Saturnino Arrúa
Encyclopedia
Saturnino Arrúa was a leading Paraguay
an footballer
who was born in Ita, near Asunción
, on 6 April 1949.
Nicknamed El Nino, he began his career at his local team Sportivo Iteño
as a fourteen year old, before signing for Cerro Porteño
the following year. He flourished as the centre forward at the club and won three Liga Paraguaya winners' medals, as well as finishing top scorer in the league three times. He signed for Real Zaragoza
in Spain
in 1973 and proved to be a success in La Liga
, remaining with the club until 1979 when he returned to Cerro Porteño. In Real Zaragoza he was part of the famous "Zaraguayos" group (a reference to the Paraguayan stars such as Carlos Diarte
and Felipe Santiago Ocampos that were playing for Zaragoza at that time). He finished his career with a brief spell at América de Cali
of Colombia
in 1981. He went on to enter coaching, working for Club 12 de Octubre
and Club Atletico 3 de Febrero
as well as Cerro Porteño.
He played for the Paraguay national football team
26 times between 1969 and 1980, scoring 13 goals (making him the joint second all-time leading scorer for the country) http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/para-recintlp.html.
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
an footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who was born in Ita, near Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, on 6 April 1949.
Nicknamed El Nino, he began his career at his local team Sportivo Iteño
Sportivo Iteño
Sportivo Iteño, is a Paraguayan football club based in the city of Itá, in Asunción. The club was founded on June 1, 1924 and plays in the Intermedia division of the Paraguayan league . Their home games are played at the Salvador Morga stadium which has a capacity of about...
as a fourteen year old, before signing for Cerro Porteño
Cerro Porteño
Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 28 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football club in Paraguay...
the following year. He flourished as the centre forward at the club and won three Liga Paraguaya winners' medals, as well as finishing top scorer in the league three times. He signed for Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1973 and proved to be a success in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, remaining with the club until 1979 when he returned to Cerro Porteño. In Real Zaragoza he was part of the famous "Zaraguayos" group (a reference to the Paraguayan stars such as Carlos Diarte
Carlos Diarte
Carlos Martínez Diarte , alias Lobo, was a Paraguayan football striker and coach.-As player:Diarte started his career in Olimpia Asunción and at the age of 16 he made his debut in the professional squad, helping Olimpia win the Paraguayan championship in 1971...
and Felipe Santiago Ocampos that were playing for Zaragoza at that time). He finished his career with a brief spell at América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in 1981. He went on to enter coaching, working for Club 12 de Octubre
Club 12 de Octubre
Club 12 de Octubre is a Paraguayan football club from the city of Itauguá founded in 1914. The team were promoted to the first division in 1997. In 2002 they managed to win the Clausura tournament but lost in the absolute finals against Libertad...
and Club Atletico 3 de Febrero
Club Atlético 3 de Febrero
Club Atlético 3 de Febrero is a football club from the city of Ciudad del Este, department of Alto Paraná in Paraguay; founded in 1970. The team started playing in the Liga Paranaense and finally made their way to the second division of the Paraguayan League in 2000...
as well as Cerro Porteño.
He played for the Paraguay national football team
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
26 times between 1969 and 1980, scoring 13 goals (making him the joint second all-time leading scorer for the country) http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/para-recintlp.html.