Raúl Amarilla
Raúl Amarilla is a Paraguayan retired footballer known for his striking prowess.
He played as a striker and represented Spain internationally at the under-21 level.
Amarilla was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores in 1989, scoring 10 goals.
Biography
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Raúl Vicente Amarilla, born in Paraguay, began his football journey at the young age of 17 with his hometown club, Sportivo Luqueño. His impressive scoring ability and notable heading skills, attributed to his height of 6 feet 3 inches, quickly caught the attention of scouts, leading him to Spain where he signed with Real Zaragoza. During his time there, he was loaned to Racing de Santander for the 1980-81 season before returning to Zaragoza, where he became the team's leading scorer in the 1982-83 season and finished as the second-best scorer in La Liga.
International Representation and Success
Amarilla's success in Spain earned him a spot on the Spain national under-21 team, which ultimately prevented him from representing Paraguay at the senior level. After a successful stint at Real Zaragoza, he moved to FC Barcelona from 1985 to 1988. In 1988, he returned to Paraguay to play for Club Olimpia, where he became the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores in 1989, netting 10 goals. His brief loan to Club América in Mexico saw him score 21 goals, solidifying his status as a fan favorite.
Coaching Career and Legacy
Following his retirement from professional football, Amarilla transitioned into coaching, starting with smaller teams in the Paraguayan league. He later served as an assistant coach for the Paraguay national team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification and briefly took on the role of interim head coach. Currently, he is the director of the youth divisions at Club Olimpia. Throughout his career, Amarilla has received numerous accolades, including being named the Paraguayan 1st Division top scorer in 1988 and the Copa Libertadores top scorer in 1989, as well as being recognized as the South American Footballer of the Year in 1990.
Collected from open sources (2) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Career & Clubs
A few years after retiring from professional football, Amarilla began coaching small teams in the Paraguayan league such as Club Sportivo San Lorenzo and Sportivo Luqueño where he achieved minor success. Afterwards, Amarilla was named the assistant coach of Anibal Ruiz for the Paraguay national team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification and the 2006 World Cup. After Ruiz resigned from the Paraguay national team, Amarilla was named as the interim head coach by the Paraguayan Football Association until the start of 2007, where Gerardo Martino was appointed as the new manager. Amarilla currently works as the director of the youth divisions of Olimpia.
Amarilla made his debut in his hometown team, Sportivo Luqueño at the age of 17. Because of his scoring ability and great heading skills (he was fairly tall, 6 feet 3 inches) he soon moved to Spain and signed for Real Zaragoza. Before making his debut with Real Zaragoza, he was loaned to Racing de Santander for the 1980/81 season. Amarilla returned to Real Zaragoza where he gained success by leading the team in scoring in the 1982–83 season, finishing as the second best scorer in La Liga. Because of his success in the Spanish League, Amarilla was asked to play for the Spain national under-21 football team. He accepted the offer and this is why later in his career he was not able to play for the Paraguay national team. After several seasons with Real Zaragoza, Amarilla joined FC Barcelona between 1985 and 1988. Amarilla returned to Paraguay in 1988 to play for Club Olimpia de Asunción. In 1989, while playing for Olimpia he was the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores of the same year with 10 goals. For the second half of 1989 he went on loan to the América de Mexico football team. Despite playing for a brief period, he established himself as a fan favorite by scoring 21 goals and eventually was chosen as one of the top 100 players in Club America's history. He returned in 1990 to Paraguay to play again for Olimpia. In that year, he helped the team win the Copa Libertadores, the Supercopa and Recopa Sudamericana by forming the unforgettable feared attacking Olimpia trio along…
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- Yokohama Flügels (1993–1994)
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- FC Barcelona (1985–1988)
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- Real Zaragoza (1981–1985)
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- Racing de Santander (1980–1981)
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- Club Olimpia (1988–1989)
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- Sportivo Luqueño (1978–1979)
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- Club América (1989–1989)
- Club
- Club Olimpia (1990–1993)
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- Spain national under-21 association football team (1982–1983)
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- Yokohama F. Marinos (1993–1994)
Legacy
Club
Individual
Paraguayan 1st Division top scorer in 1988 Copa Libertadores top scorer in 1989 South American Footballer of the Year in 1990
Clubs
Played together with
Aarón MartínRacing de Santander · 2026- Aarón MartínSpain national under-21 association football team
- Aarón PadillaClub América · 2004–2006
Aarón ÑíguezSpain national under-21 association football team · 2008–2009
Abde EzzalzouliFC Barcelona · 2021–2023- Abdeljalil HaddaYokohama F. Marinos · 2000–2000
Abel AguilarReal Zaragoza · 2009–2010
Abel RuizFC Barcelona
Abelardo FernándezFC Barcelona · 1994–2002- Abelardo FernándezSpain national under-21 association football team · 1990–1991
- Abraham González CasanovaFC Barcelona · 2008–2009
- Abraham González CasanovaFC Barcelona · 2009–2009
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Raúl Vicente Amarilla is a Paraguayan retired footballer who played as a striker. Born in Paraguay, he represented Spain internationally with the under-21 team.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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