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WALTER GERARDO PANDIANI URQUIZA
Squad Number: 7
Date of Birth: 27 April, 1976
Nationality: Uruguay (international)/Italy
Contract: 2000 - 2007
Transfer: €4 million (2000)
Previous Clubs: Peñarol (1998, 1999, 2000)
Sold Clause: €4,3 million (to Birmingham City, 2005)
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Position: Attacker (central)
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 WALTER PANDIANI signed for Deportivo in the middle of the 1999/2000 season, the one in which Deportivo claimed their first ever Liga title. He was loaned until the end of that campaign to Peñarol (his team of that moment) where local fans loved him. Pandiani had played for Progreso and Basañez before, but has an Italian passport which means that he can play in the Spanish Liga as an EU-player.
"El Rifle" is an opportunistic striker and smart player. He likes to intimidate and press rival defenders, being a constant annoyance to them. He is a great athlete, fast and strong and always works very hard. His best quality is playing and moving without the ball, and his
speciality is scoring with headers. In fact, he has an incredible aerial power and has been one of the best strikers in this aspect in the Spanish Liga.
But the supporters of Deportivo didn't know what to expect of this man from Uruguay when he joined the squad in 2000. However, he soon started scoring goals despite the presence of Roy Makaay and other new signing Diego Tristán. His most important goal of his first months at Deportivo was the late winner he scored against Panathinaikos in Riazor on 24 October 2000.
Europe got to know Pandiani on 7 March, 2001 when Deportivo played their heroic match against Paris-Saint Germain. It was about life or death in the Champions League but Deportivo were 0-3 down in Riazor. Then Pandiani appeared, scoring three headers and Deportivo won the match 4-3. His first hat-trick made him a legend in La Coruña and since then he was given another nickname: "El Talismán". In that season he scored 7 Liga goals, 5 in the Champions League and 1 in the Copa del Rey.
However, the next season was less succesful as Diego Tristán occupied the headlines, with Roy Makaay as his substitute. Pandiani scored just 8 goals that season, of which 5 were in the Liga and 1 in the Champions League. Nevertheless, he scored an important goal again. This time it was against Manchester United, the famous 2-1 win which saw Pandiani scoring the equalizer.
Because Albert Luque was bought in the summer of 2000, Deportivo had a luxury problem with strikers Makaay, Tristán, Luque, Pandiani and 'Turu' Flores. A deal was struck with Mallorca that 'Turu' Flores would be sold to the island club and Pandiani would play on loan at Mallorca. That period proved to be very successful, and the numerous goals he scored against Deportivo, among which crucial ones in the Copa del Rey, earned him a return to the club in 2003 to fill up the place left by Roy Makaay.
The season 2003/2004 saw the best Walter Pandiani ever. From August 31 2003 to October 4 2003 he scored in 8 matches in a row, among them crucial goals at Zaragoza (0-1) and Sevilla (1-2). But Irureta never has held much belief in Pandiani as a starter and as soon as Tristán returned from his injury the Uruguayan striker lost his place again. His next goal only came on November 25, 2003 against AEK Athens and he added two others against PSV Eindhoven and Real Madrid the next month. On both occasions he had come on as a substitute. Pandiani was not heard of again until February 29, when his entry into the match against Barcelona saw Deportivo coming back 2-3 after being 0-3 down. Since then he has regained the faith of Irureta and scored important goals against Milan (twice), Juventus and Real Sociedad.
The overall balance of Pandiani in mid-2004 looks good. In three seasons at Deportivo he has scored 42 goals despite the competition of players like Makaay, Tristán and Luque. Pandiani's goal distribution was 26 in the Liga, 13 Champions League goals, and 3 in the Copa del Rey. But the Uruguayan during the summer months of 2004 he again was included in rumours about a possible departure. His place at the club has never has looked secure.
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