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Claudio ReynaFootball player
Date of Birth: 20.07.1973
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Claudio Reyna
Former American football player of Argentine origin, Claudio Reyna can be considered one of the stars of Glasgow Rangers and Sanderland - two of the most famous teams in Europe. Reyna was born on July 20, 1973, to an Argentine immigrant family. After spending several years in Argentina, the Reyna family was forced to return to the United States and settled in Springfield, New Jersey. It was here that young Claudio took his first steps in football.
Reyna began playing football at the age of 10 at a school in Newark, and at 12 years old, he was named the best football player of the year in the country among his peers by the sports store Parade. He continued to excel in high school, scoring 62 goals and providing 59 assists throughout his career.
College Career
Claudio Reyna is one of the most accomplished footballers in the history of the NCAA Championships in the United States. With his help, the University of Virginia won three NCAA championship titles in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
In 1992 and 1993, Reyna was named the best footballer in America by Soccer America magazine. After the 1994 World Cup, Reyna signed a contract with Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 21 and began his professional career.
Professional Career
In the 1996-1997 season, Reyna made 5 appearances for Bayer. After an unsuccessful stint with Bayer, Reyna was loaned to another Bundesliga club, Wolfsburg, in July 1997. It was in this team that Reyna was able to showcase his talent.
In 1998, Reyna became the 25th-ranked player in the Bundesliga. He scored two goals in two matches against Bayern Munich and was named the best player of the game in the first half of the season four times. Reyna scored a total of 5 goals in the half-season, which was considered a good performance.
In the 1997-1998 season, Reyna consistently appeared in the starting lineup. With his help, Wolfsburg reached the semi-finals of the German Cup. Reyna's popularity reached such a high level that he became the first (and so far the only) American to be named captain of the European team in 1998.
In 1999, Reyna moved to the Scottish team Glasgow Rangers. He quickly became one of the team's leaders and helped them win the championship title. In August of the same year, Reyna was named the best player of the month after scoring 4 goals in 4 games. He was also named the best player of the match in the Champions League against Parma in the same year.
In 2001, Reyna transferred to English team Sunderland for a record sum of $6.8 million among American players. Reyna signed a 5-year contract with the team. Claudio Reyna played nearly 100 games for the United States national team. He represented the team in the 1994 World Cup and became one of the leaders of the team during the 1998 World Cup in France and the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan.
In addition to the three World Cups, Reyna also participated in the Olympic Games in 1992 and 1996. In the 1992 tournament, he was the youngest player in the team and played 90 minutes in each of the United States' matches. Reyna played a key role in the team's success, scoring a goal and providing two assists in a 4-0 victory over Mexico in the 1995 US Cup.
In 1996, Reyna performed remarkably well at the Olympic Games, scoring a beautiful goal in the first minute of the match against Argentina. In 1997, thanks to the decisive goal he scored against Canada, the United States reached the final of the 1998 World Cup. Reyna's excellent performance in that season earned him an invitation to play in the FIFA All-Star Game in Hong Kong, where he scored a goal.
In 1999, Reyna played for the national team four times, scoring one goal against Germany in a match the United States won 3-0. The year 2000 marked the beginning of the most successful campaign for the United States national team in the history of the World Cup. After successfully qualifying, the United States became one of the three teams to secure a spot in the 2002 World Cup from the CONCACAF conference.
For the fourth time in a row, the United States advanced to the final stage of the most prestigious football tournament in the world. Due to an injury, Claudio Reyna was unable to play in the match against Portugal, which the United States won 3-2 in a brilliant fashion. However, Reyna's absence allowed him to recover from his injury and return to the game in a fighting spirit. This coincided with the match against their long-time rival, Mexico, which the United States won 2-0. By defeating Mexico, the United States reached the Round of 16 for the first time in almost 70 years.
Although Reyna's team lost to Germany in the next round, they arguably played their best game of the tournament. This fact instills hope for the future. Despite being 29 years old at the time, many football fans in the United States believed that Reyna would be able to play in the next World Cup in Germany.
