Marco Plaza

Marco Plaza
Personal information
Full name Marco Antonio Plaza Berríos
Date of birth (1982-02-24) 24 February 1982
Place of birth Casablanca, Chile
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 Everton
2003 Constitución Unido
2004 Ñublense
2005 Iberia
2006 Lota Schwager
2007 Rangers 36 (2)
2008 Unión La Calera 38 (2)
2009 Deportes Melipilla 53 (9)
2010–2011 Coquimbo Unido 49 (6)
2012 Iberia 21 (6)
2013–2014 Deportes Melipilla 35 (5)
2015 Deportes Ovalle 11 (1)
2015–2016 Malleco Unido 22 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 May 2016

Marco Antonio Plaza Barrios (born 24 February 1982) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Born in Casablanca, Chile, he spent a 17-year playing career with several clubs in the Chilean football league system, including Everton, Ñublense, Rangers, Unión La Calera, Deportes Melipilla, Coquimbo Unido and Iberia.[1]

Plaza won promotion with Ñublense in 2004, scoring the opening goal in the decisive match against Curicó Unido, and later won the inaugural professional Segunda División championship with Iberia in 2012, scoring the goal that secured the title.[2][3]

Club career

Everton and Ñublense

Plaza was developed by Everton and began his senior career with the Viña del Mar club. He remained associated with Everton until the end of 2004, while also spending time with Constitución Unido.[2]

In 2004, Plaza joined Ñublense, then competing in Chile's Tercera División. He became a member of the side that challenged Curicó Unido for the championship and promotion to the second tier.[2]

Ñublense and Curicó eventually required a deciding match in Linares on 28 December 2004. Plaza scored the opening goal as Ñublense won 2–0, earning the Tercera División championship and promotion to the Primera B. Contemporary coverage by Cooperativa named Plaza, goalkeeper Germán Irarrázabal and Ricardo Parada among the key figures in Ñublense's promotion campaign.[2]

Following the match, Plaza confirmed that his contract with Everton had ended and that he held his own registration rights.[2]

Years later, Plaza recalled the 2004 campaign as one of the most memorable promotions of his career, describing the large support received by Ñublense during the decisive matches of the season.[4]

Seasons in Primera B

Plaza joined Iberia for the 2005 Primera B season after leaving Ñublense.[4] He subsequently played for Lota Schwager in 2006 and Rangers in 2007.

With Rangers, he made 36 league appearances and scored twice before moving to Unión La Calera for the 2008 season.

Plaza joined Unión La Calera in 2008, making 38 league appearances and scoring two goals during his season with the club.

In 2009, he moved to Deportes Melipilla, where he became a regular midfielder in the Primera B.[5]

Coquimbo Unido

Plaza joined Coquimbo Unido ahead of the 2010 Primera B season. He remained with the club for two seasons, making 49 league appearances and scoring six goals.

During the 2011 Copa Chile, he scored for Coquimbo Unido against regional rivals Deportes La Serena at the Estadio La Portada.[6]

He left Coquimbo Unido after the 2011 season to return to Iberia.

Return to Iberia

Plaza returned to Iberia in 2012 for the first season of Chile's newly established professional third tier, the Segunda División Profesional. He featured in Iberia's opening match of the competition, a draw away to Deportes Melipilla.[7]

On 21 July 2012, Plaza scored twice in Iberia's 3–1 away victory over Deportes Copiapó, a result which left the club alone at the top of the league standings.[8]

Iberia eventually reached the final stage of the competition. On 4 November 2012, Plaza scored the only goal of a 1–0 away victory over Deportes Temuco. The result secured first place for Iberia with 37 points and made the Los Ángeles club champion of the 2012 Segunda División Profesional.[3]

Later career

Following his championship season with Iberia, Plaza returned to Deportes Melipilla in 2013 and remained with the club through 2014.

In January 2015, he joined Deportes Ovalle for the second half of the 2014–15 Segunda División season. He featured during the club's campaign, including matches against Trasandino and Naval.[9][10]

Later in 2015, Plaza moved to Malleco Unido, his final club as a player. He retired from professional football in 2016 after a career spanning approximately 17 years.[1]

Personal life

He is the older brother of the twins Diego Plaza and Matías Plaza, who are professional footballers that have begun their careers playing for Santiago Wanderers.[11]

Honors

Ñublense

Iberia

References

  1. 1 2 Haddad, Sebastián (15 December 2018). "Los elegidos de Pizarro". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Los héroes de Ñublense manifestaron su alegría tras el título". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). 28 December 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Iberia derrota a Deportes Temuco por la mínima y se corona Campeón del Torneo Segunda División Profesional". Angelino.cl (in Spanish). 5 November 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Ñublense a Primera: la historia de los "Diablos Rojos" en tres legendarios actos". El Mercurio (in Spanish). 10 January 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "La "U" sufre sus primeras bajas para debut en Apertura 2010". La Tercera (in Spanish). 7 January 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Revise la tabla y clasificados a los cuartos de final de la Copa Chile". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). 24 July 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Pincheira Baeza, Catherine (19 March 2012). "Un punto rescató Iberia en Melipilla". Angelino.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "San Marcos empata con Everton y sigue en la punta de la B". La Tercera (in Spanish). 23 July 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Deportes Ovalle gana, pero no convence". Ovalle Hoy (in Spanish). 1 February 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "El "Cañoncito" de Naval hundió a Deportes Ovalle en el sur". Ovalle Hoy (in Spanish). 20 February 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Haddad, Sebastián (15 December 2018). "Los elegidos de Pizarro" (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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