Juan Fernando Arango Sáenz (born 16 May 1980 in Maracay) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the German first division, and for the Venezuela national team.

Having played more than 80 times for Venezuela,^[1]Arango is one of the few Venezuelan players ever to play for a first division team in any of the major European leagues, and is widely regarded as the best player the country has ever produced.

He is known as "Arangol" in Venezuela, and has been nicknamed the "Caribbean Hurricane" by Luis Omar Tapia in ESPN's telecasts.

[edit] Football career

Arango's parents are Colombian, having emigrated to Venezuela before he was born. He started playing as a professional at the age of sixteen with Nueva Cádiz FC, which ascended to the Venezuelan first division the following season under the name Zulianos FC.

The following year, he joined Caracas Fútbol Club but, after six months playing with the team, was bought by Mexico's Club de Fútbol Monterrey.

Arango played for two other Mexican clubs, C.F. Pachuca and Puebla FC, until 2004, when he joined La Liga side Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, in Spain (coached by Benito Floro, also his boss at Monterrey) on a one-year link with an option for a further three.^[2] Earlier that summer, he appeared in all three group stage matches during the 2004 Copa América.

On 20 March 2005, Arango suffered a serious injury, after a brutal collision with Sevilla FC's defender Javi Navarro. He fell unconscious, broke his cheekbone, swallowed his tongue and got serious cuts in his face.^[3][4]He returned to play a month later and, in 2005-06, was the team's top scorer with 11 league goals.

In 2006, EFE chose him as the third best Latin American player in the Spanish league, with the first place taken by Pablo Aimar. The following year, new national coach Cesar Farias named Arango team captain, and he also obtained a Spanish passport, in March. On 9 March 2008, Arango scored his first hat-trick for Mallorca, in a 7-1 home thrashing of Recreativo de Huelva, with teammate Daniel Güiza, who finished as the season's Pichichi, adding two.^[5]He only missed one league game from 2005-08 combined.

As his contract was due to expire at the end of 2009-10, Arango was sold on 26 June 2009 to Borussia Mönchengladbach, for €3.3 million, penning a three-year contract.^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Real Mallorca bio (Spanish)
• BDFutbol profile
• NationalFootballTeams data
• Internationals appearances, at RSSSF
• Juan Arango FIFA competition record
• News of Venezuelan footballers abroad
• Fohlen-Hautnah bio (German)

v • d • e Venezuela squad – 1999 Copa América 1 Vega • 2 Álvarez • 3 Rojas • 4 McIntosh • 5 Bidoglio • 6 Rey • 7 Noriega • 8 Tortolero • 9 García • 10 Urdaneta • 11 Hernández • 12 Sanhouse • 13 Rondón • 14 Jiménez • 15 Mea Vitali • 16 Duno • 17 Echenausi • 18 Chacón • 19 Arango • 20 Cásseres • 21 Vera • 22 Morán • Coach: Pastoriza

v • d • e Venezuela squad – 2001 Copa América 1 Dudamel • 2 Vallenilla • 3 Rey • 4 Alvarado • 5 M. Mea Vitali • 6 Martínez • 7 Noriega • 8 Vera • 9 Rondón • 10 Urdaneta • 11 Ricardo Páez • 12 Sanhouse • 13 Vielma • 14 Jiménez • 15 Pérez • 16 Cásseres • 17 Rojas • 18 Arango • 19 R. Mea Vitali • 20 R. González • 21 — • 22 Vega • Coach: Richard Páez

v • d • e Venezuela squad – 2004 Copa América 1 Angelucci • 2 Vallenilla • 3 Rey • 4 Hernández • 5 Mea Vitali • 6 Cichero • 7 Noriega • 8 Cásseres • 9 Rondón • 10 Depablos • 11 Páez • 12 Sanhouse • 13 Vielma • 14 Jiménez • 15 Moreno • 16 Morán • 17 Rojas • 18 Arango • 19 A. González • 20 H. González • 21 Rouga • 22 Margiotta • Coach: Richard Páez

v • d • e Venezuela squad – 2007 Copa América 1 Vega • 2 Vallenilla • 3 Rey • 4 Vizcarrondo • 5 Mea Vitali • 6 Cichero • 7 Torrealba • 8 Vera • 9 Maldonado • 10 C. González • 11 Ricardo Páez • 12 Toyo • 13 Vielma • 14 Guerra • 15 de Ornelas • 16 Pérez • 17 Rojas • 18 Arango • 19 Arismendi • 20 H. González • 21 Rouga • 22 Fernández • Coach: Richard Páez