Rafael Barrientos (footballer)

Rafael Barrientos
Personal information
Full name	Rafael Ernesto Barrientos Cruz
Date of birth	May 12, 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	San Salvador, El Salvador
Position(s)	midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team
1999–2000	FAS
2000–2003	Luis Ángel Firpo
2004–2005	Alianza
2006–2007	Once Municipal
2007–2009	Nejapa
International career‡
1998–1999	El Salvador U20
2000–2002	El Salvador U23
2000–2001	El Salvador
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of January 2007; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 January 2011

Rafael Ernesto Barrientos Cruz (born May 12, 1979) is a retired Salvadoran footballer.

Club career

Nicknamed el Chele, Barrientos started his career at FAS, where he played alongside talented teenagers Gilberto Murgas and Eliseo Quintanilla. He then joined C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo with whom he would stay for three years. In 2004, he moved to Alianza F.C., only to leave them after a year for Once Municipal with whom he would win the 2006 Apertura. He signed for Nejapa F.C. in 2007 and finished his career in December 2009.^[1]

International career

Barrientos made his debut for El Salvador in a July 2000 friendly match against Mexico and has earned a total of 12 caps, scoring no goals. He has represented his country in 3 FIFA World Cup qualification matches^[2] and played at the 2001 UNCAF Nations Cup.^[3]

His final international was the June 2001 UNCAF Cup match against Costa Rica.