14 League apps (+11 as sub), 2 goals.
Liverpool fans waited a long time to see Mark Gonzalez in action for
their club, but his stay in England only proved to be a brief one.
Originally signed by Rafa Benitez from Spanish club Albacete in the
summer of 2005 for £4m, work permit problems forced the Chilean
international to remain in Spain for a year on a loan deal at Real
Sociedad. Some impressive performances and spectacular goals at Sociedad
whetted the appetites of Reds fans eager to see pace and directness
added to their left flank, particularly given Harry Kewell's continual
injury problems, and Gonzalez finally became a member of Benitez's squad
in the summer of 2006. His introduction was brief, but spectacular.
Replacing Steven Gerrard in the 85th minute of a Champions League
qualifier with Maccabi Haifa at Anfield, and with the score level at
1-1, Gonzalez pounced on a Xabi Alonso cross to turn home the winner
with just a minute left on the clock.
The strike proved vital as
Liverpool drew the away leg to progress to the lucrative group stages,
and eventually the final, earning millions in the process. With his
strike, Gonzalez had effectively repaid his transfer fee. He made his
league debut at Bramall Lane on the opening day of the Premier League
season, replacing an injured John Arne Riise in the first half of a 1-1
draw, but he had to wait until the end of September for his first league
start. He marked the occasion with a goal, following up Craig Bellamy's
close range effort that came back off the post to slide in the opener
in a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. Liverpool's stuttering
away form was seriously undermining their title challenge, and Gonzalez
was in and out of the team, sharing left sided midfield duties with the
likes of Riise, Luis Garcia, Bolo Zenden and Fabio Aurelio.
Mark was out
for three weeks after limping off early in a Champions League win over
PSV Eindhoven, a result that saw Liverpool win their group, but
continued his knack of producing instant impacts by curling home a free
kick at the Kop end against Fulham on his return in December. Another
injury in the crazy 6-3 League Cup defeat to Arsenal in January didn't
prove as serious as first feared, but Gonzalez was now very much a
fringe player. He made 36 appearances, but played the full ninety
minutes just four times. He featured from the bench in both legs of the
Champions League quarter-final tie with PSV and performed well in a 4-1
win over Arsenal, though league fixtures were now less of a priority due
to European commitments. He made his last appearance for a vastly
understrength Liverpool in a 1-0 defeat at Fulham in May, and was
replaced by the fit again Kewell with fourteen minutes left.
After the
Champions League Final defeat to Milan in Athens, where Mark was an
unused sub, it was announced that he would be allowed to return to
Spain. Benitez snapped up wide attacking talents Ryan Babel and Yossi
Benayoun in the summer, and Gonzalez was sold to Real Betis for £4.2m in
July having flattered to deceive during his time on Merseyside. (Mark Jones) |
CLUB CAREER:
2002–2004 Universidad Católica 42 (13)
2004–2006 Albacete 25 (5)
2006–2007 Liverpool 25 (2)
2006 Real Sociedad (loan) 16 (6)
2007–2009 Betis 44 (10)
2009–2014 CSKA Moscow 49 (6)
2014–2015 Universidad Católica 41 (14)
2016 Sport Recife 8 (1)
2017 Colo-Colo 4 (0)
2018-2019 Magallanes 20 (5)
Total 274 games 62 goals