Carlos Alberto Tévez (born Carlos Alberto Martínez on 5 February 1984)[2] is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City and is currently the team's captain.[3] He has previously played for Boca Juniors, Corinthians, West Ham United and Manchester United. He transferred to Manchester City in the 2009–10 summer transfer window, becoming the first player to move between the two Manchester clubs since 1999.[4]

His career has been dogged by a long-standing affair with Media Sports Investments, the company who owned the rights of Tévez,[5] and several other players and coaches.[6][7][8][9][10] This eventually resulted in West Ham United being fined over issues regarding third-party ownership.[11][12]

He has made over 50 appearances for the Argentina national team, scoring 11 goals.[13] He has been described by Diego Maradona as an "Argentine prophet for the 21st century".[14]

Early life

Tévez was born Carlos Alberto Martínez in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, and raised in the neighbourhood of Ejército de Los Andes, better known as "Fuerte Apache". It was from there that he got the nickname of "El Apache".[15] His parents changed his surname to his mother's during a conflict between his junior club All Boys and Boca Juniors.[16]

Tévez has a distinctive burn scar that runs down his neck from his right ear to his chest. He was accidentally scalded with boiling water as a child, which caused third-degree burns and kept him hospitalised in intensive care for nearly two months.[17] After joining Boca Juniors, Tévez refused an offer from the club to have them cosmetically improved, saying that the scars were a part of who he was in the past and who he is today.[18]

Club career

Tévez playing for Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors

This section requires expansion.

Tévez joined Boca Juniors at the age of sixteen, and made his senior debut on 21 October 2001 against Talleres de Córdoba. He opted not to take part in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina, and committed to playing in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup instead. After winning the Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 2003, he departed the club after the 2005 season.

Corinthians

This section requires expansion.

In January 2005, Tévez transferred to Corinthians for £13.7 million (15 million euro), and signed a five-year, £6.85 million contract following the Brazilian club's deal with Media Sports Investments. The deal was the biggest transfer ever in South American football.[19] Tévez captained the squad to the 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro, and he was named the league's best player by the Brazilian Football Confederation, becoming the first non-Brazilian player to win the award since 1976.[19]

West Ham United

On 23 August 2006, Sky Sports reported that Tévez was refusing to play for Corinthians.[20] Tévez confirmed on his website on 31 August that both he and Javier Mascherano were signing for West Ham United on permanent deals for £12 million each.[21][22] Media reports speculated that other Premier League clubs turned down the opportunity of signing Tévez and Mascherano because of stipulations put in place by Media Sports Investments, who owned both players' rights.[23]

Tévez presenting a commemorative jersey to Brazilian president Lula.

Tévez made his West Ham debut coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 home draw with Aston Villa on 10 September 2006.[24] After this game though, West Ham went on a nine-game winless streak (one draw and eight defeats), which included seven consecutive matches without scoring. This winless run also included going out of both the UEFA Cup and Carling Cup. In November of the same season, Tévez left the ground early after being substituted and throwing a mini tantrum during a league match against Sheffield United, and as punishment, his teammates decided that Tévez had to donate half of a week's wages to charity and train in a Brazil jersey. Tévez refused to wear the shirt, saying, "I played in Brazil and have a great respect for Brazil and Brazilians but I'm Argentine and won't wear that shirt."[25]

On 6 January 2007, Tévez made his first start for West Ham under the new management of Alan Curbishley in a 3–0 FA Cup third round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first West Ham goal and assisted two others on 4 March 2007 in a 4–3 home defeat to Tottenham.[26] In April, after West Ham were fined a record £5.5 million for breaching Premier League rules over the signings of Tévez and Mascherano, Tévez was cleared to play for West Ham by the Premier League after changes were made to a third party agreement related to him.[27] That same month, Tévez was named the club's Hammer of the Year.[28]

In relegation-threatened West Ham's season finale against Manchester United on 13 May, Tévez scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory, securing the Hammers' stay in the top flight for the next year.

Sheffield United controversy

Sheffield United were relegated after their loss to Wigan Athletic on the final day of the 2006–07 season. The Premier League fined the Hammers a record £5.5 million ($9 million) in the signing of Tévez and compatriot Javier Mascherano. They were found to have been partially-owned by businessman Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment (MSI) company.

Sheffield United first appealed to the league to be reinstated in the Premier League but that failed so they instead moved to exact a financial settlement. Initial media reports suggested that United wanted £30 million ($56 million), which they believed was the true cost of relegation. The controversy continued for nearly two-long years, interspersed with various differing media reports/speculations, when on March 2009 both clubs agreed an out-of-court settlement to end their dispute over this long running saga. West Ham were made to pay £20 million (£4 million a year over the next five seasons) as compensation to Sheffield United.[29]

2007 transfer saga

At the end of June 2007, Tévez rejected a move to Internazionale,[30] and his agent, Kia Joorabchian, stated that he was in discussions to stay with West Ham, as the player had settled into the Premier League and wanted to remain in England. Tévez replied that he would not make a decision until the Copa América wrapped up in July.

On 5 July, the Daily Mail reported that Tévez had agreed to join Manchester United in a deal worth £20 million, which was subject to an appeal from West Ham;[31] West Ham said in turn that they would block any transfer unless they received a majority of the transfer fee.[32] The next day, West Ham released a statement that Tévez was under contract until June 2010, in addition to denying having held negotiations with any other club.[33] Joorabchian contradicted the claim by saying that West Ham had indeed given permission to United to engage in talks.[34]

Manchester United and West Ham sought FIFA's assistance to rule on Tévez's ownership, but on 24 July, FIFA suggested that the case be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.[35] Joorabchian intervened by issuing West Ham with a High Court writ "...to compel West Ham to release the registration of Carlos Tévez in accordance with contracts entered into between the parties."[36] However, the case never made it to court as the Premier League approved an agreement between West Ham and MSI, in which MSI would pay £2 million to West Ham, who in turn released Tévez from his contract.[37]

Manchester United

Tévez playing for Manchester United

Manchester United put forward a proposed two-year loan deal for Tévez, which was approved on 10 August 2007.[38] He made his debut on 15 August when he started in place of the injured Wayne Rooney in a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth.[39] On 23 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 home victory against Chelsea. In November, United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed that the club wanted to sign Tévez permanently. "He'll get me fifteen goals this season, and what's more, they'll be important goals."[40] Tévez was greeted with an ovation and singing of "There's Only One Carlos Tévez" from the West Ham supporters upon his return to Upton Park for an away match (lost by Manchester United) on 29 December. He returned the gesture by repeatedly crossing his arms in front of his chest, in reference to the hammers on the West Ham team crest.[41]

Tévez scored a total of five goals during Manchester United's successful 2007–08 Champions League campaign. He also scored the first penalty in the shootout against Chelsea in the final, which Manchester United won 6–5 after the match had ended 1–1 after extra time.

He scored his first league goal of the 2008–09 season on 13 September 2008 in a 2–1 away defeat to Liverpool, and his first hat-trick came on 3 December 2008, when he scored a quartet of goals in United's 5–3 League Cup win over Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round.[42][43] His first Champions League goal of the season, against Aalborg BK on 10 December, was the fastest goal scored in the tournament for 2008–09 at two minutes and 41 seconds.[44]

On 21 December, Tévez started for United in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup final, which United won 1–0 over Ecuadorean club LDU Quito, but he was substituted in the 51st minute for Jonny Evans after Nemanja Vidić was sent off.

Tévez playing in the Champions League for Manchester United.

Tévez (centre) with Cristiano Ronaldo and Anderson

On 10 May 2009, Tévez was reported as saying that he believed his time at Manchester United would come to an end that summer and he expressed his dissatisfaction at not having been offered a permanent contract with the club and having been dropped from the team despite, in his opinion, not having played badly. Despite this outburst, Tévez was named in Manchester United's starting XI for the derby match against Manchester City later that day, before scoring the second of United's two goals on the stroke of half-time, which prompted chants of "Fergie, sign him up" from the club's fans. After the match, manager Alex Ferguson refused to be drawn on the subject of Tévez's future with the club, saying "I didn't read any of the papers. He's a Manchester United player."[45]

The following game for Manchester United was away at Wigan Athletic. Tévez did not start the game, but came off the bench on 58 minutes and scored the equaliser three minutes later with a flamboyant back-heeled finish. His introduction immediately improved the team's play and Michael Carrick scored the winner on 86 minutes. After the game, to the relief of most United fans, Alex Ferguson announced that the club had commenced talks to sign Tévez on a permanent deal. This news came on the same day as claims in The Sun that United lawyers were looking into the possibility of a Bosman-type case, which would allow Tévez to be signed for free.[46] Tévez started the next game against Arsenal, but was substituted by Park Ji-Sung in the 66th minute. As he left the field, the Manchester United supporters applauded him, in his last game at Old Trafford for Manchester United. United chief executive David Gill suggested that Tévez's future would be resolved by early June 2009.[47] Although United agreed to meet the option fee of £25.5 million and offered Tévez a five-year contract that would have made him one of the club's top earners, Tévez's advisors informed the club that he no longer wished to play for Manchester United. Nevertheless, reports also emerged that Tévez had ruled out signing for Liverpool, given the implications of a Manchester United player moving to join their north-west rivals.[48]

Manchester City

Tévez in action for Manchester City

After protracted negotiations, Tévez signed a five-year contract with Manchester United's cross-town rivals, Manchester City, after a medical on 14 July 2009.[49] On 12 September, it was claimed that the transfer fee was £47 million, a British transfer record,[50] but this was later denied by both Manchester City and Media Sports Investments. Tévez was given the number 32 shirt, just as he was at Manchester United and West Ham.[3] In signing for Manchester City, Tévez became the first player to move between the two Manchester clubs since Terry Cooke moved from United to City in 1999.[51]

He made his City debut coming off the bench against Blackburn Rovers in a 2–0 away win. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August 2009 against Crystal Palace in the 2nd round of the Carling Cup, heading in City's second goal in a 2–0 victory.[52]

During September 2009, Tévez suffered a knee injury whilst on international duty with Argentina, which would keep him out for two to three weeks, forcing him to miss the match against Arsenal.[53] It was also thought that Tévez would miss the Manchester derby the following weekend, but he recovered in time to play in the match. He set up his side's first goal for Gareth Barry, but City ended up losing 4–3.[54]

Tévez scored his first and second Premier League goals for the club during a 3–1 win over his former club, West Ham United prompting City fans to imitate the chant 'Fergie sign him up' . Later that week he scored the third goal in Manchester City's 5–1 win over Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup, and three weeks later he scored his third successive cup goal in the quarter finals against Arsenal.[55] The following week he scored the winner in a 2–1 win over Chelsea. One week later he scored twice, with an impressive brace, in a 3–3 draw with Bolton Wanderers. His next two goals came against Sunderland and Stoke City, scoring six goals in as many matches. On 28 December he continued his goal scoring run, scoring two against Wolverhampton Wanderers, making it nine goals in seven games for the striker. Tévez netted his first Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City on 11 January 2010 in a 4–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers, coincidentally on the same night he received his first ever Premier League Player of the Month award for December 2009. On 27 February 2010 Tevez scored two goals against Chelsea in a 4–2 away win over the league leaders, following his return from compassionate leave in Argentina. On 29 March 2010, Tevez scored his second Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City against Wigan in a 3–0 victory.This therefore brought his self record breaking goal scoring tally for a single season to a total of 19 in the Premier League and 25 in all competitions. His 20th goal of the season came in a 6–1 win over Burnley.[56]

At the end of his first year at Manchester City, he was given two club awards, the 'Etihad Player of the Year' award and the 'Players Player of the Year' award. [57]

On 18th August 2010, he was made Club Captain by manager Roberto Mancini, replacing defender Kolo Toure.[58]

International career

Tévez first came into prominence with Argentina while playing in the FIFA U-17 World Championship. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he won the gold medal and scored eight goals (including the winner in the final) in six matches to be the top scorer of the competition. He was the world's second-highest goalscorer of 2004 in overall international competition with sixteen goals, one fewer than Iran forward Ali Daei.[59]

Tévez was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, and scored his only goal of the tournament in Argentina's 6–0 group stage thrashing of Serbia and Montenegro on 16 June. However, he was sent off twice in a three-game stretch during 2010 World Cup qualifying, once against Colombia on 21 November 2007 after he kicked fullback Rubén Darío Bustos in the 24th minute,[60] and then on 9 September 2008 after a late tackle on defender Darío Verón that earned him a red card in the 31st minute of a 1–1 draw with Paraguay after he had been booked earlier. Tévez later apologised for the incident.[61] In the last 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, Tevez scored a brace against Mexico. His first goal was a header and he scored in controversial style as the assisted pass by Lionel Messi was offside but the linesman didn't call it. Tevez scored his second goal of the game with a powerful shot from outside the box

Personal life

Tévez and his wife, Vanesa, have two daughters together: Florencia and Katia. Katia was born prematurely in February 2010 and was in intensive care.[65][66] He performs as the frontman for his cumbia villera musical group, Piola Vago, with his brother Diego.[67] The group's most successful hit, "Lose Your Control," charted in Argentina.[68]

On 6 February 2009, Tévez was stopped by Greater Manchester Police near junction 7 of the M60 motorway It was found that Tévez was driving without a full UK driving licence and illegally tinted windows. His car was then impounded by the police since he could not arrange for it to be removed himself.[69]

Honours

Tévez won numerous trophies while playing for Manchester United.

Club

Boca Juniors

Primera División: 2003 Apertura

Copa Libertadores: 2003

Copa Sudamericana: 2004

Intercontinental Cup: 2003

Corinthians

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2005

Manchester United

Premier League: 2007–08, 2008–09

FA Community Shield: 2008

UEFA Champions League: 2007–08

FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Football League Cup: 2008–09

International

2004 Summer Olympics: Gold medal

South American U-20 Championship: 2003

Individual

Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 2003

Silver Olimpia (Argentine Footballer of the Year): 2003, 2004

Golden Olimpia (Argentine Sportsperson of the Year): 2004

Olympic Golden Boot: 2004

CBF Campeonato Brasileiro Best Player: 2005

Placar Bola de Ouro: 2005

South American Footballer of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005

Hammer of the Year: 2007

FA Premier League Player of the Month: December 2009[73]

PFA Player of the Month: March 2010[74]

Manchester City Official Supporter's Player of the Year: 2009-10[75]

Manchester City Player's Player of the Year: 2009-10[75]