Nelson Valdez

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Haedo and the second or maternal family name is Valdez.

Nelson Valdez

Valdez playing for Hércules in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez
Date of birth	(1983 -11-28) 28 November 1983
Place of birth	Caaguazú, Paraguay
Height
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Seattle Sounders FC
Number	16
Youth career
	Primero de Mayo
1998–2000	Tembetary
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2001	Tembetary	22	(11)
2001–2005	Werder Bremen II	51	(24)
2002–2006	Werder Bremen	80	(21)
2006–2010	Borussia Dortmund	113	(15)
2010–2011	Hércules	25	(8)
2011–2013	Rubin Kazan	20	(3)
2012–2013	→ Valencia (loan)	28	(6)
2013–2014	Al Jazira	12	(4)
2014	→ Olympiacos (loan)	10	(6)
2014–2015	Eintracht Frankfurt	10	(1)
2015–	Seattle Sounders FC	7	(1)
International career‡
2003	Paraguay U20	4	(1)
2004–	Paraguay	74	(13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 October 2015 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 December 2015

Nelson Antonio Haedo Valdez (born 28 November 1983) commonly known as Nelson Valdez (or Nelson Haedo in Spanish speaking countries) is a Paraguayan footballer who plays for Seattle Sounders FC and the Paraguay national football team as a striker.

Valdez started his career with Atlético Tembetary, progressing through their youth system to the first-team squad where he made his debut at the age of 16 in Paraguayan División Intermedia in 2000. He finished his career with the club having scored 11 goals in 22 league appearances. In 2001, he was scouted to Germany's Werder Bremen II where he scored 15 goals in 30 Regionalliga Nord appearances in his second season before joining the club's first-team. In 2003, Valdez was selected for the Paraguay under-20 national team where he scored one goal in four appearances at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. In his second season with Werder Bremen, he claimed the 2003–04 Bundesliga and 2003–04 DFB-Pokal, having scored five goals in 21 league appearances that season. Valdez debuted in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League on 14 September 2004 and scored his first two Champions League goals in a 2–0 victory against Valencia in December. During his years at Werder Bremen, Valdez had his appearances limited due to competition from team mates Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, Angelos Charisteas, and both Miroslav Klose and Ivan Klasnić, who were the Bundesliga's top striking duo at the time.

Valdez left Werder Bremen in August 2006 to join fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €4.7million on a four-year contract, where he was given the number 9 shirt. Within that four years, Valdez scored 16 goals in 113 Bundesliga appearances, and helped Borrussia Dortmunt to qualify for the 2010–11 Europa League. After an impressive performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Valdez joined La Liga side Hércules for €3.5million on a three-year contract where he partnered up with French striker David Trezeguet. He became the most expensive signing in the club's history and scored a double on his debut in a 2–0 win at the Camp Nou against Barcelona on 11 September. After eight goals in 25 league appearances in the 2010–11 La Liga season, Hércules were relegated to the Segunda División and Valdez was then transferred to Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan for €4million, where he competed in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. Valdez was later loaned out to Valencia CF, where he participated in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, and went on to enjoy stints with Al Jazira Club and Olympiacos, participated in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League with the latter. In July 2014, Valdez returned to the Bundesliga and signed with Eintracht Frankfurt, being reunited with former SV Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf.

Valdez has represented Paraguay at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments, he also participated at the 2004 Copa América, the 2011 Copa América, and the 2015 Copa América, In 2011 Paraguay finished runners-up. Valdez has made 67 national team appearances and scored 12 goals, with one of his goals coming in a 1–0 historic victory against rivals Argentina on 9 September 2009 which secured Paraguay's qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the result being Paraguay's second official victory against Argentina.

Early life

Growing up, Valdez dreamed of playing for the Albirroja. Valdez and his family lived in poverty in the deprived district of San Joaquín, one of the poorest parts of Paraguay. Valdez confessed that he had an "excellent childhood" and had the joy of being from a loving family. Not owning a football, his skills were developed by playing with an orange or a pair of socks as his family, which included six siblings, could not afford to buy a ball for him. He first began to play club football when he joined local club 1º de Mayo of the San Joaquín district. Before leaving home, Valdez was to convince his mother to let him play football. His father took his side and Valdez eventually managed to go to Asunción to pursue his dream.

Club career

Tembetary

Aged 15, Valdez left his home and family to move to Ypané when he joined the youth teams of Club Atlético Tembetary, and eventually made his first-team debut in the Paraguayan División Intermedia in 2000. The second division club were not able to pay Valdez a salary large enough to earn a living and his family were not able to provide funding for him. Valdez confessed the difficulty he faced when leaving his impoverished family and his home to begin playing with the club, for two years he would spend some nights sleeping under the wooden planks and in a stairwell under the grandstand at the club's stadium, using a makeshift bed of blankets and cardboard which laid in the stairwell beneath the stand. Valdez never told his parents, who were poor land workers. While living 250 kilometres away from his family, Valdez had no home while playing for Tembetary. He worked night shifts in a sawmill to pay for food and drink. Developing a penchant for cane liquor, a whiskey which was 50 cents per liter, Valdez revealed that he was once almost an alcoholic "I played football during the day and in the evening was drunk". He was a 16-year-old exposed to danger and the Paraguayan climate, boiling hot summers and freezing cold winters, which Valdez described as "hell, frightening and horrible. But if you have nothing, what can they steal? I had nothing to give". Jürgen Born, chairman of the board or management of Werder Bremen who worked for Deutsche Bank in Latin America stated that he saw a "madman who never stopped running", remembering youth games in Ypané. He bought Valdez a ticket to Germany and got on the phone to Werder Bremen. In December 2001, Valdez flew over to Germany for a trial. Valdez failed at first, not impressing in his trial but the club president's wife, who was a fellow Paraguayan, asked for Valdez to be given another trial. He scored four times in his first trial match and was offered a contract to join SV Werder Bremen II, the club's Regionalliga Nord team.

Werder Bremen

Upon joining Werder Bremen in December 2001, Valdez did not know a word of German and knew just enough Spanish. In his first season in the Regionalliga Nord, he scored 3 goals in 12 appearances. In the 2002–03 Regionalliga Nord, Valdez scored 15 goals in 30 league appreances. His performances earnt him a call-up to the first-team from manager Thomas Schaaf, where Valdez debuted in the 2002–03 Bundesliga in a 1–0 home loss to Energie Cottbus 22 February 2003, where he was substituted onto the field in the 82nd minute for Christian Schulz. One week later, Valdez gained in second appearance in a 3–0 away loss against Bayer Leverkusen on 1 March, where Valdez was substituted onto the field for Angelos Charisteas in the 72nd minute. His performances also earnt him a call-up to the Paraguay under-20 national team for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Valdez made his first appearance of the 2003–04 Bundesliga season in round 4 in a 4–1 home victory against Schalke 04 on 23 August, where he scored after three minutes of coming onto the field. On 29 October, Valdez eventually signed a four-year professional contract with Werder Bremen's first-team. On 8 November, Valdez made his full debut for Werder Bremen in a 5–1 away win against Hannover 96, Valdez scored a double for Bremen before being substituted off of the field for Markus Daun in the 81st minute. On 31 January, Valdez scored his fourth league goal against Hertha BSC Berlin in a 4–0 home victory after entering the field in the 72nd minute. In round 31, Valdez scored his fifth and final league goal for the 2003–04 season in the 80th minute in a 6–0 home victory against Hamburger SV, after being substituted onto the field in the 62nd minute. In the 2003–04 DFB-Pokal final on 29 May, Valdez was substituted onto the field for Ivan Klasnić in the 87th minute of the 3–2 win against Alemannia Aachen, as Bremen were crowned champions. Bremen finished on top of the 2002–03 Bundesliga table with 74 points and qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League. Valdez had scored five goals in 21 league appearances, although his appearances were limited due to competition between team mates Aílton Gonçalves da Silva, Angelos Charisteas and Ivan Klasnić.

On the first day of the 2004–05 Bundesliga season in a 1–0 home win against Schalke 04 on 6 August, Valdez was substituted onto the field for Miroslav Klose in the 74th minute and scored the match winning goal in the 83rd minute. On 11 September, Valdez scored his second league goal in a 3–1 away loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach. He had again been substituted onto the field for Miroslav Klose, who was favoured more often instead of Valdez. On 14 September, Valdez debuted in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League in a 2–0 away loss against Inter Milan. On 27 October in an away match against VfB Stuttgart, the scores were tied at 1–1 until Valdez scored in the 81st minute to give Bremen a 2–1 victory. Valdez had entered the field in the 61st minute for Christian Schulz. On 7 December in a Champions League away match against Valencia, Valdez scored two goals within minutes of coming on as a substitute to win the game at 2–0 for Bremen in an ill-tempered match and enabled his side to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League at Valencia's expense. On 6 February, Valdez scored an 87th-minute goal to give Bremen a 3–2 away victory against VfL Wolfsburg. He had entered the field in the 75th minute for Ivan Klasnić. During the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League knockout stage, Werder Bremen faced Lyon in the round of 16. Valdez played in both fixtures, as Bremen lost 3–0 at home on 23 February and lost 7–2 away on 8 March. On the last day of the 2004–05 season, Valdez scored in a 2–1 away victory against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Werder Bremen finished third on the 2004–05 Bundesliga table and qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round. Valdez had scored seven goals in 25 league appearances, where his appearances were restricted due to Miroslav Klose and Ivan Klasnić being the Bundesliga's top striking duo at the time.

Valdez made his first appearance in the 2005–06 Bundesliga in a 2–0 away win against 1. FSV Mainz 05 in round 2 on 14 August, where he entered the field in the 68th minute. Valdez made his full debut for the 2005–06 season in a 2–1 away victory against Hertha BSC Berlin on 1 October, where the game was tied at 1–1 until the 89th minute when Valdez scored to give Bremen a 2–1 victory. On 26 November, Valdez scored in a 2–1 away loss against Schalke 04. He played a full 90-minutes of match and was the main striker as Bremen had played with a 4–2–2–1–1 formation. One week later, he scored in a 2–0 home victory against MSV Duisburg on 3 December. On 7 December in a 2005–06 UEFA Champions League group stage fixture, Valdez scored a double in a 5–1 home win against Panathinaikos. Bremen advanced to the knockout stage where they would faced Juventus in the round of 16. Werder Bremen won the first-leg 3–2 on 22 February and lost the second-leg 2–1 on 7 March. Both Bremen and Juventus were tied 4–4 on aggregate, however Juventus progressed to the quarter-finals due to the away goals rule. On 25 March, Valdez scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 home win against Hannover 96. On 15 April, Valdez scored his 9th league goal of the 2005–06 season in a 1–1 away draw against VfL Wolfsburg. Werder Bremen finished second on the 2004–05 Bundesliga table with 70 points, and qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League. Valdez had scored 9 goals in 30 league appearances. After Paraguay's early exit from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Valdez signed with Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €4.7million in July.

Borussia Dortmund

Valdez was handed the number 9 shirt after joining Borussia Dortmund on a four-year contract. He became a regular starter for Dortmund's first-team but struggled to score. However, Valdez's lack of prolificacy was always compensated for by energy and creativity. His debut for Borussia Dortmund in the 2006–07 Bundesliga season came in a 2–0 away loss to Bayern Munich. In a 3–1 away loss to Schalke 04 on 10 December, Valdez was substituted off of the field after 23 minutes. It was later reported that he had picked up a knee injury during the 3–1 defeat, and would be sidelined for approximately one month. Valdez returned to action in a 3–2 home win against Bayern Munich on 26 January, when he was substituted onto the field for Euzebiusz Smolarek in the 46th minute. He scored his first goal for Dortmund in a 2–0 away victory against VfL Wolfsburg on 5 May, Valdez scored in the 90th minute after entering the field for Alexander Frei. Valdez made 29 league appearances, socring just 1 goal, as Borussia Dortmund finished in 9th position of the 2006–07 Bundesliga table with 44 points. Valdez made his first appearance in the 2007–08 Bundesliga season in a 3–1 home defeat to MSV Duisburg on 12 August. One week later, he scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 4–1 away defeat against Schalke 04 on 18 August. Valdez's second league goal came after 11 minutes in a 2–1 away win against VfB Stuttgart on 1 December. One week later on 7 December, Valdez scored a penalty kick in a 6–1 home victory against Arminia Bielefeld. On 19 April, Borussia Dortmund were defeated 2–1 by Bayern Munich in the 2007–08 DFB-Pokal final. Valdez was substituted onto the field in the 86th minute for Sebastian Kehl. Valdez finished the 2007–08 season with 3 goals in 27 league appearances. Borussia Dortmund finished in 13th position of the 2007–08 Bundesliga table with 40 points, but qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup First round as DFB-Pokal 2007–08 winners Bayern Munich had already qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League via their league placement, losing finalists Borussia Dortmund took the UEFA Cup spot reserved for the cup winners.

Valdez with Dortmund.

In round 1 of the 2008–09 DFB-Pokal on 9 August, Valdez scored Dortmund's third goal in their 3–1 away win against Rot-Weiss Essen. His first appearance in the 2008–09 Bundesliga season came on 16 August in a 3–2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen, where Valdez scored after just four minutes. During the first-leg of Dortmund's 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round fixture on 18 September, Dortmund were defeated 2–0 at home against Udinese Calcio. During the second leg of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round on 2 October, Dortmund defeated Udinese 2–0 in Italy. As the result meant that both teams were tied 2–2 on aggregate, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Valdez scored Dortmund's fifth spot-kick, however Udinese won 4–3. Three days later, Valdez scored after ten minutes of the game in a 1–1 home draw against Hannover 96 on 5 October. On 16 May, Valdez scored Dortmund's third goal of their 6–0 home thrashing of Arminia Bielefeld. Valdez scored seven goals in 29 league appearances as Dortmund finished in 6th place of the 2008–09 Bundesliga table with 59 points. Prior to the start of the 2009–10 Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund signed Paraguayan striker Lucas Barrios, which provided plenty of competition for Valdez and fellow Dortmund striker Mohamed Zidan. Valdez made his first appearance in the 2009–10 season in a 1–0 home victory against 1. FC Köln on 8 August. One week later on 15 August, he scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season after 4 minutes in a 4–1 away defeat against Hamburger SV. One week later, he scored in Dortmund's 1–1 home draw against VfB Stuttgart on 22 August. On 23 January, Valdez scored for Dortmund in the 36th minute to give his side a 1–0 home victory against Hamburger SV. One month later, he again scored in Dortmund's 4–1 home win against Hannover 96 on 20 February. Valdez had entered the field for Lucas Barrios in the 63rd minute before scoring Dortmund's third goal in the 77th minute. Valdez's last goal for Dortmund came in a 1–1 draw against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on 18 April. Valdez had been substituted onto the field for Mohamed Zidan in the 29th minute and scored in the 57th minute to give Dortmund the lead. Valdez scored five goals in 28 league appearances as Dortmund had finished in 5th spot of the 2009–10 Bundesliga table with 57 points. Dortmund qualified for the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League Play-off round.

On 10 May, it was reported in Germany that Fulham manager Roy Hodgson had considered a £3million move for Valdez. Valdez stated that he would 'love' to play in the Barclays Premier League or Spain, and it was thought £3million would be enough to tempt Borussia Dortmund to sell him. On 19 May, it was reported that Wigan Athletic were weighing up a move for Valdez, who had expressed his interest in playing in England, after the club had signed his compatriot Antolín Alcaraz. In June, Premier League club Sunderland had lined up a bid for Valdez after his impressive performance against Italy at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Borussia Dortmund had indicated that they wanted €10million or around £8m for Valdez but Sunderland's boss Steve Bruce had been hoping to sign him for less. In July, it was reported that Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven were also after Valdez due to his performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Valdez's contract would run until the summer of 2012, but Borussia Dortmund were keen to cash in on him and had reportedly set a €5million asking price for Valdez following his good performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Hércules

Valdez at Hércules CF.

Valdez during his presentation at Hércules CF.

In August 2010, Valdez signed a three-year contract with Hércules after admitting that he had received offers to play in Russia. Valdez became the most expensive signing in the history of Hércules having been transferred for €3.5million. His debut resulted in a brace against Barcelona on 11 September in a surprising 2–0 victory at the Camp Nou. Valdez scored his second double for Hércules in a 3–1 win against Levante on 29 November. He would then score in a 4–1 against Atlético Madrid on 11 January 2011. In January, when Valdez had scored six times in 11 appearances, it was reported that Real Madrid had considered signing him when Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín was ruled out for the season following back surgery, however, a transfer was never established. He received a red card on 61 minutes in his second last game of the 2010–11 season in a 3–2 loss against Racing Santander on 8 May. He would finish the season having scored 8 goals in 25 league appearances as Hércules would finish 19th in La Liga and face relegation. Having been partnered up front with David Trezeguet, the two had scored 20 goals between them for the 2010–11 season. Valdez took no part in the 2010–11 Copa del Rey, which saw Hércules eliminated against Málaga in the round of 32. During his performance at the 2011 Copa América in July, it was reported in Spanish newspapers that a Wigan Athletic party had traveled to Spain to make a €4 million offer for the striker, which was rejected as they were told to put up more money to meet the €5 million release clause in Valdez's contract. Sunderland then proposed an offer of €4.2 million to sign Valdez, who by then had received a lucrative offer from the Netherlands' PSV Eindhoven and also offers from Russia, Portugal and England. On 1 August it was reported by ABC de Sevilla that Real Betis had already begun negotiations with Hércules for Valdez as a replacement for Achille Emana who was reported to being transferred to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, where Hércules had asked for €4 million for the striker, Valdez was also reportedly tempted by Al-Hilal.

Rubin Kazan

In August 2011, Valdez signed a four-year contract with Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan. His debut in the 2011–12 season came in a 3–1 away loss to FC Krasnodar on 10 September, where Valdez received a yellow card on 27 minutes. He made his first appearance in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League on 15 September in a 3–0 victory over Ireland's Shamrock Rovers. Valdéz scored his first goals in the Europa League, a double, in a 4–1 home win against Shamrock Rovers on 30 November. Two weeks later, he again scored in the Europa League in a 1–1 away draw against PAOK on 15 December. This result meant that Rubin Kazan would progress to the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League knockout phase, where Rubin Kazan lost 2–0 on aggregate to Olympiakos. Valdez scored his first league goal for Rubin in a 1–1 away draw against Zenit St. Petersburg on 25 March, Valdez was substituted onto the field in the 46th minute and equalised for Rubin in the 58th minute before being substituted off of the field in the 68th minute. Two weeks later, he scored his second league goal in a 1–1 away draw against Dinamo Moskva on 7 April. He made his first appearance in the 2011–12 Russian Cup in Rubin Kazan's 2–0 semi-final win against Rostov on 11 April. In the final game of the season, Valdez opened the scoring for Rubin as they fought back from a goal down to defeat CSKA Moscow 3–1 on 13 May 2012. On 8 July 2012, it was reported that Argentine Primera División club Newell's Old Boys had announced their intention to sign Valdez with the signing of former Paraguay coach Gerardo Martino in charge of the team for the 2012–13 season. It had also been reported that Valdez had stated that he was interested in transferring to Newell's Old Boys. On 14 July 2012, Valdez was substituted onto the field for Obafemi Martins in the 64th minute of Rubin's 2–0 2012 Russian Super Cup victory against Zenit Saint Petersburg. The win meant that Valdez had claimed his second title at the club within just under 12-months since his arrival. It was then reported that La Liga club RCD Espanyol and Primera División Paraguaya club Libertad were interested in signing him.

Valdez debuted in the 2012–13 season in a 2–1 away loss to FC Krasnodar on 23 July, where he was substituted onto the field for Vladimir Dyadyun in the 46th minute.

Loan to Valencia

In the summer of 2012 he signed for Valencia on loan. He came on as a substitute against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in which he scored a header where Valencia lost 2–1. Nelson's first league goal for Valencia came on 20 October, heading in a 90th-minute winner to snatch a 3–2 victory over Athletic Bilbao. On 3 November, Valdez scored in injury time to complete Valencia's 2–0 victory over Atletico Madrid, inflicting the capital side's first defeat of the season.

Valencia

Valencia bought Valdez's contract from Rubin in February 2013, he signed a contract with the club until June 2015.

Al Jazira

On 19 July 2013, he joined Al Jazira Club for a fee believed in the region of 3 million euros. Wearing the number #9 jersey, Valdez made his first appearance for Al Jazira in a 1–0 away victory against Al-Shaab in a 2013–14 UAE Arabian Gulf Cup tie on 3 September 2013. Valdez made his 2013–14 Arabian Gulf League debut against the same team in a 2–1 away victory on 15 September, playing a full 90-minutes of the fixture. On 25 October, Valdez scored his first league goal for Al Jazira in a 1–1 away draw against Al Dhafra. His goal came in the 38th minute. On 8 January 2014, Valdez scored a double against Al Shaab in his side's 3–0 league victory at home. His goals came in the sixth and tenth minutes of the first half, in a fixture which proved to be Valdez's last appearance for Al Jazira as he was ultimately sanctioned and fined for his celebration. After a fan had whistled at Valdez, in response he scored his first goal and put his finger on his mouth to silence the fans and then scored his second goal and and celebrated his goals by touching his crotch as a sign of having "balls". The TV image had censured Valdez's private part and Al Jazira stated that they were prepared to preserve the good behaviour of the sport and had decided to suspend Valdez for his gesture until further notice. Valdez had received the suspension immediately after the match and could not justify his behaviour in an interview. Moments after the match, Valdez wrote in English via his Twitter account that his objective was never to offend anyone instead to make understand that he uses his balls when he is on the field and due to the bad luck in his last games he could not score goals, he expressed it in this manner. Finally, Valdez expressed that during the rumours of his exit from the club that his intention was to stay at the club. Valdez was ultimately loaned to Greek outfit Olympiakos for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.

Loan to Olympiakos

On 30 January 2014, Valdez joined Greek club Olympiakos on loan from Al Jazira, being issued with the number #18 shirt. He made his debut with the club on 2 February in a 2–1 home victory against Panetolikos, coming onto the field as a substitute for Marko Šćepović in the 60th minute. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 home victory against Platanias on 15 February. The goal came in the 68th minute and was assisted by Javier Saviola. Valdez's second league goal for Olympiakos came in a 2–0 home victory against Panthrakikos on 15 March, Valdez scored in the 35th minute as the goal was assisted by Alejandro Dominguez. Valdez participated in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 stage against Manchester United. In the first-leg, he replaced Hernán Pérez in the 86th minute, coming on to the field as a substitute for the bench in Olympiakos' 2–0 home victory on 25 February. In the second-leg on 19 March, Valdez again entered the field for Hernán Pérez in the 57th minute was Olympiakos were defeated 3–0, and ultimately 3–2 on aggregate. On 23 March 2014, he scored a hat-trick in a 1–4 away win against Ergotelis. Valdez's hat-trick all came in the space of 10 minutes from his first goal, scoring in the 3rd, 9th and 13th minute of the first-half. He netted his last goal of the season in a 1–0 home victory against Aris Thessaloniki on 30 March, the goal came in the 84th minute and was assisted by José Holebas. Valdez concluced the Superleague Greece season with six league goals in ten appearances. Olympiakos finished in first place of the 2013–14 Superleague Greece table and qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League. He made his first appearance in the 2013–14 Greek Football Cup on 2 April 2014 in a semi-final 2–1 first-leg home victory against PAOK, playing a full 90-minutes of the fixture.

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 29 July 2014, it was reported that Valdez had signed with Eintracht Frankfurt for the 2014–15 Bundesliga season, returning to the Bundesliga four years after departing the German competition in 2010. Valdez, who was issued with the number #11 shirt for the club, stated that his motivation for joining Eintracht Frankfurt was because of being offered to join the club by coach Thomas Schaaf, who had coached Valdez during his years at SV Werder Bremen. Valdez mentioned that he had always maintained contact with Schaaf and believed that he was one of the few people that he felt he owed something to, "He made me a professional. For me, it was clear that I was going to go to Frankfurt when I received the offer. It is an enormous pleasure to return to the Bundesliga".

Valdez first appeared in an Eintracht Frankfurt shirt in an International club friendly fixture against Inter Milan on 10 August, he was in the starting eleven and was substituted off of the field in the 60th minute for Václav Kadlec as Frankfurt would win the tie 3–1 at home. Valdez then made his first appearance for Frankfurt in an official competition during a 2–0 away victory against FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin in the First Round of the 2014–15 DFB-Pokal on 16 August. Valdez again was in the starting eleven and was substituted in the 70th minute of the match for Alexander Meier, who went on to score Frankfurt's second goal of the match. Valdez made his 2014–15 Bundesliga debut in a 1–0 home victory against SC Freiburg on 23 August, playing until the 84th minute of the match before being substituted off of the field for Johannes Flum.

On 30 August, Valdez appeared in his second league match, a 2–2 away draw against VfL Wolfsburg. He received a hard knock in the second half of the match and was subsequently substituted off of the field in the 56th minute for Timothy Chandler. It was later confirmed that Valdez had torn cruciate ligaments in his right knee and would be side lined for approximately six months. In late December, German newspaper Bild reported that Valdez stated that despite the expectation of being sidelined for an estimated six months, his injury has healed outstandingly, just after three and a half months of the incident, and if the rehab continued well, Valdez would regress by January, much earlier than planned, and with hopes of making it in time for the 2015 Copa América.

Upon Valdez's return from injury, he was substituted onto the field in the 74th minute in a league fixture against Paderborn on 14 March 2015 and scored for Frankfurt in the 82nd minute as his side won the fixture 4–0.

Seattle Sounders FC

Valdez signed with Seattle Sounders FC on 7 August 2015 as a Designated Player. He scored a goal in his debut for the club on August 16, earning the second goal in a 4–0 win over Orlando City SC at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

International career

Valdez in a friendly match against Australia in Sydney on 9 October 2010.

Having featured for Paraguay's U20 squad at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships one year earlier, Valdez was part of the Paraguay 22-man squad at the 2004 Copa América in Peru. Playing in two of Paraguay's three group stage games as Paraguay finished in first place and were drawn against Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Valdez played in the quarter-final which Paraguay lost 3–1.

Following the Copa América, whilst Valdez and his colleagues of the Paraguay U23 squad were preparing for the 2004 Summer Olympics before his club Werder Bremen requested his return. Valdez dutifully complied with his club's orders and subsequently missed out on the opportunity to claim a silver medal as Paraguay U23 finished in second place at the competition.

Valdez scored his first goal for Paraguay in a game against El Salvador on 17 August 2005. During the 2006 FIFA World cup qualification campaign Valdez scored after 64 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Venezuela on 8 October 2005. Paraguay finished fourth with 28 points as Valdez was selected for the final 23-man squad for the tournament where he was handed the number 18 shirt. Valdez was not included in Paraguay's squad for the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela, however, a few months later he took part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, he opened his goal scoring account in round two of the qualifiers scoring in a 1–0 win against Uruguay on 7 October 2007. Paraguay were undefeated until round six where they had lost 4–2 against Bolivia in La Paz, Valdez scored his third goal of the qualifiers. On 9 September 2009, in Asunción in round 16 of the qualifiers Valdez scored after 27 minutes of the first half to give Paraguay a 1–0 lead against Argentina, who were coached by Diego Maradona at the time, Paraguay won the game 1–0 and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Paraguay finished the campaign in third spot, behind Brazil and Chile, with 33 points as Valdez had scored five times in 17 appearances.

2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup

In 2003, Valdez was selected to represent the Paraguay U20 national team at the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to this, Valdez had been unheard of from his under-20 team mates and coach, Rolando Chilavert, brother of José Luís Chilavert, and was selected due to his presence in German football. Valdez did not know the names of any of his team mates from the squad and eventually met them on the airplane. Paraguay's U20 squad had already finished third at the 2003 South American Youth Championship, and eventually qualified for the FIFA U20 World Cup. Valdez was one of three players based outside of Paraguay, alongside Dante López at Israel's Maccabi Haifa and Víctor Hugo Mareco at Italian club Brescia. The squad also featured players such as Édgar Barreto, Julio dos Santos, Ernesto Cristaldo, Erwin Avalos, with several of these players going on to represent Paraguay U23 at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Valdez featured in all three group-stage fixtures against USA U20, South Korea U20 and Germany U20, scoring Paraguay's second goal gainst Germany in their 2–0 victory, which resulted in Paraguay finished in second position of their group with six points. During the competition, Valdez humorously revealed to Paraguayan newspaper ABC that in the fixture against Germany U20, he faced his Werder Bremen team mates Christian Schulz and Alexander Walke who made a bet with him that if he would score a goal then one of his team mates would owe him a dinner and would pay for his meal. Valdez then featured in Paraguay's round of 16 clash against Spain U20, where which Paraguay were beaten 1–0.

2006 FIFA World Cup

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Valdez started in Paraguay's opening Group B clash against England which they lost 1–0. After a solid performance from Valdez against Sweden in the second game Paraguay would lose 1–0 after 89 minutes and be eliminated from the tournament. Valdez would play 66 minutes of Paraguay's final group stage fixture against Trinidad and Tobago, which they won 2–0, as he was replaced by Nelson Cuevas.

2010 FIFA World Cup

Valdez was selected in the 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Paraguay were grouped with Slovakia, New Zealand and Italy, Valdez participated in all three matches as Paraguay finished top of the group with five points. In the round of 16 Paraguay faced Japan where they drew 0–0 after extra-time, Valdez replaced Édgar Benítez after 60 minutes and played until extra-time had finished. The match was decided by a Penalty shootout, Valdez converted his, and Paraguay's fourth, spot kick and eventually won the shootout 5–3. Paraguay faced Spain in the quarter-finals, during the first-half Valdez scored past Iker Casillas but had the goal ruled out as offside. Paraguay eventually lost the game 1–0.

2011 Copa América

He was selected in the squad for the 2011 Copa América where Paraguay had been drawn in Group B with Brazil, Ecuardor and Venezuela. In Paraguay's opening group stage fixture on 3 July 2011, Valdez was substituted onto the field on 73 minutes for Lucas Barrios as Paraguay drew 0–0 with Ecuador. On 9 July 2011, Paraguay faced Brazil when Valdez was substituted onto the field on 56 minutes for a yellow carded Lucas Barrios while Paraguay were drawing 1–1 with Brazil. Valdez then scored a goal on 66 minutes as Paraguay took the lead to 2–1. Brazil eventually levelled the score on 89 minutes as the game finished at 2–2.

2015 Copa América

On 28 May 2015, Valdez was included in Paraguay's 23-man squad for the 2015 Copa América by coach Ramón Díaz. He scored the team's first goal in their opening 2–2 draw against Argentina in La Serena, as Paraguay recovered from a 0–2 deficit.

Career statistics

Club

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Other1		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Tembetary	2000	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	2001	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	Total	22	11	—	—	—	—	—	—	22	11
Werder Bremen	2002–03	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2003–04	21	5	5	1	0	0	0	0	26	6
	2004–05	27	7	4	2	8	2	0	0	39	11
	2005–06	30	9	3	0	9	2	0	0	42	11
	Total	80	21	13	3	17	4	0	0	110	28
Borussia Dortmund	2006–07	29	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	31	2
	2007–08	27	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	30	2
	2008–09	29	7	3	1	2	0	0	0	34	8
	2009–10	28	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	31	5
	Total	113	15	11	2	2	0	0	0	126	17
Hercules	2010–11	26	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	26	8
	Total	26	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	26	8
Rubin Kazan	2011–12	17	3	2	0	8	3	1	0	28	6
	2012–13	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	Total	20	3	2	0	8	3	1	0	31	6
Valencia	2012–13	28	6	5	2	7	1	0	0	40	9
	Total	28	6	5	2	7	1	0	0	40	9
Al Jazira Club	2013–14	12	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	14	4
	Total	12	4	2	0	0	0	0	0	14	4
Olympiakos	2013–14	10	6	2	0	2	0	0	0	14	6
	Total	10	6	2	0	2	0	0	0	14	6
Eintracht Frankfurt	2014–15	2	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	4	0
	Total	2	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	4	0
Career totals		313	74	36	7	36	8	2	0	384	89

¹Includes Russian Super Cup

International

Appearances

Paraguay national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2004	4	0
2005	4	2
2006	6	2
2007	6	2
2008	9	2
2009	9	1
2010	8	1
2011	11	2
2012	5	0
2013	3	0
2014	1	0
2015	7	1
Total	74	13

Goals

Paraguay U20

Scores and results list Paraguay U20's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	5 December 2003	Al-Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi	Germany	2–0	2–0	2003 FIFA World Youth Championship

Paraguay

Scores and results list Paraguay's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition
1.	17 August 2005	Estadio Antonio Oddone Sarubbi, Ciudad del Este	El Salvador	3–0	Friendly
2.	8 October 2005	Estadio José Pachencho Romero, Maracaibo	Venezuela	1–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.	24 May 2006	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Norway	2–2	Friendly
4.	31 May 2006	Birkenwiese Dornbirn, Dornbirn	Georgia	1–0	Friendly
5.	17 October 2007	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción	Uruguay	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.	17 November 2007	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción	Ecuador	5–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.	18 June 2008	Estadio Hernando Siles La Paz	Bolivia	2–4	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.	9 September 2008	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción	Venezuela	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
9.	9 September 2009	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción	Argentina	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
10.	12 October 2010	Westpac Stadium	New Zealand	2–0	Friendly
11.	11 June 2011	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción	Romania	2–0	Friendly
12.	9 July 2011	Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba	Brazil	2–2	2011 Copa América
13.	13 June 2015	Estadio La Portada, La Serena	Argentina	2–2	2015 Copa América

Career totals

Professional career totals
Teams	Appearances	Goals	Goals per game
Clubs	0379	089	0.23
Paraguay U-20	04	001	0.25
National team	074	0013	0.18
Total	0451	0103	0.23

Personal life

In 2003, during an interview with Paraguayan newspaper ABC, it was reported that Valdez was an admirer of Ronaldo and Roque Santa Cruz. Valdez also stated that grew up being a fan of Primera División Paraguaya club Cerro Porteño and that his idols were Francisco Arce and Carlos Gamarra, when the club were crowned champions vía penalties in 1994.

Valdez is married to Martynka Merscheder since 2008 and has two children named Nelson Samuel and Tynka Noemi Beatha(registration required) His parents, Antonio and Silvia, and family in Paraguay live in Coronel Oviedo, which is the capital city of the Caaguazú Department where Valdez's place of birth, the San Joaquín District is located. Valdez and his wife created a foundation, which provides his birthplace, San Joaquin, with £8,285 per month and buys 1,500 children presents every Christmas. San Joaquin depends on Valdez as he provides the people with a better chance than he ever had. Whilst playing for Dortmund, Valdez's cousin, César Nelson, stayed in Dortmund and aided Valdez by regulating all matters affecting San Joaquin.

In 2009, Valdez once, gun in hand, chased off thieves stealing his car and on another occasion ran into his blazing home to save his dog. On 23 December 2009, it was reported that upon returning home with his wife in the early hours of the morning, they found their house in flames as a fire eventually destroyed their house. No member of their family was hurt, however, the family suffered the loss of their Golden Retriever dog named Arami, that Valdez had gifted to his wife. Months before this incident, however, in the same house, burglars intended to steal Valdez's Mercedes-Benz and Valdez himself had faced the burglars with a shotgun blast in order to prevent the theft.

Valdez's niece is Argentine-Paraguayan model Samira López.

In February 2014, it was reported that Valdez insisted on ways to financial help former national team mate Salvador Cabañas, who had suffered economic issues since being shot in the head in January 2010, and it was ultimately decided that Valdez would organize a charity match scheduled for June 2014 which would feature the likes of David Trezeguet and Javier Saviola in order to raise funds for Cabañas.

In late November 2014, it was reported that Valdez would open a restaurant in December in Bremen with his in-laws, Beata and Fritz Rößler.

Honours

Club

Werder Bremen

• Bundesliga: 2003–04
• DFB-Pokal: 2003–04

Borussia Dortmund

• DFB-Pokal: runner-up 2007–08

Rubin Kazan

• Russian Cup: 2011–12
• Russian Super Cup: 2012

Olympiacos

• Superleague: 2013–14

International

Paraguay

• Copa América: runner-up 2011

Individual

• Best Paraguayan footballer abroad (APF): 2010
• Best Paraguayan footballer abroad (Premios Guaraní – Canal 2 Red Guaraní): 2010
• Most favourite player of Albirroja (Premios Guaraní – Canal 2 Red Guaraní): 2010
• Special Consideration (President of Paraguayan Republic: Fernando Lugo): 2010

External links

• Scoresway.com Profile
• Official website (Spanish) (English) (German)
• Nelson Valdez profile at Fussballdaten
• Nelson Valdez at National-Football-Teams.com