Christian Santamaría

Christian Reniery Santamaría
Personal information
Full name Christian Reniery Santamaría
Date of birth (1972-12-20) 20 December 1972 (age 51)
Place of birth La Ceiba, Honduras
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Olimpia de Tela
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–2002 Olimpia (34)
1997 Millonarios
1999 Atlético Celaya 12 (0)
2002–2004 Cartaginés
2005 Municipal Limeño
2005–2006 Platense
2006–2007 Águila
International career
1994–2003 Honduras 46 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christian Reniery Santamaría (born 20 December 1972) is a retired Honduran football player who made his name with Olimpia and the national team in the second half of the 1990s.

Club career

Santamaría started his career at Olimpia and remained there for 10 years, except for a season at Millonarios in Colombia[1] with whom he played in the 1997 Copa Libertadores and at Mexican side Atlético Celaya. In 2002, he moved abroad again to join Costa Rican outfit Cartaginés and he was signed by Salvadorans Municipal Limeño for the 2005 Clausura[2] only to return to Honduras to play a season at Platense. In 2006, he had another spell in El Salvador when he was named one of three new players for Águila.[3]

International career

Santamaría made his debut for Honduras in a December 1994 friendly match against the USA and has earned a total of 46 caps, scoring 4 goals. He has represented his country in 13 FIFA World Cup qualification matches[4] and played at the 1995[5] and 1999 UNCAF Nations Cups[6] as well as at the 1996[7] and 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[8]

His final international was a June 2003 friendly match against El Salvador.

International goals

Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first.
N. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 28 August 1996 Estadio Francisco Morazán, San Pedro Sula, Honduras  Cuba 1–0 2-2 Friendly match
2. 13 October 1996 Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2–0 4-1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 13 October 1996 Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3–0 4-1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 15 November 2000 Arnos Vale Stadium, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4–0 7–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification

Personal life and political career

Santamaría is a son of Raúl Graugnard and Mary Santamaría. He took his mother's name since his father left them to study in his native Brazil. Santamaría is married and has a daughter, Christian Naville.

After he retired from playing, he became a football commentator and started an acting career.[9] In December 2012, Santamaría officially became the first candidate to be MP of the Liberal Party for Atlántida Department.[10]

Honours and awards

Club

C.D. Olimpia

Country

Honduras

References

  1. ^ SE FUE SANTAMARIA – El Tiempo (in Spanish)
  2. ^ Preparados para evitar el descenso – El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Águila voló en San Vicente – El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Christian Santamaría – FIFA competition record (archived)
  5. ^ UNCAF Tournament 1995 – RSSSF
  6. ^ UNCAF Tournament 1999 – RSSSF
  7. ^ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1996 – Full Details – RSSSF
  8. ^ CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1998 – Full Details Archived June 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine – RSSSF
  9. ^ Santamaría: "No soy amigo de Ramón Maradiaga" – Diez (in Spanish)
  10. ^ Christian Santamaría pasa a ser el primer candidato a diputado liberal por Atlántida Archived 2012-12-12 at the Wayback Machine – La Tribuna (in Spanish)