Matías Emilio Delgado

Matías Emilio Delgado (born 15 December 1982) is a retired Argentine footballer who last played as an attacking midfielder for Swiss Super League Club FC Basel.
Club career
Chacarita Juniors
Delgado worked his way through the youth ranks of River Plate before making a professional debut with Chacarita Juniors at the age of 17. His breakthrough performance came in the Torneo Apertura of the 2002–03 Argentine Primera División when he recorded a goal and an assist in the Round 8 loss to Independiente, which was followed by a superb curling effort that found the back of the net in the Round 13 loss to Boca Juniors. Ahead of the Torneo Clausura, Delgado was given the number 10 jersey after previously wearing number 11. This also marked a shift in his on-field position towards a more playmaking role in the centre of midfield for the latter half of the season, having primarily operated on the left wing before. One of his standout performances came in the Round 5 trashing of Huracán when he scored two goals while also being a constant threat to the opposition with his incisive passing in the final third and long-range shot attempts. He added one more goal in the Round 18 draw with Racing, bringing his total goal tally to five.
Delgado started the 2003-04 season with Chacarita, playing three games and providing a crucial assist with an exquisitely executed through ball to secure a crucial win against San Lorenzo in Round 1. However, he soon left the club, sealing a move to Europe at the age of 20.
With Chacarita, Delgado made over 50 appearances in the Argentinian top-flight, scoring five goals in the process.
FC Basel
Delgado's performances in Argentine Primera División caught the eye of several European clubs, but it was the Swiss giants FC Basel that signed him on a four-year contract in August 2003 for a reported fee of 1.2 million Swiss francs, after their chief scout Ruedi Zbinden watched him live in Argentina on several occasions and invited him for a trial.
He emerged as the club's marquee signing for the 2003-04 season, shouldering the weight of expectations to fill the void left by the departure of star player Hakan Yakin. Delgado made his debut with RotBlau at St. Jakob-Park on 3 September 2003 when he was brought on for Sébastien Barberis in the 68th minute. Just two minutes later, he played a decisive ball to Hervé Tum for the team's third goal as Basel beat St. Gallen 4–1 in Round 9 of the 2003-04 Swiss Super League. Despite a promising start, Basel's coach, Christian Gross, had often left Delgado on the substitutes' bench, aiming to better integrate him into the system before granting him more starting opportunities. Delgado scored his first goal for Basel on 2 October in the Round 12 away win against Neuchâtel Xamax, unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the box following a cross from Scott Chipperfield. His exceptional performance in that game won him the hearts of the fans, who clamored for him to be a regular starter. The fans' sentiment did not go unnoticed by Gross, who decided to give Delgado more playing time from then on. Nonetheless, the dynamics between the player and the coach retained a challenging undertone, even though Delgado conceded the necessity of Gross's stringent approach in certain moments.
Delgado made his debut in European competitions on 24 September, playing full 90 minutes in the team's first leg victory against Malatyaspor in the first round of the 2003–04 UEFA Cup. Despite a solid start to his career in Switzerland, Delgado faced an unfortunate setback when an untimely injury caused him to miss some crucial matches, including the team's decisive games in the UEFA Cup and the Swiss Cup. The unexpected return of Hakan Yakin, whose contract with PSG was cancelled, also meant that he was deployed in a less attacking role than usual, which limited his offensive contribution. Delgado finished the season featuring in 20 league games and scoring twice in the process as Basel was crowned league champions.
In the 2004-05 season, Delgado solidified his position in the first team, gradually seeing an increase in his playing time to complete 90 minutes on a regular basis during the latter half of the season. Following the departure of Hakan Yakin to VfB Stuttgart the previous winter, manager Christian Gross also granted him greater playing freedom, predominantly deploying him in a No. 10 role within the 4-4-2 diamond-wide formation. Delgado opened his goalscoring account for the season during Round 3 of the Swiss Super League 2004-05, contributing to the away triumph over Servette FC. Demonstrating his playmaking prowess, he followed it up in the subsequent round by providing two crucial assists that led to the team's 2–1 win against bitter rivals FC Zürich. The standout moment of the season happened during Round 8 when Basel delivered a resounding 8–1 victory over Grasshopper, with Delgado making a notable impact by contributing both a goal and an assist. However, his most exceptional performance came against another Swiss powerhouse, as he showcased his talent by scoring two goals and providing an assist in the Round 27 triumph over Young Boys. The second goal was particularly spectacular, as Delgado displayed his exceptional technique by volleying home a rebound from the edge of the box with both power and finesse. Basel concluded the season in triumphant fashion, clinching the Super League title. Delgado played a pivotal role in the team's success, finishing as their second-highest scorer with 11 goals in 32 league games, only behind Christian Gimenez, who netted 27 goals. Additionally, he showcased his playmaking abilities by providing 10 assists, which made him the league's joint second most influential contributor after his Basel teammate Julio Hernán Rossi with 12 passes that led to a goal. Delgado also scored once in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup group stage when he showcased his exceptional free-kick prowess by curling a superbly taken set-piece into the net in the 82nd minute, securing the crucial equalizer in a 1–1 draw against FC Schalke.
In the 2005–06 season, Delgado resumed his impressive form and wasted no time in making his impact felt, netting the decisive winning goal in the Swiss Super League 2005-06 Round 3 encounter with FC Zurich. This early success was just a glimpse of what was to come for Delgado in the 2005–06 season. In the Round 8 match against FC Aarau, he proved to be a dominant force on the pitch, scoring two goals and providing an assist in Basel's impressive 7–2 victory, a feat he would replicate in the following round against Xamax. Delgado's penchant for delivering standout performances in big games was evident once again in the Round 12 clash with FC Zurich when he rose to the occasion by scoring two goals and delivering two assists, contributing significantly to a crucial 4–2 win. Another memorable display came in the Round 18 encounter against Young Boys, where he orchestrated a dominant performance, showcasing his exceptional playmaking skills by providing an impressive three assists and netting a goal in a resounding 6–1 victory. Despite Basel falling short of clinching the league title in the final game of the season, Delgado experienced his most remarkable individual campaign, finding the back of the net 18 times in 33 league appearances. This achievement secured him a joint second-place finish in the league's scoring charts, with FC Zurich's Alhassane Keita surpassing him by two goals. In addition to his goalscoring exploits, the Argentine playmaker registered 12 assists throughout the season, placing him joint-top in the league. This adeptness at both scoring and assisting made him the most influential player in the Swiss Super League 2005-06 in terms of direct goal involvement. His outstanding performances were duly recognized, and he was honored with the Swiss Super League Player of the Year award at the end of the season while previously being named the Super League's Most Exciting Player. Delgado also left his mark in the 2005–06 Swiss Cup, scoring two goals against archrivals FC Zurich in the round of 16. Despite his efforts, Basel would ultimately suffer a narrow 3–4 defeat, resulting in their elimination from the tournament.
Delgado's exceptional individual performances extended beyond domestic competitions and resonated on the European stage, where he emerged as the top scorer of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. His tally of 7 goals surpassed the likes of renowned stars, including Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Mark Viduka, Frederic Kanoute, and Javier Saviola. With an additional two assists to his name, Delgado firmly established himself as the single most influential performer of the tournament. He made a strong start to the competition by netting three goals in the home game against NK Široki Brijeg in the first qualifying round, which marked his first official hattrick. His fourth goal came from a calmly executed penalty kick during the group stage match against Red Star Belgrade. In the same game, Delgado demonstrated exceptional flair and vision in the dying minutes of the game, using a deft backheel pass on his first touch to send the ball through the legs of Milan Biševac and onto the path of Julio Hernán Rossi, who made no mistake in slotting it home, sealing a dramatic 2–1 triumph for the team. He added another goal to his tally in the next fixture as Basel rallied back to secure a remarkable 4-3 comeback against Tromso IL, overturning a 1–3 deficit. In the round of 16, Delgado demonstrated his prowess in big games by delivering a spectacular goal from a beautifully struck free kick and providing an assist, propelling Basel to a convincing 2–0 victory over RC Strasbourg, the team they had previously lost to by the same result in the group stage. His final goal in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup came in the quarter-final encounter with Middlesbrough F.C., where he unleashed a remarkable long-range effort to open the scoring and pave the way to a dominant 2–0 triumph. Unfortunately, Basel would face a setback in the return leg, suffering a 4–1 defeat and subsequently exiting the competition.
Despite not winning any silverware, Delgado finished the 2005–06 season with a personal record of 27 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions, along with a tally of 14 assists. His exceptional form caught the attention of numerous foreign clubs, fueling speculations that he might depart Basel for the prospect of playing in the UEFA Champions League.
Beşiktaş JK
Despite having extended his contract with Basel in January 2006, committing to stay with RotBlau until June 2008, Delgado's impressive achievements caught the attention of numerous foreign clubs, making his eventual departure inevitable. After amassing a record of 113 competitive games and 41 goals across all competitions during three seasons, the club decided to capitalize on the player's success. On 28 June 2006, Beşiktaş J.K. announced the signing of Matias Delgado for a fee of €5.5m, making him the club's second most expensive acquisition (after Ayhan Akman's €6.5m transfer from Gaziantepspor in 1998) and FC Basel's record departure at the time (a record previously held by Timothée Atouba's €4.5m transfer to Tottenham in 2004).
He declared his target was taking the place of Riquelme in the Argentina squad. He also admires the skills of fellow Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar. Delgado is a good playmaker, as well as a scorer. He is known for his quick and unexpected through passes and accurate long range shots. Other than that, he is an excellent user of free kicks. He has also scored a well number of header goals to be remembered. He is a good aimer of the ball, often putting it near the pole, whether it is with his head or with his foot. He was the captain of Beşiktaş J.K. wearing number 10 jersey.
At the end of the season 2008/2009. Delgado sustained a hard groin injury. He underwent an operation in Barcelona and was expected to get well somewhere around the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010, sometime around the month of December or January. At that time there was a great dilemma around Delgado's contract with the club. Delgado refused to have his contract suspended. Although, the club needed a number 10 player. Delgado was blocking a transfer option for Beşiktaş J.K. After a lot of thinking and discussing, including bringing in Delgado's father and manager Eduardo Delgado, they finally came to a conclusion. They had his contract frozen until January 2010. The fans say about the star player: We believe that it is not fair for the club to do this after the great performance he has been giving. He got injured playing for the team, not playing football on the beach. But we believe that he will reclaim his club shirt after he gets well. The club can buy a lot of new players but taking his number will be a hard thing to accomplish. By June 2010, Delgado started to train with Beşiktaş J.K. again.
At the beginning of 2010/2011. season Delgado was in first eleven again captaining the team on four occasions and scoring four times in the process. But Beşiktaş J.K. was not satisfied with him and bringing in Guti to the club forced Delgado to leave.
Al Jazira
Delgado signed for Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira on 23 August 2010 for a fee estimated around €2.250.000 . He was given number 22 shirt. Since his arriving to the club he was almost ever present first eleven player. As usually, he played a playmaker role pulling strings in the midfield. In his first season at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium he won UAE Pro-League and UAE Predsident's Cup scoring 8 times in 27 matches. Delgado continued with his great plays in the following 2011–12 season scoring 7 times on 28 occasions and club awarded him with a new 2 years contract extension. In that season club added another UAE President's Cup to its silverware and reached Round of 16 of AFC Champions League, but could not manage to retain UAE Pro-League title. In the season 2012/2013. Delgado once again displayed his fenomenal individual performances scoring 6 times in 32 matches while making plentiful of assists (and finishing some matches with a three or four assists). However, that did not satisfied Al Jazira which decided to terminate his contract at 10 June 2013.
Return to FC Basel
On 13 July 2013 Basel announced that they had successfully arranged the return of Delgado to the club. He played his first match after his return on 11 August 2013, as he was used as a sub in the 61st minute, against Zürich.
At the end of the 2013–14 Super League season Delgado won his third league championship with Basel. Delgado scoring 2 goals and making 6 assists in 25 appearances. Basel also reached the final of the 2013–14 Swiss Cup, but were beaten 2–0 by Zürich after extra time. In Swiss Cup he scored once converting a penalty kick. In the 2013–14 Champions League season Basel in the group stage finished the group in third position to qualify for Europa League knockout phase and here they advanced as far as the quarter-finals. Delgado played all 6 games in the Champions League Group Stage contributing to the team with one assist. He scored two goals in first Basel's match of UEFA Europa League's Quarter-finals versus Valencia of which the first was a beautiful 20-meters placed shot. He finished the 2013/2014 season with 5 goals and 9 assists to his name in 40 matches for the club.
The season 2014–15 was a very successful one for Delgado and for Basel. The Club won the championship for the sixth time in a row that season (twice in a row for Delgado) and in the 2014–15 Swiss Cup they reached the final. But for the third season in a row, they finished as runners-up, losing 0–3 to FC Sion in the final. Basel entered the Champions League in the group stage and reached the knockout phase as on 9 December 2014 they managed a 1–1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool. But then Basel lost to Porto in the Round of 16. Basel played a total of 65 matches (36 Swiss League fixtures, 6 Swiss Cup, 8 Champions League and 15 test matches). Under trainer Paulo Sousa Delgado totaled 46 appearances, 26 League, 6 Cup, 2 Champions League, as well 12 in test games. He scored 16 goals in these matches, of which 8 in the Swiss Super League, 2 in the Cup and 6 in test games.
On 10 July 2015 Basel announced that Delgado was named as new captain for the 2015–16 season after Marco Streller retired. On 19 August 2015, Delgado scored a penalty in a 2–2 draw against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv in the St. Jakob-Park in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. Under trainer Urs Fischer Delgado won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2015–16 Super League season for the fifth time On 10 December 2016 Delgado played his 250th game for Basel. and at the end of the 2016–17 Super League season for the sixth time, his Fourth in seiries. For the club this was the eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total. They also won the Swiss Cup for the twelfth time, which meant they had won the double for the sixth time in the club's history.
Career statistics
Club
Honours
Club
Basel
Swiss Super League: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
Swiss Cup: 2016–17
Beşiktaş JK
Turkish Super League: 2008-09
Turkish Cup: 2006-07, 2008-09
Turkish Super Cup: 2006
Al-Jazira Club
UAE Pro-League: 2010-11
UAE President's Cup: 2010-11, 2011-12
Individual
Basel
Swiss Footballer of the Year: 2005–06
UEFA Cup Top Goalscorer: 2005–06
Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2016–17
Sources and references
All scorers 2005–06 UEFA Cup according to (excluding preliminary round) according to protocols UEFA + all scorers preliminary round
External links
Profile on the Swiss Football League homepage
Statistics at Guardian Stats Centre
1982 births
Living people
Footballers from Rosario, Santa Fe
Men's association football midfielders
Argentine men's footballers
Argentine expatriate men's footballers
Argentine Primera División players
Chacarita Juniors footballers
FC Basel players
Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
Swiss Super League players
Beşiktaş J.K. footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey
Süper Lig players
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Al Jazira Club players
UAE Pro League players