The recent signing of the full-back in Toulouse puts the emphasis, once again, on Ligue 1. We have to go back to the 1950s to find the starting point of this liaison, with the arrival of the architect of the campaign from the 1962 World Cup. at the Stade de Reims.
“From Colo Colo to the League of Talents. Welcome to France, Gabriel” . With this message on their social networks, League 1 received at gabriel suazo , the new face of Chile in French football. Surprisingly, the former Colo Colo captain signed with Toulouse, granting his desire to join Europe. He is the third national player present in the tournament, after Guillermo Maripán and Alexis Sánchez. Come to think of it, the reception of the tocopillano in Marseille was worthy of a rockstar. With drums, flares and lots of noise. The historical striker of the Reds arrives in the most popular cast in France with the status conferred on him by the years spent in the elite. He is the starting centre-forward.
Ligue 1 is among the five best leagues in the Old Continent, but its link with Chile is not so close as others like LaLiga de España or Serie A, those that evoke unforgettable performances (by Zamorano or Salas, for example). You have to go back to the 1950s to find the beginning of the history of the Chileans in French football, with a transcendental name.
A Fernando Riera He is best known for his role as a coach, especially for the 1962 World Cup. Before that, he was a striker who played for Unión Española and Universidad Católica, until in 1950 part at the Stade de Reims, club that would later reach two finals of the European Cup (the current Champions League). Riera was part of this team from November 50 to July 51, to then join FC Rouen, where he will retire in 1954. El Tata is not the only Chilean to land in Rouen (or Ruan), the capital of the Normandy region. Raymond Infanta key to UC’s first star, in 1949, and World Cup player in Brazil 50, had a brief stint at the club in 1951, playing in Ligue 2.
The Lille of Nacho and Tito
In the 1970s, after a brilliant experience at the Nacional de Uruguay (being champion of the Libertadores and the Intercontinental in 1971), Ignatius Prieto He is signed by Lille, where he will mark an era. He arrived at the club in 1971 and spent five seasons playing between the First and Second Divisions. Collectively, his best campaign came in the 1973-74 university year, as team captain, winning the title and promotion to the top flight. With more than a hundred appearances at LOSC, the coach is also one of the most notable foreigners in the club’s history.
Thereafter, Prieto spent a season in Laval (1976-1977), finishing 16th in the league.
Lille have three national representatives on their books. The first, mentioned earlier, left its mark. The second too. Alberto Fouillioux He played for the Dogues between 1972 and 1974. He coincided with Prieto in the historic campaign of 73-74. was one of “four South American musketeers” of the club at that time, with the Uruguayan Juan Martín Mujica, the Argentinian Raoul Nogués and his compatriot Nacho Prieto.
Who also left a mark is Ivo Basai , at the Reims stadium. In 1987, he emigrated to France and spent four seasons, with Argentinian Carlos Bianchi as coach. He featured in notable campaigns, reaching the Coupe de France semi-finals in 1987 and 1988.
Contreras and Estrada, champions
After the 1998 World Cup in France, Pedro Reyes He had his first experience abroad. He ended up in the auxerre , a casting that had the particularity of having the same trainer for 36 years (between 1964 and 2000): Guy Roux. His most regular season was 1999-2000, playing 30 games. After his European tour, the former Colo Colo returned to the country, joining the U in 2002.
Reyes coincided in the league with Paul Contreras who was in the monaco . His strong irruption in the first team of the Cacique allowed him to be transferred in the workforce of the principality to the 1999–2000 season, in which they were league champions. The defender has shared a squad with the likes of Fabien Barthez, Rafa Márquez, Marcelo Gallardo, David Trezeguet and Ludovic Giuly. They finished first with 65 points in 34 games. This not only gave them access to the Champions League, but they also won the 2000 Super Cup.
Lille’s strong link with Chile resurfaces with the signing of Hector Tapia . In June 2002, the attacker signed an agreement with LOSC for four years, after a stint in Palestine. His stay was not entirely fruitful (his only success was an Intertoto Cup) and in 2004 he left the club to go to Cruzeiro in Brazil. Another who was unsuccessful in his journey was Jean Gonzalo Lorca in Boulogne in 2010. The team had been promoted and quickly returned to Ligue 2, finishing penultimate.
Without too many expectations, but with a remarkable end result, Marco Estrada had an unforgettable experience in Montpellier . In July 2010, after the World Cup in South Africa, the quillotano was transferred from the U to a second-line team in France, which He reached his biggest milestone with the league title in 2011-2012, the first and only star in the top division. It was a good campaign, reaching 82 points, with a consular figure: Olivier Giroud. In three seasons with Montpellier, Estrada played 98 games and scored nine goals.
It continues. Whereas Nicholas Larondo arrived in Arles-Avignon in 2012, MAURITIUS ISLAND He was the first Chilean at Olympique de Marseille. Without a place at Juventus, Huaso (now at UC) arrived on loan at France’s most popular team for the 2015-16 campaign. He had continuity, scored a few goals and played in a final, the Coupe de France. They were runners-up, falling to PSG.
Until the media landing of Alexis in Marseille and the recent approach of Gabriel Suazo, the last Chilean player to have reached the French championship had been Guillermo Maripan , to the Principality of Monaco. The factor that gives relevance to the signature is that, With his transfer from Alavés to the Monegasques, the man trained at Católica has become the most expensive defender in Chilean football. It cost 18 million euros. He is currently living his fourth season at AS Monaco.
Women’s football
In this tour of the Chilean presence in France, we must not forget the female participation. Christiane Endler he enjoyed notable successes with PSG and Olympique de Lyon, where he achieved his brightest star: the Champions League. The best goalkeeper in the world, a decoration she obtained while playing there, has five titles in this country. His partner in the Red Francisca Lara She also went through the D1 Arkema (as the first division women’s tournament is called), in Le Havre, during the 2020-2021 university year.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
