Rubén Sosa

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Ruben Sosa
Personal information
Full name Ruben Sosa Ardaiz
Date of birth April 25, 1966 (1966-04-25) (age 42)
Place of birth    Montevideo, Uruguay
Height 175 cm
Playing position Forward
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1982-1985
1985-1988
1988-1992
1992-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-2001
2002
2003-2004
2006
Danubio
Zaragoza
Lazio
Internazionale
Dortmund
Logroñés
Nacional
Shenhua
Nacional
Racing Club
 ? (?)
108 (33)
124 (40)
76 (44)
17 (3)
? (?)
? (?)
? (?)
? (?)
 ? (?)   
National team
1984-1995 Uruguay 46 (19)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Ruben Sosa Arzaiz (born April 25, 1966 in Montevideo) is a retired Uruguayan football forward who was a member of the Uruguay national team and of various clubs.

Contents

[edit] Club career

Sosa started his career in Danubio at the age of 15, being one of the youngest footballers to play in the Uruguayan First Division. He defended Danubio from 1982 to 1985, when he was transferred to Spain´s Real Zaragoza. In this club, Ruben Sosa won the Copa del Rey in 1986, scoring the goal in the final against F.C. Barcelona.

After playing for Zaragoza, Ruben Sosa was transferred to Italy´s S.S. Lazio, where he stayed for four years before being sold to Internazionale, where he reached his greatest form as a football player. He was Inter Milan's leading goal scorer in the 92/93 and 93/94 seasons, winning the UEFA Cup in 1994. However, the arrival of Dennis Bergkamp in the Summer of 1993, led to splits within the Milan camp, and as a result Sosa left Serie A in the Summer of 1995.

After years of success in Uruguay, Spain and Italy, Ruben Sosa played for Germany´s Borussia Dortmund, winning the 95/96 Bundesliga.

When he left Borrusia Dortmund, he returned to Spain to play for CD Logroñés. After a couple of months playing for the team, Ruben Sosa decided to leave in order to make his dream come true: he wanted to play for his favourite team in Uruguay, famous Nacional. At Nacional, Sosa won the Uruguayan League in 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002, becoming one of the fans' heroes.

In 2002, he left Nacional to play in China´s Shanghai Shenhua.

In 2004, he returned to Nacional, this time as assistant coach, winning the 2005 Uruguayan League.

[edit] National team

With Uruguay's national team, Ruben Sosa won the Copa América in 1987 and 1995, and he played at the World Cup in Italy.

Sosa was known for his spectacular efforts and thunderous free kicks.[citation needed] He was a complete forward who could shoot, volley, dribble, create, and pass with precision made him one of the best strikers in Europe.[citation needed] He is considered to be one of the best Uruguayan forwards of the last thirty years, alongside Enzo Francescoli, Carlos Aguilera, Daniel Fonseca and Ruben Paz.[citation needed]

[edit] Post-retirement

Nowadays, Ruben Sosa works for Nacional as assistant coach, but he also played for a Second Division team in Uruguay, Racing Club de Montevideo in 2006.

[edit] External links