Daniel Díaz

For other people named Daniel Díaz, see Daniel Díaz (disambiguation).

Cata Díaz

250px Díaz in action for Getafe in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Alberto Díaz
Date of birth	(1979-07-13) 13 July 1979
Place of birth	San Fernando del Valle, Argentina
Height
Position(s)	Centre back
Team information
Current team	Boca Juniors
Number	2
Youth career
	Juventud Catamarca
1997–1999	Rosario Central
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2003	Rosario Central	97	(2)
2003–2004	Cruz Azul	46	(1)
2004–2005	Colón	35	(2)
2005–2007	Boca Juniors	67	(7)
2007–2012	Getafe	165	(3)
2012–2013	Atlético Madrid	9	(0)
2013–	Boca Juniors	70	(6)
International career
2003–2009	Argentina	12	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 October 2015

Daniel Alberto 'Cata' Díaz (born 13 July 1979) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Boca Juniors as a central defender.

After starting at Rosario Central he went on to spend most of his career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 174 games and three goals over the course of six seasons, mainly with Getafe. He also had two spells with Boca Juniors.

Díaz appeared for Argentina at the 2007 Copa América.

Club career

Nicknamed Cata because of his origins from San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Díaz started playing at youth amateur local team Juventud de Catamarca before moving in 1997 to Rosario Central, still as a junior. Three years later, he first appeared professionally with the latter team.

Díaz moved to Club Deportivo Cruz Azul in 2003. After only one season with the Mexican club, he returned to Argentina to become Alfio Basile's captain in Colón de Santa Fe. Short after he received offers to move to Argentine giants Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate, but being at that time Basile the former's coach, the player decided to move to the club for around US$3 million.

Cata made his debut for Boca in a 4–1 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, and was a big part in the side's 2005 Apertura-winning campaign, adding the South American Supercup (win over Once Caldas of Colombia) and the South American Cup (defeat of Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional).

In the summer of 2007 Díaz moved to Spain's Getafe CF for €4 million, being a defensive cornerstone from the very beginning as the Madrid outskirts club reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in 2007–08. During his spell with the club he rarely missed one game when healthy – for instance, in his third season, he appeared in 30 matches (2,700 minutes of action) to help the team finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.

On 15 June 2012, at nearly 33, Díaz signed with fellow La Liga side Atlético Madrid for two years and €1 million. He was scarcely used during his first and only season by countryman Diego Simeone and, subsequently, returned to his homeland and Boca.

International career

With the Argentine national team Díaz made his first appearance in 2003, and was called to the 2007 Copa América squad as the national side finished second in Venezuela.

On 6 June 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia, he scored his first and only international goal, finding the net in the 57th minute for a 1–0 home win; he would be, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.

Honours

Club

Boca Juniors

• Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, 2015 Primera División
• Copa Argentina: 2014–15
• Copa Libertadores: 2007
• Recopa Sudamericana: 2005
• Copa Sudamericana: 2005

Atlético Madrid

• UEFA Super Cup: 2012
• Copa del Rey: 2012–13

Country

• Copa America: Runner-up 2007

External links

• Argentine League statistics (Spanish)
• Career details at Irish Times
• Cata Díaz profile at BDFutbol
• Díaz.html Daniel Díaz at National-Football-Teams.com
• Cata Díaz – FIFA competition record
• Cata Díaz at Soccerway