22 Facts About Marcelo Salas

Jose Marcelo Salas Melinao, nicknamed Matador, El Fenomeno and Shileno, is a Chilean former footballer who played as a striker.

Marcelo Salas stood out during the 1990s and 2000s in clubs such as Universidad de Chile, River Plate, Lazio and Juventus.

Marcelo Salas played in Chile, Argentina and Italy, winning titles with each club he joined.

Marcelo Salas was named the South American Footballer of the Year in 1997.

Marcelo Salas is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Universidad de Chile, an icon for the football team River Plate of Argentina, and one of the greatest foreign players in Lazio's history.

Marcelo Salas played for the Chile national football team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, where he scored four goals in four matches, leading his team to the second round of the competition.

Marcelo Salas helped the team win back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, he was an essential player for the Universidad de Chile team, as the was the top scorer in both seasons.

Marcelo Salas made his debut for Lazio on 12 August 1998 against the UEFA Champions League champion, the Real Madrid of Spain, where he scored the second goal of his team, in the Teresa Herrera Trophy.

Marcelo Salas quickly became an idol of the Lazio tifosi, where they dedicated songs to him, the most traditional was: "Matador, Matador, che ce frega de Ronaldo noi c'avemo er Matador".

Marcelo Salas is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of River Plate, along with Angel Labruna, Enzo Francescoli, Ramon Diaz, Norberto Alonso, Ubaldo Fillol and Amadeo Carrizo.

Marcelo Salas announced his retirement on 28 November 2008, at the age of 33.

Marcelo Salas represented Chile at under-20 level in 1993 alongside players such as Francisco Rojas, Claudio Lizama and Claudio Villan.

In 1995 his team won the Canada Cup, where Marcelo Salas scored the "goal of the victory" in the final match against Canada.

Marcelo Salas scored memorable goals: against Argentina of local, in Quito of visit against Ecuador and of local against Uruguay, including hat-tricks against Colombia and Peru, and a goal in the final match against Bolivia.

In 1998, Marcelo Salas had an outstanding performance in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, reaching the 16th round of the tournament.

Marcelo Salas scored 4 goals: two against Italy, one against Austria and one against Brazil positioning himself as the third-best scorer of the World Cup in that year, along with Brazilian striker Ronaldo, being only 1 away from the bronze boot, and 2 from the golden boot.

Marcelo Salas scored four goals in nine matches during the failed 2002 World Cup qualification campaign and during the 2006 World Cup qualification.

Marcelo Salas surpassed his attacking partner Ivan Zamorano as the nation's all-time leading scorer for the second time with his 35th goal against Bolivia.

On 18 November 2007, during a match for the qualification for 2010 World Cup where Chile played against Uruguay, Marcelo Salas scored his last 2 final goals at the majestic Estadio Centenario, the first with a header after Carlos Villanueva center and the second, penalty.

Marcelo Salas is the nephew-in-law of the former Chile international footballer Sergio Messen since his wife, Carolina Messen, is the niece of him.

Also in the year 2009, at the inauguration of the museum of the Argentine club, the goals of Marcelo Salas are portrayed in videos and images, in addition to the shirts and boots that Marcelo Salas wore while he played in River Plate.

Long is the list of public figures whose idol is the "Matador" where several of them have decided to honor Marcelo Salas by imitating his typical celebration after scoring a goal: knee to the ground, head bowed and one arm pointing to the sky.