Uruguayan by birth, Paraguayan by love and adoption, Ever Hugo Almeida left an indelible mark on local football. He spent most of his career at Olimpia, with whom he won the greatest titles that today place Paraguay on the sports map.
Almeida’s historic debut in local football, It happened a little over 50 years ago.a Sunday April 9, 1972in the actual Feliciano Caceres Stadiumwhen Guarani premiered at the official championship with defeat against Sportivo Luqueñoby 1-0.
The author of the goal was the midfielder Nelson Leon Villalba16 minutes into the first half, who became the author of the first goal against Almeida in Paraguayan football.
The aboriginal coach in that meeting was the also Uruguayan Alcides Silveyra and the Legendary formed as follows: Ever Almeida; Flaminio Sosa, Luis Leguizamón, Sergio Rojas and Wilfrido Canellas; Cipriano Ramírez (later Rústico Mereles), the Uruguayan Tomás Rolán and the “master” Dionisio Arsenio Valdez (Pablo Garay entered the complementary). And in the offensive they played, Aurelio Martínez, Lorenzo Espinoza and the also “charrúa”, Juan Miguel Chagra.
Almeida’s great performances in the 1972 season defending the Aurinegro team meant that the following year he was transferred to Olimpia.
In the Dean, Almeida fHe participated in the greatest achievements of the club both locally and internationally. Dressing in shorts, the great Éver won 10 local championships and achieved six international titles; more than no other footballer, in the entire fringed history.
Throughout his career in Paraguay, Almeida played 486 games and conceded 356 goals.
And your name is synonymous with records. With 113 games played, in 16 editions, Almeida has the highest attendance in the Copa Libertadores. Also, he is the first Paraguayan goalkeeper to score a goal in the aforementioned international competition.
As a coach he was about to win the 2013 Copa Libertadores with Olimpiaand in May 2017 a curious mark was scored, by becoming the first coach to lead two different teams on the same date.
In this sense, he directed Sportivo Trinidense during the Apertura and, after a 2-2 draw with Independiente de Campo Grande, he left with immediate effect to return to his beloved Olimpia, who summoned him urgently. That same day he directed the Dean against Deportivo Capiatá.
But this detail, like his time with the Paraguayan team, is part of another story.