Daniel Díaz

Cata Díaz

Personal information
Full name	Daniel Alberto Díaz
Date of birth	13 March 1979 (1979-03-13) (age 32)
Place of birth	Catamarca, Argentina
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Getafe
Number	2
Youth career
	Juventud Catamarca
1997–2000	Rosario Central
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000–2003	Rosario Central	97	(2)
2003–2004	Cruz Azul	46	(1)
2004–2005	Colón	35	(2)
2005–2007	Boca Juniors	67	(7)
2007–	Getafe	140	(3)
National team‡
2003–	Argentina	12	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 November 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of September 2008

Daniel Alberto 'Cata' Díaz (born 13 March 1979 in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Getafe CF in the Spanish first division.

A strong central defender with a powerful shot, he can also be adapted at right back.

Club career

Nicknamed Cata because of his origins from the province of Catamarca, Díaz started playing at youth amateur local team Juventud de Catamarca before moving in 1997 to Rosario Central, still as a youth. Three years later, he first appeared professionally.

Díaz moved to Club Deportivo Cruz Azul in 2003. After only one season with the Mexican club, he returned to Argentina to become Alfio Basile's captain in Colón de Santa Fe. Short after, he received offers to move to Argentine giants Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate, but being at that time Basile Boca's coach, the player decided to move to Boca, for around $3 million.

Cata made his debut for Boca in a 4–1 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, and was a big part in the side's 2005 Apertura-winning campaign, adding the South American Supercup (win over Once Caldas of Colombia) and the South American Cup (defeat of Mexico's UNAM Pumas).

In the summer of 2007, Díaz moved to Spain's Getafe CF for €4 million, being a defensive cornerstone from the very beginning, as the Madrid outskirts side reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in 2007–08.

His son Tomás is a part of Real Madrid's youth academy.^[1]

International career

With the Argentine national team, Díaz made his first appearance in 2003, and was called to the 2007 Copa América squad, as the national side finished second in Venezuela.

On 6 June 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia, he scored his first and only international goal, finding the net in the 57th minute for a 1–0 home win; he would be, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.

Honours

Boca Juniors

• Argentine League: Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006
• South American Supercup: 2005
• South American Cup: 2005
• Libertadores Cup: 2007

References

1. ^ Real Madrid C.F. - Web Oficial - Tomás Daniel Díaz Marzella

External links

• Getafe official profile (Spanish)
• Argentine League statistics (Spanish)
• Career details at Irish Times
• BDFutbol profile
• Daniel Díaz at National-Football-Teams.com
• Transfermarkt profile

Persondata
Name	Díaz, Daniel
Alternative names	Díaz, Cata
Short description	Footballer
Date of birth	13 March 1979
Place of birth	San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina
Date of death
Place of death