Alvaro Recoba

Álvaro Alexander Recoba Rivero, commonly known as Alvaro Recoba, is a veteran Uruguayan international footballer who is on the books of the Italian giants Inter Milan. Recoba is a versatile player who can play as midfielder, as a winger, as a forward or in the hole behind the strikers. he is nicknamed “El Chino”.

Alvaro Recoba came through the youth ranks of the Urguayan club Danubio and made his first team debut for the senior side in 1993 when he was just 16 years of age. He was signed by Uruguayan giants Nacional de Futbol in 1996 and in the summer of 1997 was picked up by Italian giants Inter Milan after the Nerazurri got impressed by his technical skills and left foot.

Recoba made an instant impression in the blue and black half of Inter Milan. He made his debut for Inter on the same day as Ronaldo (31 August 1997), against Brescia in San Siro and scored two goals, the first one a powerful 40-yard shot that flew past the keeper and the second a free kick into the top corner.

But he was loaned out to fellow Italian Serie A side Venezia for the 1999-2000 and his string of great performances saved Venezia from relegation to the Serie B that season. He was recalled to Inter Milan in the summer of 2000 and in January just after signing a contract extension with Inter, was banned for four months after he was caught in a fake passport scam that also stripped him of his Italian citizenship he had acquired in 1999.

Alvaro Recoba remained a regular for Inter Milan until the end of the 2006-2007 season when he declared that he wanted to leave the club. Noted for his free-kicks, Recoba was also dreaded for his dribbling skills and a lethal left foot. He was sent on loan to Torino at the start of the 2007-2008 season but failed to make any discernible impact at the Turin side.

Alvaro Recoba has played 69 times for Uruguay and has scored 11 times for his country. He played for his nation in the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and Korea.