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FIFA World Cup countdown: Top 10 Honduran footballers of all time

:Headline: FIFA World Cup countdown: Top 10 Honduran footballers of all time: ID:154320: from db_amp
As part of the countdown to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Sports Mole looks at the top 10 players in the history of Honduran football.

While they may not be a household nation, Honduras have been slowly on the rise over recent years, to the point that they are now 30th in FIFA's world rankings.

It's an ascent that was helped by finishing third in the Copa America back in 2001, while they held Switzerland to a draw as they exited the 2010 World Cup in South Africa at the group stages.

Along with the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico, Los Catrachos qualified for this summer's tournament in Brazil via the CONCACAF qualifying group.

Here, to continue our countdown to the 2014 tournament, Sports Mole looks at the top 10 players in the history of Honduras.


10. Emilio Izaguirre (2007-present, 66 caps, one goal)

Some Celtic fans will argue that the £600,000 parted with to sign Izaguirre back in 2010 was money well spent. An ankle injury limited his number of appearances during the 2011-12 campaign, but aside from that, he's been a key part of the club's starting lineup.

The 28-year-old has won three Scottish Premier League titles and two Scottish Cups, while in 2011 he cleaned up were individual accolades were concerned. Among the honours that he won, he was named the SPFA Players' Player of the Year and Scottish Football Writers Player of the Year.

A regular for Honduras, Izaguirre was part of the squad that qualified for the World Cup four years ago, where he featured against Chile and Spain.


9. Noel Valladares (2000-present, 118 caps, no goals)

Widely regarded to be the best goalkeeper to have ever donned a pair of gloves for Honduras, only Amado Guevara has turned out on more occasions for Los Catrachos.

The 37-year-old made his debut in 2000, where he played at that summer's Olympic Games in Sydney. His best moment at international level, though, came in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup where he was voted the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Domestically, the veteran has won a total of 14 Liga Nacional de Futbol de Honduras titles from his stints with C.D. Olimpia and C.D. Motagua.


8. Oscar Boniek Garcia (2005-present, 91 caps, two goals)

Rumour has it that Garcia was named after the famous former Poland and Juventus midfielder Zbigniew Boniek - the name that Garcia has opted to have on the back of his shirt since his debut.

In the summer of 2009, it was claimed that Garcia would sign a deal to join Wigan Athletic, but the move never materialised and it wasn't until 2012 that he left his homeland club Olimpia to link up with MLS outfit Houston Dynamo.

The energetic right winger has made an impression in the States, so much so that he was named the MLS Latin Player of the Year during his debut campaign.


7. Carlo Costly (2007-present, 68 caps, 30 goals)

He may not be overly prolific at club level, but Costly has no such problem finding the net in a Honduras shirt. The 31-year-old has scored vital goals as well, including two as Honduras reached the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2009.

Costly also contributed four goals during World Cup qualifying in 2010, but injury prevented him from turning out in South Africa.

The centre-forward has played for a host of clubs in a number of different countries, including Poland, China, USA and England, where he had a short loan spell with Birmingham City.


6. Wilmer Velasquez (1994-2007, 47 caps, 35 goals)

Having spent the majority of his career in his homeland, Velasquez is the leading goalscorer in the history of the Honduran National Football League.

The 42-year-old is a real favourite among the supporters of Olimpia, who he has signed for on four separate occasions.

His 35 goals at international level makes him the second leading goalscorer of all time for Honduras. Among that tally has been hat-tricks against Panama, Nicaragua (twice) and Japan.


5. Maynor Figueroa (2003-present, 102 caps, three goals)

Although not known for his goalscoring prowess, Figueroa can boast the fact that he has scored one of the best goals in the history of English football. Playing for Wigan Athletic in 2009, the defender scored from his own half during a match away at Stoke City.

Following his time with the Latics, the 31-year-old joined Hull last summer and has been a key member of a team that has defied the doubters to ensure their Premier League status and reach the final of the FA Cup.

Since his Honduras debut in 2003, Figueroa has made 102 appearances, which makes him his country's third most capped player of all time.


4. Wilson Palacios (2003-present, 92 caps, five goals)

Another of Honduras's Premier League representatives, Palacios has spent the last seven years of his career in England. Arguably his biggest impact came with Tottenham Hotspur, whom he helped to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 2010.

The 29-year-old has also turned out for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and currently Stoke City. The Potters reportedly paid around £6m for his services.

Along with his brothers Jerry and Johnny, they became the first trio of siblings to represent a single nation at the World Cup in 2010.


3. Milton Nunez (1994-2008, 86 caps, 33 goals)

It was claimed that when Peter Reid took Nunez to Sunderland in 1999, he believed that has in fact signing Adolfo Valencia from PAOK. The Honduran struggled to make an impact on Wearside, where he would make just two appearances.

Nevertheless, the centre-forward was a success elsewhere as he won league titles in Honduras, Uruguay and Guatemala.

He also found goals easy to come by with the national team, with his tally of 33 making him Honduras's third leading goalscorer of all time. Arguably his finest moment came when he scored twice during the 2-1 win over the USA in 2001.


2. Amado Guevara (1994-2010, 138 caps, 27 goals)

In what was Honduras's finest showing at a major tournament during the 2001 Copa America, Guevara was the shining light. He scored three times as Los Catrachos unexpectedly progressed beyond the group stages, before they knocked out Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Honduras eventually exited the competition at the semi-final stage, but Guevara's performances resulted in him being named the Player of the Tournament.

Among his many clubs, the 38-year-old was most influential with the MetroStars, now known as the New York Red Bulls. During his time there, he was named in the MLS's Team of the Season in 2004.


1. Carlos Pavon (1993-2010, 101 caps, 58 goals)

There are a number of goalscorers on this list, but none of them have scored more times for Honduras than Pavon. Among his 58 strikes were the seven that he fired in during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

He also shone at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored five times to be the tournament's leading goalscorer.

Pavon represented a total of 16 clubs in a variety of countries, including Napoli, Udinese, Real Valladolid and Los Angeles Galaxy. During his time with the American club, he was a teammate of David Beckham.


Honduras will face France, Switzerland and Ecuador in the group stages of this summer's World Cup, and you can follow every match live with Sports Mole.

Continuing our 50-day countdown to the tournament, we will be looking at the greatest players in Iran's history tomorrow. You can also see all of the World Cup top 10 lists so far by clicking here.

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