Ariel Graziani
FullnameAriel José Graziani Lentini
Birth nameAriel José Graziani[1]
Birth date7 June 1971 (age 55)
Birth placeEmpalme Villa Constitución, Argentina
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
PositionStriker
Years 11993
Clubs 1Newell's Old Boys
Caps 10
Goals 10
Years 21993–1994
Clubs 2Sport Boys
Caps 233
Goals 29
Years 31995
Clubs 3Aucas
Caps 330
Goals 319
Years 41995
Clubs 4Ciclista Lima
Caps 410
Goals 45
Years 51996–1997
Clubs 5Emelec
Caps 569
Goals 552
Years 61997–1998
Clubs 6Veracruz
Caps 617
Goals 66
Years 71998–1999
Clubs 7Monarcas Morelia
Caps 738
Goals 717
Years 81998
Clubs 8New England Revolution
Caps 83
Goals 80
Years 91999
Clubs 9Dallas Burn
Caps 98
Goals 94
Years 101999
Clubs 10Emelec
Caps 105
Goals 100
Years 112000–2001
Clubs 11Dallas Burn
Caps 1148
Goals 1126
Years 122002
Clubs 12San Jose Earthquakes
Caps 1228
Goals 1214
Years 132003
Clubs 13Barcelona SC
Caps 1340
Goals 1326
Years 142004
Clubs 14Lanús
Caps 1417
Goals 144
Years 152005–2006
Clubs 15LDU Quito
Caps 1549
Goals 1527
Totalcaps395
Totalgoals209
Nationalyears 11997–2000
Nationalteam 1Ecuador
Nationalcaps 134
Nationalgoals 115
Manageryears 12010
Managerclubs 1Olmedo

Ariel José Graziani Lentini (born 7 June 1971) is a former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in Argentina, he played for the Ecuador national team. After retiring in Ecuador, he played amateur football, and he chose to play for Argentine fifth-level club Atlético Empalme.

Club career

Graziani has been a top goalscorer for practically every team for which he has played. He made his professional debut in 1993 with Newell's Old Boys of Argentina, where he was a teammate with Diego Maradona until he transferred later that year to Sport Boys of the Peruvian First Division.[2]

Graziani transferred to the Ecuadorian First Division to play for Aucas in 1995, and moved a year later to join Emelec. During his two years with the club, 1996 and 1997, he led the league in scoring (52 goals in 69 matches) while helping Emelec earn league titles. His standout play earned him a transfer to Morelia of the Mexican Primera División. Again, he was one of the top goalscorers for his club and the league.[2]

Major League Soccer

In 1999, Ariel was acquired by Major League Soccer for a transfer fee of slightly less than $2 million,[2] which at the time was the highest transfer fee ever paid by the league.[citation needed]

New England Revolution

On 26 July 1999, Graziani was allocated to New England Revolution.[3] In New England, he would once again be playing with his former teammate Joe-Max Moore, with whom he had played at Emelec in 1997.[4] The Revolution were able to add Graziani under their $1.7m salary budget due to the trade of midfielder Edwin Gorter to the Miami Fusion and the retirement of midfielder Richard Goulooze.[2]

Graziani's arrival in New England was well-received by the media and Revolution front office. The Sun Chronicle referred to Grazini as the "highest paid and, perhaps, most prolific player to ever perform in Major League Soccer...".[2] The Revolution had been targeting Graziani since 1998, looking for a high-profile allocation from the league who could help with marketing as well as on the field.[5]

Revolution head coach Walter Zenga praised Graziani as a "great player", stating Graziani has "excelled as a goalscorer everywhere he has played. His addition gives us one of the most dangerous attacks in MLS.”[2] Revolution General Manager Brian O'Donovan stated there was "absolutely no doubt in our minds as an organization that we want Ariel Graziani on this team" and added that Graziani "is a big-time player who will have a major impact on whatever team he goes to. We are celebrating the addition of a high-impact player in spite of our defensive weaknesses, which we can correct."[6]

Graziani was immediately inserted into the lineup upon his arrival, making his Revolution debut (and first start) on July 31, 1999, a 4–1 loss to the Tampa Bay Mutiny.[7] He made his home debut in a 2–1 loss to the San Jose Clash on August 12.[7]

Graziani's home debut proved to be his final appearance in a Revolution jersey.[7] Graziani played in only three matches for the club before he was traded to the Dallas Burn for Colombian international Leonel Álvarez on August 13.[3] The trade was not well received, and was referred to as what may be the "most shortsighted move in MLS history."[8]

Dallas Burn

Graziani immediately made an impact on the Burn, scoring his first goal in the 4th minute of his first appearance on August 18, in a 3–0 victory over the 1st-place Colorado Rapids.[9] He would make eight total appearances (all starts) for the Burn in 1999, contributing four total goals and one assist, helping Dave Dir's side qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.[10]

Graziani continued his prolific play for the Burn in the following seasons, finishing as the Burn's leading scorer in both 2000 and 2001, with 15 goals and 11 goals respectively.[10] He was named an All-Star in both seasons; representing the Western Conference in the 2000 MLS All-Star Game as a 46th-minute substitute,[11] and scoring a 26th-minute goal for the West as a starter in the 2001 MLS All-Star Game.[12]

San Jose Earthquakes

In the offseason, due to salary cap constraints, the Burn traded Graziani to the San Jose Earthquakes for Salvadoran international, and Quakes all-time leading goalscorer, Ronald Cerritos and a second-round pick in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft on February 8, 2002.[10][13]

In the 2002 San Jose Earthquakes season, Graziani broke a record by scoring six game-winning goals on his way to leading the team with 14 goals and five assists.[13] For the third consecutive year, Graziani received MLS All-Star honors, and represented MLS against the United States men's national soccer team in the 2002 MLS All-Star Game.[14] while the team's leading goalscorer, Graziani failed to connect adequately with strike partner Landon Donovan.[citation needed] MLS loaned out the final year of his contract. A bidding war between Emelec and Barcelona SC ensued, where, in the end, Barcelona offered MLS more money.

Later career

In 2003, Graziani was the top scorer in Ecuador with Barcelona SC. He also scored what was voted the top goal in that year's Copa Libertadores against the eventual winners Boca Juniors. In 2004, he signed with Lanús in Argentina but only managed 4 goals in 17 games and eventually left the same year to return to Barcelona SC and scored 8 goals from 18 games. In 2005, Graziani signed for LDU Quito. He played there until December, 2006, when he officially retired. Nevertheless, in May 2007, he signed with Atlético Empalme, where he started his career. Empalme in 2007 played for Santa Fe Province in zone 9 of the Torneo del Interior C, a complex regional fifth-level tournament.

Nowadays, Graziani holds a political position in his country of birth, Argentina. He is the vice-mayor of a small town called Empalme Villa Constitución where he is trying to help the poorest people in his town.[15]

International career

Graziani was naturalized as an Ecuadorian citizen and represented the Ecuador national team on 34 occasions between 1997 and 2000.[16]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[17]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Ecuador1997149
199810
1999104
200092
Total3415
Scores and results list Ecuador's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Graziani goal.
List of international goals scored by Ariel Graziani[17]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
128 May 1997Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, EL SalvadorEl Salvador1–02–0Friendly[18]
28 June 1997Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, EcuadorChile1–01–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification[19]
314 June 1997Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba, BoliviaParaguay2–02–01997 Copa América[20]
417 June 1997Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba, BoliviaChile1–02–11997 Copa América[20]
520 August 1997Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, EcuadorParaguay2–12–11998 FIFA World Cup qualification[21]
612 October 1997Estadio Monumental, Guayaquil, EcuadorBolivia1–01–01998 FIFA World Cup qualification[22]
716 November 1997Estadio Domingo Burgueño, Maldonado, UruguayUruguay1–03–51998 FIFA World Cup qualification[23]
82–4
93–5
104 June 1999Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, CanadaGuatemala1–03–11999 Canada Cup[24]
113–1
126 June 1999Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, CanadaCanada1–02–11999 Canada Cup[25]
137 July 1999Estadio Feliciano Cáceres, Luqu, ParaguayColombia1–21–21999 Copa América[26]
1427 January 2000Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, HondurasHonduras1–01–1Friendly[27]
153 June 2000Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción, ParaguayParaguay1–31–32002 FIFA World Cup qualification[28]

Honours

Club

Nation

Individual

Achievements

Graziani has played in 33 games for the Ecuador national team during his career, scoring 15 goals for his adopted country. He became top scorer at the 1999 Canada Cup, scoring three goals in three matches.

References

  1. ^ "Ariel Jose Graziani". Dateas.com
  2. ^ Gobis, Peter (27 July 1999). "Revs acquire striker Graziani". Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  3. ^ "ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf". Archived June 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "MLS: League signs Ecuador's Ariel Graziani". July 22, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Chapman, Doug (February 24, 1998). "Revolution plug hole at midfield". Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Dell'Apa, Frank (July 27, 1999). "Revolution Add Graziani". The Boston Globe. p. 59. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "2024 Media Guide". Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  8. ^ "Revolting Trade of Graziani Sparks Burn". November 7, 1999. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Burn shut out Rapids, 3-0". Archived November 24, 1999 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  10. ^ "2024 Media Guide". Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  11. ^ "2000 MLS All-Star Game". July 29, 2000. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  12. ^ "2001 MLS All-Star Game". July 28, 2001. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "Club History". Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "2002 MLS All-Star Game". August 3, 2002. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  15. ^ "Dialogamos con Ariel Graziani en la cena de las ex-glorias de Emelec". YouTube. 10 February 2017. Archived 2021-12-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ "rsssf: Ecuador record international footballers". RSSSF
  17. ^
  18. ^ "El Salvador v Ecuador, 28 May 1997". 11v11. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Ecuador vs. Chile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Copa América 1997". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Ecuador v Paraguay, 20 August 1997". 11v11. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Ecuador v Bolivia, 12 October 1997". 11v11. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  23. ^ "1997 MATCHES SOUTH AMERICA". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  24. ^ "Ecuador v Guatemala, 04 June 1999". 11v11. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  25. ^ "Canada v Ecuador, 06 June 1999". 11v11. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Copa América 1999". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  27. ^ "Honduras vs. Ecuador". National Football Teams. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  28. ^ "Paraguay vs. Ecuador". National Football Teams. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  29. ^ "2000 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. July 29, 2000. Retrieved July 28, 2023.