Wilfredo Iraheta
Encyclopedia
Wilfredo Iraheta Sanabria (born February 22, 1967 in Sensuntepeque
, El Salvador
) is a retired Salvadoran football (soccer) player who played as a defender
.
He is currently a politician.
side Sesuntepeque at 15 years of age. At 20 he joined Chalatenango
and later played for Atlético Marte
. In 1994 his father was killed during the civil war and he moved to Águila
to play alongside 41-year old veteran Luis Ramírez Zapata
, then Luis Ángel Firpo
and FAS
with whom he finished playing actively to pursue a career in politics.
Iraheta was a versatile and sturdy defender whose strength in the air and tackling made instant success, also gaining a spot in the national squad on several occasions. He has played in virtually every outfield position. In 2001 he retired from both international and domestic football bringing an end to a marvellous career.
in a December 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Costa Rica
and has earned a total of 37 caps, scoring 2 goals. He has represented his country in 11 FIFA World Cup qualification
matches and played at the 1995 and 1997 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 1996
and 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
s.
His final international match was a November 1998 friendly match against Honduras
.
In February 2011, Iraheta was candidate to become mayor of San Salvador
.
Sensuntepeque
Sensuntepeque is a municipality in the Cabañas department of El Salvador....
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
) is a retired Salvadoran football (soccer) player who played as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
He is currently a politician.
Club career
Iraheta started playing football in the streets of his hometown and joined then second divisionSegunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño
The Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño is the second level of the El Salvador League System of football. Teams have a chance to gain promotion to the Primera División de Fútbol Profesional. The champions of the Apertura and Clausura play the direct promotion playoff every year. The winner of...
side Sesuntepeque at 15 years of age. At 20 he joined Chalatenango
C.D. Chalatenango
Club Deportivo Chalatenango is a Salvadoran football club. The team is based out of Chalatenango, El Salvador and plays in the Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño, which is the country's second tier league.Their mascot is the Scorpion.-History:...
and later played for Atlético Marte
Atlético Marte
Club Deportivo Atlético Marte is a football club from San Salvador, El Salvador. The club has changed their name a couple of times to C.D. Arabe Marte , and C.D. Atlético Marte Quezaltepeque . The club changed to its original name again in 2008; C.D...
. In 1994 his father was killed during the civil war and he moved to Águila
C.D. Águila
Club Deportivo Águila is a Salvadoran football club based in San Miguel. They currently play in the Primera División de Fútbol Profesional, and are one of the most prestigious teams in the country along with long-time rivals Club Deportivo FAS...
to play alongside 41-year old veteran Luis Ramírez Zapata
Luis Ramírez Zapata
Luis Baltazar Ramírez Zapata is a retired Salvadoran footballer.-Career:Nicknamed "El Pelé", he spent nearly 20 years playing for Salvadoran club Águila. He started with Águila before leaving to join other clubs and later in his career make a return to the San Miguel based club...
, then Luis Ángel Firpo
C.D. Luis Angel Firpo
Club Deportivo Luis Ángel Firpo is an football club based in Usulután, El Salvador that plays in the Primera División de Fútbol Profesional. It has been one of the most successful clubs in El Salvador, having won 9 titles, firstly in 1989. Only FAS and Águila hold more league titles than Firpo,...
and FAS
C.D. FAS
Club Deportivo Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, commonly known as C.D. FAS or simply FAS , is a Salvadoran professional football club based in Santa Ana. They are rivals with Club Deportivo Águila. FAS currently play in the Primera División de Fútbol Profesional, their home ground being the...
with whom he finished playing actively to pursue a career in politics.
Iraheta was a versatile and sturdy defender whose strength in the air and tackling made instant success, also gaining a spot in the national squad on several occasions. He has played in virtually every outfield position. In 2001 he retired from both international and domestic football bringing an end to a marvellous career.
International career
Iraheta made his debut for El SalvadorEl Salvador national football team
El Salvador's national football team represents El Salvador in international football and is sanctioned by the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol . In 1899, Santa Ana and San Salvador met for the first hosted football game in El Salvador...
in a December 1995 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
and has earned a total of 37 caps, scoring 2 goals. He has represented his country in 11 FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
matches and played at the 1995 and 1997 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 1996
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...
and 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
s.
His final international match was a November 1998 friendly match against Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
.
International goals
- Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 10 November 1996 Estadio Cuscatlán Estadio CuscatlánMonumental Estadio Cuscatlán is a football stadium located in San Salvador, El Salvador. It is the largest stadium in Central America with a capacity of 45,000...
, San SalvadorSan SalvadorThe city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
, El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
2-1 3-2 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification-Qualified teams:The following 32 teams qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup: - qualified automatically as hosts - qualified automatically as defending champions-Notes:...2 7 September 1997 Giants Stadium Giants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
, East Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
2-2 2-2 Friendly match
Personal life and after retirement
Iraheta married Patricia Iraheta and they have four children: William, Maria Jose, Alejandra and Ximena. Since 1995, he has a degree in medicine which earned him the nickname Doctor, and he has also entered into politics.In February 2011, Iraheta was candidate to become mayor of San Salvador
San Salvador
The city of San Salvador the capital and largest city of El Salvador, which has been designated a Gamma World City. Its complete name is La Ciudad de Gran San Salvador...
.
Honours
Luis Ángel FirpoC.D. Luis Angel Firpo
Club Deportivo Luis Ángel Firpo is an football club based in Usulután, El Salvador that plays in the Primera División de Fútbol Profesional. It has been one of the most successful clubs in El Salvador, having won 9 titles, firstly in 1989. Only FAS and Águila hold more league titles than Firpo,...
-
- Primera División de Fútbol ProfesionalPrimera División de Fútbol ProfesionalThe Primera División of the ' , more commonly known as La Liga Mayor or La Primera, is the top professional football league in El Salvador. It was established in 1969 and as of 2011 has 10 clubs...
(1): 1998
- Primera División de Fútbol Profesional