Óscar Duarte (footballer, born 1989)


Óscar Esaú Duarte Gaitán is a Costa Rican professional footballer who signed for Spanish club Levante. A central defender, he previously played for Deportivo Saprissa, Club Brugge and Espanyol. He made his debut for the Costa Rica national team in 2010 and has since won more than 50 caps, including playing at two World Cups.

Club career

Duarte was born in Catarina, Masaya, Nicaragua. After making 52 appearances in five years at Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa, Duarte joined Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League in 2013.

International career

Duarte made his debut for the Costa Rica national football team against Jamaica on 17 November 2010 and played for the team at the 2011 Copa Centroamericana, where they lost to Honduras in the final.
In June 2014, Duarte was named in Costa Rica's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Nicaragua-born player at a World Cup finals.
In the team's opening match, he scored his first goal for Los Ticos in a 3–1 defeat of Uruguay. In their second match, the team beat Italy, a 1–0 win that qualified Costa Rica for the knockout stage. Costa Rica completed the group stage unbeaten, recording a second consecutive clean sheet in a 0–0 draw with England in Belo Horizonte. On 29 June, Duarte was sent off for receiving two yellow cards in Costa Rica's round of 16 match against Greece. The team advanced via a penalty shootout to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history, where they lost on penalties to the Netherlands.
In May 2018 he was named in Costa Rica’s 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Career statistics

International

International goals

Honors

Deportivo Saprissa
Club Brugge