Luis Diego Arnáez Villegas (born 6 November 1967) is a Costa Rican football manager and former player who manages Municipal Grecia.

Luis Diego Arnáez
Personal information
Full name Luis Diego Arnáez Villegas
Date of birth (1967-11-06) 6 November 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth Pozo de Agua, Nicoya, Costa Rica
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Municipal Grecia (head coach)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1993 Puntarenas 190 (17)
1993–2005 Alajuelense 404 (76)
Total 863 (93)
International career
1991–2000 Costa Rica 31 (9)
Managerial career
2005–2007 Puntarenas
2007–2008 Alajuelense
2008–2009 Costa Rica (assistant)
2010 Herediano
2014–2015 Puntarenas
2018–2019 Alajuelense
2019 Municipal Grecia
2019–2020 La U Universitarios
2020– Municipal Grecia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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A midfielder, Arnáez made his professional debut on 2 August 1987 for Puntarenas against Ramonense and he scored his first senior goal on 14 February 1988 against San Carlos. After almost 200 games for Puntarenas he left for Alajuelense where he would play over 400 matches.[1] His trophies for Alajuelense included seven league titles and the 2004 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, when Alajuelense defeated rival Deportivo Saprissa in the two-leg final.[2]

His final game was on 23 April 2005, against Pérez Zeledón.[3]

International career

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Nicknamed el Flaco (the Skinny one),[4] he made his debut for the national team in an April 1991 friendly match against Mexico, collecting a total of 31 caps and scoring 9 goals.[5] Arnáez appeared in seven of Costa Rica's qualifying matches for the 1994 FIFA World Cup,[6][7] as well as two qualifiers for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[8] He also represented Costa Rica at the 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup and in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, playing against Cuba and the United States.[9] Upon Alajuelense's triumph in the 2004 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, he was recalled to the national team at the age of 36 by coach Jorge Luis Pinto. His final cap came in a 5–2 loss in World Cup qualifying against Honduras on 18 August 2004.[10][11]

Managerial career

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Later, Arnáez coached the first division team Puntarenas in his home country. After getting fired from the team, he coached Liga Deportiva Alajuelense for six months.[12] He then had a spell as an assistant coach for the Costa Rica national football team[13] and was appointed manager of Herediano in December 2009[14] but returned to Puntarenas in March 2014.[15]

Career statistics

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Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first.
N. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 27 May 1992 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica   Ecuador 2–1 Friendly match
2. 8 November 1992 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica   Honduras 2–0 2–3 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 13 December 1992 Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5–0 5–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
4. 19 February 1997 Estadio Rosabal Cordero, Heredia, Costa Rica, Costa Rica   Venezuela 4–1 5–2 Friendly match
5. 18 April 1997 Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala   Nicaragua 1–0 5–1 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup
6. 25 April 1997 Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala   El Salvador 1–0 1–0 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup
7. 4 May 1997 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador   El Salvador 1–2 1–2 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
8. 21 January 1998 Estadio Chorotega, Nicoya, Costa Rica   Honduras 1–1 1–4 Friendly match
9. 25 November 1999 Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica   Slovakia 4–0 4–0 Friendly match

References

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  1. ^ Técnicos con matiz liguista (incl Bio) - Nación (in Spanish)
  2. ^ Arias, Rodrigo; Goloboy, James; Leon, Vincent (22 January 2009). "Central American Club Competitions 2003/04". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  3. ^ Luis Diego Arnáez dijo adiós al futbol (incl Bio - Nación (in Spanish)
  4. ^ Flaco celebra con mucha discreción - Nación (in Spanish)
  5. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Costa Rica - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  6. ^ Luis Diego ArnáezFIFA competition record (archived)
  7. ^ Owsiański, Jarosław (2 February 2005). "International Matches 1992 - North and Central America and Caribbean". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  8. ^ Courtney, Barrie (2 February 2005). "International Matches 1997 - North and Central America and Caribbean". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  9. ^ Courtney, Barrie (20 February 2005). "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 1998 - Full Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  10. ^ Luis Diego ArnáezFIFA competition record (archived)
  11. ^ FIFA (18 August 2004). "Costa Rica - Honduras - 2:5". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  12. ^ Díaz, Luis Eduardo (28 November 2007). "Luis Diego Arnáez es el nuevo técnico liguista". La Nacion. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  13. ^ Arnáez es el nuevo técnico del Herediano - Nación (in Spanish)
  14. ^ Luis Diego Arnáez dirigirá a Herediano - Nación (in Spanish)
  15. ^ Luis Diego Arnáez es el nuevo técnico de Puntarenas - Al Día (in Spanish)
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