Fredy Guarín


Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Brazilian club CR Vasco da Gama. A versatile player, he is comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder.
He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell in Argentina, and played two years in France with Saint-Étienne. He made a name for himself with Porto in Portugal, where he spent four seasons and won ten major titles, including three Primeira Liga championships and the 2011 Europa League.
Guarín represented Colombia at the 2011 Copa América and the 2014 World Cup.

Club career

Early years / Saint-Étienne

Guarín was born in Puerto Boyacá. In 2005, already a regular for Envigado F.C. and the Colombian under-20 national team, he was taken on loan by Boca Juniors in the Argentine Primera División, where he spent the first six months in the youth team; upon completion of his loan the Buenos Aires-based club attempted to sign him on a permanent basis, but he instead chose to go on loan to AS Saint-Étienne in August 2006.
Guarín made his debut for the French side scoring twice in a friendly against RCD Espanyol, and gradually fought his way into the starting lineup as the season closed. He first appeared in the Ligue 1 on 14 October 2006 against Olympique Lyonnais, and scored his first goal in a 3–1 victory over Troyes AC; in April 2007, the deal was made permanent for four years.

Porto

On 10 July 2008, Guarín penned a four-year deal with Primeira Liga club FC Porto for an undisclosed fee. Portuguese under-21 international Paulo Machado went the opposite direction, on loan. During his spell he was used mainly as a substitute, but managed to appear regularly; arguably, his most important goal came on 16 May 2010 as the team renewed their Taça de Portugal title, defeating G.D. Chaves 2–1.
In 2010–11, even after the departure of Raul Meireles to Liverpool, Guarín initially struggled to make Porto's starting XI. He was, however, a very important midfield element for the eventual national champions, playing in more than 40 official games and scoring ten goals, including five in the Europa League campaign, which also ended in conquest.

Inter Milan

On 31 January 2012, Guarín joined Inter Milan for €1.5 million, on loan, with the player replacing Paris Saint-Germain FC-bound Thiago Motta. The Italians also had an option to make the move permanent for €13.5 million in June.
On 17 May 2012, Inter made the move permanent but for €11 million. Guarín scored his first official goal for the Nerazzurri on 30 August, in a 2–2 home draw against FC Vaslui in the Europa League. In the group stage of the same competition, he provided all three assists in a 3–1 defeat of Neftchi Baku PFC.
Again in the Europa League, on 21 February 2013, Guarín scored twice in a 3–0 away win over CFR Cluj to help Inter make it through to the last 16. In the January 2014 transfer window, he was supposed to move to Juventus F.C. in exchange for Mirko Vučinić, but the deal ultimately fell through after the clubs could not reach an agreement. He declared he would not return to the Nerazzurri if he was not allowed to leave, but eventually he reconsidered; it was later reported that he simply wanted to clarify his future with the club, stating that he never asked to leave and that he was confused as to why the situation was created.
On 25 March 2014, Guarín agreed to extend his contract with Inter until 2017. On 14 September, as a second-half substitute, he scored in a 7–0 home win against U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. At the start of the 2014–15 season, he began being used by manager Walter Mazzarri as a second striker.
On 7 December 2014, in his 100th appearance for Inter, Guarín assisted Mauro Icardi in the 44th minute of an eventual 1–2 home defeat against Udinese Calcio. On 16 February of the following year, he scored twice after winning a first-minute penalty kick in a 4–1 success at Atalanta BC, helping his team to secure the first away win in the league since December 2014.

Later career

On 26 January 2016, Guarín joined Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C. in the Chinese Super League for a reported €11 million fee plus bonuses. On 26 September 2019, the 33-year-old free agent moved to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with CR Vasco da Gama.

International career

On 24 May 2006, Guarín made his international debut for Colombia, in a pre-World Cup friendly against Ecuador. He represented the nation at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2011 Copa América.
Guarín was selected by José Pekerman for his 2014 World Cup squad. He played his first game in the tournament on 24 June after the national team had already won its first two group matches, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 4–1 win against Japan which was also his 49th cap; he earned his 50th four days later, coming on as a late substitute to help oust Uruguay 2–0 in the round of 16.
On 10 May 2015, whilst at the service of Inter, Guarín suffered a muscular injury to his right leg, being ruled out of the Copa América.

Style of play

A versatile player, Guarín is a strong, fast and creative attacking midfielder, who can also play in the centre, in a holding role, or on the right flank. He is capable of shooting from long-range with both feet, and of acting as a playmaker in midfield. In 2013, his former Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni described him as "...an extraordinary player who combines physicality with technique in an incredible way. He is also an important element in the locker room."

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.26 March 2011Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain
1–0
2–0
Friendly
2.11 November 2011Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla, Colombia
1–0
1–1
2014 World Cup qualification
3.14 August 2013Mini Estadi, Barcelona, Spain
1–0
1–0
Friendly
4.6 June 2014Pedro Bidegain, Buenos Aires, Argentina
3–0
3–0
Friendly

Honours

Club

Porto
Shanghai Shenhua