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Esteban Andrés Solari Poggio (; born 2 June 1980) is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who played as a forward.
After one year in Italy with amateurs A.C. Chioggia Sottomarina, Solari joined Lierse S.K. in the Belgian Pro League in summer 2004, scoring five goals in his only season to help his team finish in tenth position. Subsequently, he signed for APOEL FC in Cyprus, extending his contract until 2008 after impressing in his first year – 14 league goals in only 16 starts, winning the Cypriot Cup.
Solari finished top scorer in the First Division in 2006–07 (20 goals), as the Nicosia-based club won its third national championship in six years. He was also voted the league's MVP but, at the end of May 2007, agreed on a transfer to Club Universidad Nacional of Mexico, once again winning an individual scoring accolade after netting 14 times in the Apertura.
On 15 June 2008, Solari was transferred to UD Almería, who paid Euro3.8 million to UNAM. He made his Spanish La Liga debut on 31 August, in a 3–1 away win against Athletic Bilbao where he came on as a late substitute. He finished his first season with just eight games, scoring his only league goal – three overall – for the in the 2–1 loss at CD Numancia.
On 2 June 2010, the 30-year-old Solari signed for three years with former club APOEL. He immediately made an impact by scoring four goals in six appearances in that season's UEFA Europa League, going on to add 11 in 28 in the domestic league, which again was claimed.
All rounds included, Solari took part in 12 games in his team's 2011–12 UEFA Champions League campaign. On 4 April 2012, he scored from a penalty kick in a 5–2 quarter-final defeat against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (8–2 on aggregate).
Solari was hit by several injuries in 2012–13 and, as a result, appeared in only three matches in all competitions. On 5 January 2013, his contract with APOEL was terminated by mutual consent, and he joined Apollon Limassol FC of the same league later that month.
On 16 July 2013, Solari moved teams and countries again, penning a deal at Super League Greece club Skoda Xanthi FC. One year later, having been crowned the competition's top scorer, he signed for Dalian Aerbin F.C. from the Chinese Super League.
Solari returned to Greece and its top flight on 6 February 2015, signing a six-month contract with Ergotelis FC. He subsequently competed in the Ecuadorian Serie A, with C.D. Cuenca and S.D. Aucas.
Solari was appointed head coach of Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. on 1 December 2022, replacing his compatriot Héctor Bidoglio who stepped down to become technical director of the Malaysia Super League club. He became the first manager in their history to win all four titles in one season, with 39 wins in 43 matches (90.70% points); additionally, the side was the first to score 100 goals in a single league.
On 13 March 2024, Solari signed for Everton de Viña del Mar in the Chilean Primera División. On 26 November, after winning 15 of his 33 games in charge and qualifying his team for the Copa Sudamericana, he left by mutual consent.
Solari became head coach of Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba in the Argentine Primera División on 14 February 2025.
Solari's sister, Liz Solari, works as an actress.
Apollon Limassol
Individual
Coaching career
In late 2018, Solari was named Fernando Batista's assistant at the Argentina under-20 team. The pair worked together at the 2019 FIFA World Cup in Poland and later with the under-23 side at the 2020 Summer Olympics, with the latter competition being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Personal life
Solari was nicknamed "Tano", which means "Italian" in Argentinian slang. His father Eduardo and two of his four siblings, the elder Santiago Solari and younger David, were also footballers, with the former playing with individual and team success for Real Madrid and Inter Milan; his uncle Jorge Solari represented several clubs during his career, mostly Club Atlético River Plate, whilst cousin through marriage Fernando Redondo also appeared for Real Madrid.
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure Johor Darul Ta'zim 1 December 2022 28 December 2023
Everton Viña del Mar 13 March 2024 26 November 2024
Godoy Cruz 14 February 2025 8 August 2025
Honours
Player
APOEL
Manager
Johor Darul Ta'zim
External links
Categories: 1980 Births, Living People, 21st-century Argentine Sportsmen, Argentine Men's Footballers, Footballers From Rosario, Santa Fe, Men's Association Football Forwards, Argentine Primera División Players, Estudiantes De La Plata Footballers, Defensa Y Justicia Footballers, Argentinos Juniors Footballers, Gimnasia Y Esgrima De Jujuy Footballers, Belgian Pro League Players, Lierse S.k. Players, Cypriot First Division Players, Apoel Fc Players, Apollon Limassol Fc Players, Liga Mx Players, Pumas Unam Footballers, La Liga Players, Ud Almería Players, Super League Greece Players, Xanthi F.c. Players, Ergotelis F.c. Players, Chinese Super League Players, Dalian Professional F.c. Players, Ecuadorian Serie A Players, C.d. Cuenca Footballers, S.d. Aucas Footballers, Argentine Expatriate Men's Footballers, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Italy, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Belgium, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Cyprus, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Mexico, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Spain, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Greece, Expatriate Men's Footballers In China, Expatriate Men's Footballers In Ecuador, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Italy, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Belgium, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Cyprus, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Mexico, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Spain, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Greece, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In China, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Ecuador, Argentine Football Managers, Malaysia Super League Managers, Johor Darul Ta'zim F.c. Managers, Chilean Primera División Managers, Everton De Viña Del Mar Managers, Argentine Primera División Managers, Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba Managers, Argentine Expatriate Football Managers, Expatriate Football Managers In Malaysia, Expatriate Football Managers In Chile, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Malaysia, Argentine Expatriate Sportspeople In Chile
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