The Chilean Connection

Chile is famous for its beauty and diverse landscapes (Atacama Desert, Patagonia), its national parks, Easter Island and its stone statues, its minerals, world-class wines, earthquakes, food (Pastel de Choclo) and drinks (Pisco Sour), for being the astronomical capital of the world and unfortunately the "golpe" of 1973.

It has produced characters such as founder Bernardo O'Higgins, actors Pedro Pascal, Benjamín Vicuña and Alfredo Castro, filmmakers Alejandro Amenábar and Pablo Larraín, singers and musicians Mon Laferte, Inti-Illimani, Violeta Parra and Chris MJ, authors Isabel Allende, Luis Sepúlveda and Pablo Neruda politicians Diego Portales, Salvador Allende and Michelle Bachelet, plus dictator Augusto Pinochet.

In sport; tennis players Anita Lizana, Jaime Fillol and Marcelo Rios, F1 driver Eliseo Salazar, marathon runner Érika Olivera, javelin thrower Marlene Ahrens, boxer Arturo Godoy, jockey José A. Santos and Karateka Rodrigo Rojas. It is football however that really captures the Chileans' hearts.

Chile have taken part in 9 World Cups. La Roja's best result was the 3rd place in 1962 in their homeland. They have participated in 41 Copa Américas and won it twice, in 2015 and 2016. In the 2024 edition they were eliminated in the group phase.

Chile are currently ranked 51st in the world by FIFA and did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

At club level the most winning team is Colo-Colo (Macul) with 34 league titles, followed by Universidad de Chile (Santiago) with 18, and Universidad Católica 16 (Santiago). The reigning champions however are Coquimbo Unido (first title).

Chilean clubs have won 1 Copa Libertadores (Colo-Colo in 1991).

Chile's top 5 players for appearances are: Alexis Sánchez (167), Gary Medel (161), Claudio Bravo (150), Arturo Vidal (147) and Mauricio Isla (144). 

The top 5 scorers are: Alexis Sánchez (51), Eduardo Vargas (45), Marcelo Salas (37), Ivan Zamorano and Arturo Vidal (34).

The best players in their history include: Raúl Toro Julio, Guillerme Subiabre, Sergio Livingstone, Leonel Sánchez, George Robledo, Luis Eyzaguirre, Sergio Navarro, Eladio Rojas, Rubén Marcos, Leonel Sanchez, Francisco Valdés, Mario Ortiz, Luis Álamos, Carlos Caszely, Roberto Rojas, Carlos Vidal, Elias Figueroa, Marcelo Salas, David Pizarro, Ivan Zamorano, Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel, Alexis Sanchez, Matias Fernandez, Edu Vargas plus coaches Fernando Riera and Manuel Pellegrini.

Source Wikipedia

Some of these and more have played in Italy. Lazio have had two Chilean players.

Hugo Rubio - forward (Bologna 1988-89, 14 games with 0 goals). He then spent most of his career with Colo-Colo. He played 36 times for Chile with 13 goals.

Ivan Zamorano - forward (Inter 1996-2001, 101 league games with 26 goals and 40 in total, he won a UEFA Cup in 1998). He previously played 4 seasons with Real Madrid, scoring 101 goals. He also has 69 caps for Chile with 34 goals.

Marcelo Salas - forward - Lazio

Official SS Lazio photo

Marcelo Salas arrived at Lazio in 1998 from River Plate. He had just scored two goals against Italy in the '98 World Cup so Lazio fans had high hopes and he did not disappoint. He stayed three seasons.

In 1998-99 the manager was Sven-Göran Eriksson. The previous season Lazio had won the Coppa Italia, their first silverware in 24 years and now they aimed higher.

Lazio went extremely close to the Scudetto but faltered and were overtaken by Milan in the penultimate game not without some controversial refereeing decisions against Lazio. The Biancocelesti however triumphed in Europe winning the last ever Cup Winners Cup, beating Mallorca 2-1 in Birmingham.

Salas had a positive season with 30 league games with 15 goals (Inter, Empoli, Roma, Juventus, Sampdoria, Udinese x2, Parma, Piacenza, Perugia x2, Salernitana x2, Parma x2), 6 games in Coppa Italia with 5 goals (Cosenza x2, Milan, Inter x2) 6 games in the Cup Winners Cup with 4 goals (Lausanne, Partizan x2, Panionios) plus the Italian Supercoppa (won defeating Juventus 2-1). So, two trophies and 24 goals to start.

The 1999-2000 started in style defeating Manchester United in the European Super Cup. Lazio won 1-0 with a Salas goal.

Lazio then won the Scudetto on May 14 2000 and the Coppa Italia four days later. A historic double. Salas played 28 league games with 12 goals (Torino, Parma, Milan x2, Verona, Perugia, Piacenza, Bologna, Bari, Torino, Udinese, Bologna), 3 games in Coppa Italia and 10 games in Champions League with 4 goals (Dinamo Kiev, Maribor x2, Valencia) where Lazio reached the quarter finals.

The following season would be his last. Lazio won the Supercoppa in August (Inter 4-3) but in January Eriksson resigned due to poor results and the fact that he had agreed to become the England manager from June. Dino Zoff took over and Lazio improved but finished 3rd. Salas played less, due to injury and the arrival of Hernan Crespo and Claudio Lopez, 21 league games with 7 goals (Juventus, Reggina, Vicenza, Udinese, Inter, Fiorentina, Brescia), 2 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal (Sampdoria) and 9 games in the Champions League.

At Lazio he played 117 games with 48 goals.

He then joined Juventus for two seasons but, in his first, suffered a serious injury in October. He played 18 league games with 2 goals, 5 games in Coppa Italia with 1 goal, 8 games in the Champions League with 1 goal plus a game in a Supercoppa final. He won 2 Scudetti in Turin and a Supercoppa.

He then returned to River Plate for two seasons (116 games with 45 goals and another title, making it four in total with the Millonarios) before spending four more seasons with his original club Universidad de Chile (in the two spells, 201 games with 111 goals).

In Italy he had a better period with Lazio than Juventus where he was limited by injuries. In total in Italy he played 149 games with 52 goals.

At Lazio he was a huge success. I would say he is one of the most popular players in their history. "El Matador" was a superb and complete striker; technical, great elevation and header, surgical left foot and a fighting spirit, possibly linked to his Mapuche ethnicity. The kids, and not only, loved his celebration after goals when he went on one knee and lifted one arm and index finger to the sky, a sort of matador bow.

He had his own chant at the stadium, something along the lines of "Matador, Matador, what do we need Ronaldo for when we have the Matador, Matador, Matador".

He also won 70 caps for Chile with 37 goals (3rd top in Chile history)

Jaime Valdés - midfielder  (Bari 1999-2004, Fiorentina 2004-05, Lecce 2005-08, Atalanta 2008-10, Parma 2011-14, 355 league games with 40 goals). In his European spell he also played a year with Sporting Lisbon. He left Parma for Colo-Colo. "El Pajarito" earned 3 caps for Chile.

Jorge Vargas- defender (Reggina 2000-03, Empoli 2003 -04, Livorno 2004-05, Empoli 2008-09, Spezia 2009-10, he played a total of  210 games with 3 goals. He left for San Luis de Quillota and then Dep.La Serena. In his career he also played for Universidad Católica and Salzburg. He played 38 times for Chile.

Julio Gutiérrez - forward (Udinese 2000-01, Messina 2001-04, Udinese 2003-04, Pescara 2004, Udinese 2004, Sambenedettese 2004-05, Grosseto 2005, 86 league games with 4 goals). He left for Indios. He has 5 caps for Chile.

Nicolás Córdova -  midfielder (Perugia 2001-02, Crotone 2002, Bari 2002-04, Livorno 2004-05, Ascoli 2005-06, Messina 2006-08, Grosseto 2008-09, Parma 2009-10, Brescia 2010-12, 250 league games with 42 goals). He earned 5 caps for Chile with 1 goal. He is now a manager and is temporarily in charge of the national team.

Mario Salgado - forward (Brescia 2001-02, Verona 2002-03, Ternana 2004-05, Brescia 2005-06, Albinoleffe 2006, Foggia 2006-07, Avellino 2007-08, Foggia 2008-10, Torino 2010-12, 196 league games with 51 goals). He left for Colo-Colo, then Dep.La Serena, Naval, Coquimbo Unido and Naval again.

Mauricio Pinilla - forward  (Chievo 2003-04, Grosseto 2009-10, Palermo 2010-12, Cagliari 2012-14, Genoa 2014-15, Atalanta 2025-17, Genoa 2017, 190 league games with 71 goals). He then returned to Universidad de Chile and finally Coquimbo Unido. He also played for Celta Vigo, Sporting Lisbon, Racing Santander and Hearts. He has 45 caps for Chile with 8 goals. He won the Copa América twice.

Mauricio Isla - defender (Udinese 2007-12, Juventus 2012-14, 2015, Cagliari 2016-17, 191 league games with 7 goals and and won the Scudetto twice and the Supercoppa twice with Juventus). He left for Fenerbahçe and then played for Flamengo, Universidad Católica, Independiente and now Colo-Colo. He has 144 caps for Chile with 5 goals and won the Copa América twice.

Luis Jiménez - midfielder - Lazio

Source Lazio Wiki

Luis Jiménez arrived at Lazio in January 2007 on loan from Ternana. He was supposed to come on a definite deal but complications with the Umbrian club during the negotiations meant he only came for 6 months.

He had previously played four seasons with Ternana in Serie B and a brief six-month spell at Fiorentina in A.

The manager was Delio Rossi and Lazio finished 3rd, qualifying for a Champions League preliminary. Jiménez played 16 league games with 2 goals (Ascoli, Livorno). Lazio then made it to the Champions League but Jimenez had left.

He joined Inter on loan for two and a half seasons, playing 30 games (21 in A) with 4 goals (3 in A) and winning 2 Scudetti and a Supercoppa.

He then had 6 months at West- Ham United before returning to Italy and Parma in January 2010, he played 12 league games with 1 goal.

In 2010-11 he spent a season with Cesena, playing 31 league games with 9 goals plus 1 game in Coppa Italia.

He then spent a year in The Arab Emirates, three in Qatar before returning to Chile (with a brief two-month summer interlude in Saudi Arabia).

Jimenez then retired in December 2022.

In Italy he played a total of 202 games in Italy (99 in A) with 45 goals.

At Lazio his stay was brief but he showed flashes of his talent. He is nicknamed "Il Mago" for his inventive and skilful style of play. He had a positive season at Lazio and helped the Biancocelesti qualify for the Champions League. It was a pity he could not stay on but Ternana's asking price was far too high so he moved on.

He won 33 caps for Chile with 3 goals.

Carlos Carmona - midfielder  (Reggina 2008-10, Atalanta 2010-17, 222 league games with 5 goals). He then went to the States for a year and then back to Chile (Colo-Colo and Coquimbo Unido). "El 7 Pulmones" earned 51 caps for Chile with 1 goal.

Alexis Sánchez- forward  (Udinese 2008-11, Inter 2019-22, he  played a total of 266 games with 45 goals). He also played for Colo-Colo, River Plate, Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Olympique Marseille and Sevilla. "El  Nino Maravilla" has 168 caps for Chile with 51 goals and 2 Copa América triumphs. 

Arturo Vidal - midfielder (Juventus 2011-15, Inter 2020-22, 175 league games with 37 goals. He won the Scudetto 5 times, the Supercoppa 3 and the Coppa Italia twice. He also played for Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Flamengo, Athletico Paranaense and now Colo-Colo. He has 147 caps for Chile with 34 goals and won the Copa América twice.

Carlos Labrin - defender (Palermo 2011, Novara 2011-12, Palermo 2012-13, 11 league games). He left for Huachipato in Chile and is now at Rangers de Talca. He has 3 caps for Chile.

Felipe Seymour - midfielder  (Genoa 2011-12, Catania 2012, Genoa 2012-13, Chievo 2013, Spezia 2013-14, Genoa 2014-15, 77 league games with 2 goals). He left for Brazil but soon returned to Chile. "El Walala" has 6 caps for the national team.

Cristobal Jorquera - midfielder (Genoa 2011-13, Parma 2014-15, 52 league games with 3 goals). In Europe he also played in Turkey and is now back in Chile. "El Niño Vertical" has 4 caps for Chile.

Eduardo Vargas - forward (Napoli 2012-13, 19 league games and no goals but 3 goals in the Europa League). He left for Gremio. He also played for QPR, Valencia, Hoffenheim, Atlético Mineiro, Nacional, Audax Italiano and now Universidad de Chile. He has 120 caps for Chile with 45 goals and won the Copa América twice.

Matías Fernández - midfielder (Fiorentina 2012-16, Milan 2016-17,109 league games with 8 goals and 1 Supercoppa with Milan). He left for Necaxa in Mexico, then Colo-Colo and Dep.La Serena. He has 74 caps for Chile with 14 goals and won 1 Copa América win.

Matias Campos Toro - midfielder  (Siena 2012-13, Udinese 2013, 5 league games). He left for Hercules and then Granada in Spain before returning to Chile. He earned 6 caps for Chile with 1 goal.

Gary Medel - defender/midfielder (Inter 2014-17, Bologna 2019-23, 187 league games with 1 goal). In his career he also played for Boca Juniors, Sevilla, Cardiff City and Beşiktaş. He left Bologna for Vasco da Gama, then Boca Juniors and currently Universidad Católica. "El Pitbull" Chile captain and has 161 caps with 7 goals and has won the Copa América twice.

Manuel Iturra - midfielder  (Udinese 2015-16, 17 league games). In Europe he also played for Malaga, Real Murcia, Granada, Rayo Vallecano, Villarreal plus Maccabi Haifa in Israel. He has 35 caps for Chile with 1 goal.

Erick Pulgar - midfielder (Bologna 2015-19, Fiorentina 2019-22, 174 league games with 18 goals). He left for Galatasaray and now plays for Flamengo in Brazil. He has 54 caps for Chile with 4 goals and won a Copa América.

Nicolás Castillo - forward (Frosinone 2015-16, 6 league games). Has also played for Club Bruges, Benfica and now plays for Universidad Católica. He has 24 caps for Chile with 4 goals and won a Copa América. 

Francisco Sierralta  - defender (Udinese 2017, Parma 2017-19, Udinese 2019-20, Empoli 2020, 27 league games with 1 goal). He left for Watford and now is at Auxerre. He has 20 caps for Chile.

Guillermo Maripán -  defender (Torino 2024-26, 58 games with 4 goals). He previously played for Universidad Católica, Alavés and Monaco while he left for Sport Club Internacional in Brazil. He has 62 caps for Chile with 2 goals.

2025-26 in Serie A

Thomas Gillier - goalkeeper, Bologna 2025-, but on loan with CF Montréal

Matías Pérez - defender, Lecce 2025-