# Samuel Caballero

Jorge Samuel Caballero Álvarez (Latin American Spanish:; born 24 December 1974) is a retired Honduran football defender.
He currently is the president of Honduran national league club Deportes Savio.

## Club career

Caballero began his career with hometown club Deportivo Melgar. He then joined Olimpia, playing with the team from 1996 until transferring overseas in 2001. The central defender moved to Serie A to play for Udinese, where his second season was hampered by a long knee injury lay-off. He would remain in Udine until moving to Salernitana in 2004. He only played in 2 cup games for them and then signed for Nacional in Uruguay, but the move did not materialise since Nacional had too many foreigners in their squad, so he joined Defensor Sporting instead. In Uruguay he was unlucky with injuries again.
At the start of 2005, he moved to Major League Soccer and the Chicago Fire. Caballero had a disappointing 2005 with the club, and was released. He spent the 2006 preseason with the Colorado Rapids.

### China

Caballero had a lengthy spell with Chinese side Changchun Yatai and played in the 2008 AFC Champions League with them. In the 2008-2009 Winter Market it was reported that two teams from Honduras, Marathon and Olimpia, were interested in the signing of Samuel Caballero after he publicly stated his desire to return to Honduras in order to be close to family and return to the National Team. However, the player still had a contract with the Chinese Club Changchun Yatai and stated that if he did not receive any offers he would return to the club and complete his contract.

### Career end controversy

In summer 2011 he finally returned to Honduras to sign with Necaxa and declared the team would be his final before retiring. However, he would never play for the club since he was still contracted to Changchun Yatai and they did not give him permission to play for Necaxa.

## International career

Caballero has played an important part at the national team setup for over 10 years, mostly playing alongside other Honduran greats like Amado Guevara, Julio César de León and Carlos Pavón. He made his debut for Honduras in a January 1998 friendly match against Costa Rica and has earned a total of 71 caps, scoring 11 goals. He has represented his country in 22 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at the 1999 UNCAF Nations Cup as well as at the 1998, 2000, 2005 and 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cups. Also, he played at the 2001 Copa América. and was one of three of Honduras' over-age players at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
His final international was a March 2009 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Trinidad & Tobago.

### International goals

    Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first.
| N. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1. | 19 March 1999 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | Belize | 1–0 | 5-1 | 1999 UNCAF Nations Cup |
| 2. | 16 December 1999 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Zambia | 2–0 | 7-1 | Friendly match |
| 3. | 16 December 1999 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Zambia | 7–1 | 7-1 | Friendly match |
| 4. | 14 February 2000 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States | Jamaica | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 5. | 3 June 2000 | Estadio Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Haiti | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6. | 17 June 2000 | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti | Haiti | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7. | 16 July 2000 | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador | El Salvador | 1–1 | 5–2 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8. | 2 September 2000 | Estadio Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | El Salvador | 5–0 | 5-0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9. | 15 November 2000 | Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 6–0 | 7–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10. | 25 April 2001 | National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica | Jamaica | 2–0 | 2-0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11. | 12 July 2005 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States | Panama | 1–0 | 1-0 | 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup |

## Retirement

In October 2011, Caballero was named president of Deportes Savio.

## Honours

C.D. Olimpia
* Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras: 2000–01
Nacional
* Uruguayan Primera División: 2004 Apertura
Changchun Yatai
* Chinese Super League: Champion 2007
* Chinese Super League: Runner-Up 2009
* Chinese Super League: Footballer of the Year (MVP)
Individual
* CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2005
* CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Tournament team (Honorable Mention): 2007