Name: Raúl Vicente Amarilla Vera
Nickname: "Tacuara"
Country:
Paraguay /
Spain Club:
FC Barcelona /
Club Olimpia /
Club AméricaShirt Number:
9,
24Position:
★CFSide: RF/BS
Age:
28-31 years (19/07/1960)
Height:
188 cmWeight:
77 kgAttack:
86Defence:
32Balance:
86Stamina:
78Top Speed:
83Acceleration:
86Response:
83Agility:
76Dribble Accuracy:
82Dribble Speed:
82Short Pass Accuracy:
72Short Pass Speed:
73Long Pass Accuracy:
67Long Pass Speed:
69Shot Accuracy:
84Shot Power:
86Shot Technique:
87Free Kick Accuracy:
63Swerve:
68Heading:
85Jump:
90Technique:
84Aggression:
86Mentality:
74Goalkeeper Skills:
50Team work:
70Injury Tolerance:
ACondition/Fitness:
6Weak Foot Accuracy:
7Weak Foot Frequency:
6Consistency:
5Growth type:
StandardCARDS:P13 - Goal Poacher
S03 - 1-On-1 Finish
S04 - PK Taker
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Positioning - Scoring - 1-On-1 Scoring - Post Player - Penalties
Attack/Defence Awareness Card:
Attack-MindedINFO:Raúl Vicente Amarilla is a Paraguayan-born Spanish-naturalized retired footballer who played as a center-forward. Born in Luque, Departamento Central (19/07/1960), Amarilla showcased his goal-scoring instinct, intelligence to solve plays in tight spaces, and vision of the game from his youth at Sportivo Luqueño, the club where he debuted at the age of 17. Subsequently, Amarilla was acquired by Real Zaragoza, where he played for four seasons, from 1979 to 1982. His best season at Real Zaragoza was in the 1982-83 season, where he ended the year as the league's second top scorer, narrowly missing out on being the "Pichichi" (La Liga's top scorer) by just one goal. His time in Spanish football would later extend to Racing de Santander and F.C. Barcelona, where he arrived as a replacement for Quini in 1986. Barça paid 50 million pesetas for him (double what Zaragoza had paid to Sportivo Luqueño from Paraguay), although, in his three seasons at Camp Nou, he failed to win over the
"parroquia blaugrana" fully. He played a total of 56 games; won 28, lost 10, drew 16, and scored 15 goals for the Catalan club. He managed to lift 2 titles: Copa de la Liga (1985-86) and Copa del Rey (1987-88). His Blaugrana era ended abruptly due to the "Hesperia mutiny," as he was one of the 14 players dismissed by Josep Lluís Núñez, who was the club's president at that time. Amarilla was one of the greatest figures in Paraguayan football and was a key player in Club Olimpia's achievements in the 1990s, where he was chosen as the South American Footballer of the Year in 1990. He returned to Olimpia in 1988, but after a season where he won the Paraguayan championship with the
franjeados, international football once again required his qualities, and he then traveled to Mexico to join Club América (1988-1989). Subsequently, on the verge of retiring from football, Amarilla returned to Olimpia in 1990, becoming the cornerstone of the Olimpia team that won the 1990 Copa Libertadores and also secured the Supercopa Sudamericana that same year. He remained at Olimpia until 1993, where he won the Paraguayan championship once again. In 1994, he played in Japan for Yokohama Flügels, where he also decided to end his football career at the age of 34.
Sadly, Raúl Vicente Amarilla could not showcase his excellent footballing qualities for the Paraguayan National Team, as after residing several years in Spain, he was naturalized and played for Spain in the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (despite being over 21 years old). At that time, a naturalized player could not play for another national team even if they had only played in a friendly or in lower categories. Despite this, he is considered one of the best Paraguayan forwards in history and one of the greatest Olimpia players of all time.