Mario Yepes

Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz (born 13 January 1976) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

He is well known for his time in Paris Saint-Germain, where he was considered to be one of the best defenders at the time, being dubbed by fans as "Super Mario".

During his time in Italy with Chievo, he earned a reputation in the media as a solid and physical old-fashioned man-marking centre-back, known as a "stopper" in Italian football jargon.

Mario Yepes started his playing career in 1994 with Cortuluá, as a forward before Cortulua's coach converted him to a libero (sweeper).

Yepes signed for his home town club Deportivo Cali in 1998.

He won a Colombian championship with Deportivo Cali.

Having begun his career in 1999, and having played for the Colombia national team during that period, Yepes is one of only two players that can truly be considered to be part of the late 1990s and early 2000s golden generation of Colombian football which won the 2001 Copa América and ended in 2003, but has also been part of Colombia's present golden generation (which began in 2013).

He was part of the squad for the 1999 Copa Libertadores.

In 1999, he joined River Plate in Argentina, where he won two Argentine Primera championships.

Yepes has played 102 matches for the Colombia national team since his debut in 1999, making him the second-most capped Colombian player of all time, after Carlos Valderrama.

and was also in the squads for three other editions of the tournament in 1999, 2007 and 2011.

He was part of the Colombia squad that won the Copa América in 2001.

In 2002, Yepes moved to Europe, signing for Nantes in the French Ligue 1.

After two-and-half personally successful seasons with Nantes, Yepes joined fellow Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain in 2004.

Yepes would become a mainstay in the PSG side winning the Coupe de France in 2006 and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2008, though he did not feature in the second final.

He served as the captain of the Colombia national team between 2008 and 2014.

In 2008, Yepes joined Chievo in Italy.

He signed a new long-term contract in summer 2009.

In March 2010, Chievo teammate Sergio Pellissier confirmed that Yepes would join Milan in the summer, when his contract ran out.

Yepes got to Milan in the 2010–11 season but was quickly deployed as a substitute due to the starting centre-back being Thiago Silva.

Yepes played few games in the Italian Serie A, but participated in the UEFA Champions League.

Yepes was close to scoring with Milan in the UEFA Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur, in which he had two clear chances of scoring with a header, but was denied twice by Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes.

Yepes scored his first goal for Milan on 23 October 2011, where he finished off a comeback against Lecce, scoring the fourth and winning goal for Milan in the 83rd minute to drive the Rossoneri to a 4–3 victory, with Kevin-Prince Boateng scoring a hat-trick to level the scores after a 3–0 losing position.

On 12 May 2012, Yepes signed a one-year extension contract with Milan, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2013.

On 14 July 2013, Yepes signed a one-year contract with Serie A club Atalanta.

He made 26 appearances during the 2013–14 season and left the club at the end of the term.

On 17 December 2013, Yepes announced that he would retire after the 2014 World Cup.

Faryd Mondragón is the other Colombian footballer of the two, but officially retired in 2014.

After being an irregular player during the following season, however, Yepes stated that he would not sign a new contract with the club despite being offered the chance, expressing that he needed more "guaranteed" playing time in order to better prepare himself for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

He later confirmed that Milan would not offer him as such and his reason for departure.

On 13 September 2014, Argentine Primera División club San Lorenzo announced the signing of Yepes on a deal valid until the end of 2015.

During the team's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Yepes made 12 appearances as Colombia qualified for its first finals since 1998.

In the final qualifying match, Yepes scored both goals in a 2–1 victory against Paraguay.

Due to his age during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Yepes expressed his passion for the national team and wanting to retire either after the World Cup qualifiers or during the 2014 World Cup.

José Pékerman promised to meet with his retirement request.

On 14 June 2014, Yepes made his first appearance in the FIFA World Cup finals stage at age 38, captaining Colombia to a 3–0 win over Greece in Belo Horizonte.

Yepes was the oldest outfield player at the 2014 World Cup, and the second-oldest overall, after compatriot Faryd Mondragón.

On 19 June 2014, Yepes earned his 100th cap for Colombia in the second group stage match against the Ivory Coast, becoming the third Colombian player to reach the milestone after Valderrama and Leonel Álvarez.

Yepes began his managerial career with hometown club Deportivo Cali, whom he managed from 2016 to 2017.

On 20 January 2016, he officially retired from professional football, joining Deportivo Cali as manager four months later.