanah Abang, Indonesia	Qatar	1–1	2–3	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification[lower-alpha 1]
11.				2–2
12.	21 June 2014	Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, Surabaya, Indonesia	Pakistan	1–0	4–0	Friendly
13.	30 March 2015	Delta Stadium, Sidoarjo, Indonesia	Myanmar	2–0	2–1	Friendly

1. Different qualification round as to goals 7 and 8.

Personal life

Gonzáles was born in Uruguay. He converted to Islam after he gained Indonesian passport in 2010.

Controversies

Gonzáles is known for his temper, and has been reprimanded by the PSSI on a number of occasions.^[4][5]

Trivia

He is one of the most lethal strikers in the history of the Indonesian football competition. His ability to kick, head, score, and in positioning and game vision are renowned, and he has a strong physique.

When playing in Uruguay, he was an attacking midfielder. He was not at his best before finally moving to Indonesia and joining PSM Makassar as a striker. Since then he has proved his quality as a powerful striker.

Cristian Gonzales is a popular figure among Indonesians and has starred in commercials speaking Bahasa Indonesia.

In 2006, he was the most expensive player in the Liga Indonesia according to the data from the Indonesian Football Association at Rp 1.2 billion^[6]

On 21 November 2010 Cristian Gonzales debuted as a member of Indonesia's national football team in a game against Timor Leste scoring two goals, and has now joined Indonesia's core national football team in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup.

References

1. Goal.com
2. Gonzáles ready to join the 'Red and White' team. (Indonesian)
3. El Loco two goals, Indonesia crushed Timor-Leste (Indonesian)
4. Gonzáles allowed to join Persib (Indonesian)
5. BLI allows Gonzáles to join Persib (Indonesian)
6. BOLA 1652th Edition, 2006.

External links

• Cristian Gonzáles at National-Football-Teams.com