Hernan Crespo

Hernán Crespo (born 5 July 1975 in Florida,
Argentina|Florida, Argentina) is an Argentina
national football team|Argentine international
Football (soccer) |football player currently
playing in the FA Premier League|English
Premiership for Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea.


==Club career==
Hernán Jorge Crespo is one of the best strikers
in the world(but not as good as Ruud van
Nistelrooy), and a proven goal scorer at all
levels. Famed for his powerful airiable ability
and his defence baffling OTB|Off The Ball
movement, he is an outstanding goal scorer. Crespo
made his debut for Club Atlético River
Plate|River Plate during the 1993/94 season,
scoring 13 goals in 25 league appearnances (an
early sign of wats to come). He helped River Plate
win the Apertura league title, the second of two
championships held in Argentina in the year. He
helped River win the Apertura title again in 1994.
In 1996, Crespo helped River to win the Copa
Libertadores de América|Copa Libertadores, the
South American club championship, scoring twice in
the home leg of the final in Buenos Aires.

He left River for Parma A.C.|Parma in Italy in
August 1996 after he won the silver medal with
Argentina in the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics,
finishing the tournament as top scorer with six
goals. In May 1997, coached by Carlo Ancelotti
(current manager of AC Milan), Crespo helped Parma
finish runners-up in Serie A, scoring 12 goals in
27 matches. In 1999, with Parma he won both the
Italian Cup and the UEFA Cup (in the final against
Olympique de Marseille, held in Moscow, Crespo
scored the opening goal in Parma's 3-0 victory).
In 2000, after four successful years with Parma
A.C|Parma, S.S. Lazio|Lazio broke the world
transfer record by paying £35,500 000 for Crespo.
He ended his first season in Lazio as top scorer
in Serie A with 26 goals.

In September 2002, Crespo signed for
Internazionale (Inter Milan) as replacement for
the departed Ronaldo, for euro|€40 million.


Crespo signed for FA Premier League|English
Premiership club Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea on 26 August
2003, for £16,800 000. However, he had a
disappointing season in London, making only 31
appearances in all competitions and scoring 12
goals. After José Mourinho took over as Chelsea
manager in the 2004 off-season, Crespo became
surplus to Chelsea's plans, and was loaned out for
a year to A.C. Milan|AC Milan, as recuested by his
former coach Carlo Ancelotti, for the 2004-05
season, where he reacquire his level scoring 10
goals. Crespo scored two of Milan's three goals in
the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League|Champions League
final against Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool, despite
losing on penalties after an inspired Liverpool
F.C.|Liverpool comeback.

After speculation involving Crespo and a return to
Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea F.C|Chelsea's failed
attempts land a big name striker during the summer
of 05, Jose Mourinho decided to bring back Crespo
from AC Milan. Despite making his desire to stay
at Milan well known, Chelsea needing competition
for striker Didier Drogba, Jose Mourinho convinced
him that he had a future in the English Premier
League. He made his first appearance back at
Chelsea in the 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the
Community Shield.

In the 90th minute of the first game of the 05/06
season at newly promoted Wigan Athletic, Hernan
Crespo scored a "wonder goal" from 25 yards with
his left foot, to sink the hearts of 25,000 Wigan
fans at the JJB Stadium and make the back page
headlines of every England|English newspaper. The
game ended 1-0 to give Jose Mourinho and Chelsea
F.C.|Chelsea three points and a great start to the
new season. He started Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea's next
league game against Arsenal, but was replaced at
half time by Didier Drogba.

==International career==

In February 1995, Crespo won his first cap for
Argentina national football team|Argentina
national team, in a friendly against Bulgaria
national football team|Bulgaria in Mendoza, but he
had to wait 16 months for his second cap and more
than two years for his first goal. He played for
his country in the Football World Cup 1998|1998
and Wc|2002s. He has 42 caps for Argentina,and has
scored 21 goals. A ratio of a goal every other
game makes Crespo a formidable forward at all
levels.

In June 2005, and as part of his comeback of the
2004/05 season, Crespo scored two goals in
Argentina's 3:1 World Cup Qualifying triumph over
thier arch-rivals Brazil national football
team|Brazil in Buenos Aires, This win ensured
Argentina's participation in the Wc|2006. These
last two goals against Brazil turned him into the
all-time top scorer for Argentina in FIFA World
Cup Qualifiers. So far he has played in two
Fans used to call Crespo "Valdanito" because his
looks, build and running style recall Wc|1986
winning forward Jorge Valdano.

==Did you know?==
Hernán Crespo, along with Argentinian team mate
Juan Sebastián Verón, is one of the world most
expensive players of all time. He has never been
sold for less than £16, 000 000 since joining
Parma in 1996 from River Plate. He has a combined
transfer fee of
£68,000 000, over half of which was down to his
one move, from Parma to Lazio for £37,000 000.