Fernando Aristeguieta

School He studied at the Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola. He also managed to represent their school in Recreational Mathematics Olympics five times, in which he was the runner up in 2006. In the summer of 2007 and 2008 he studied English at the Cushing Academy institution, located in the city of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, achieving complete mastery of the language. During these years, he took the decision to leave school in order to fully focus on soccer, causing quarrels with his parents. Aristeguieta wanted to graduate in a school for athletes; however, he decided to finish at his school. He graduated in July 2010. Sports At age 7, he joined the Loyola football team, being coached by former Caracas and Venezuela national team player Leopoldo Páez, who Aristeguieta considers his mentor both on and off the pitch. Simultaneously he was practicing tennis, participating in tournaments at regional, national and international levels. In that list, was leader David Souto, who is currently in first place in the ranking of Venezuelan men's professional tennis. However, in the same year of publication, Aristeguieta decided to retire from tennis to specialize in football. As a soccer player, he represented his school in Caracas Sports School League and the League César Del Vecchio. He also played in several international championships in European cities such as Barcelona, Gothenburg, Regina, Milan, San Sebastián and Dallas. At 15 he left Loyola to join the football team Centro Ítalo Venezolano. ==Club career==

Caracas In his first year at the club he managed to win the U-17 National Championship in the 2007–2008 season, being the top goalscorer with 21 goals. Aristeguieta turned down offers from teams like Tenerife, Real Oviedo, and Grêmio to continue his studies. He made his debut on 19 January, entering in the 87th minute of the match against Stade Lavallois Mayenne FC. Within minutes he had the opportunity to make a header, but the ball went just inches from the corner. He debuted as a starter on 22 January in the French Cup against SAS Epinal, which finished with a 1–1 draw. On 12 February 2013 he scored two goals in the match against Le Mans FC. The first came in the 7th minute after a deep cross from the left which Aristeguieta controlled with his chest and then finished with a half volley into the bottom right. The second came off a deflected pass which he shot first time with his left foot into the roof of the net. On 15 April he scores his first hat trick with the French team at the Berrichonne Chateauroux. In addition to this, he also caused the second yellow card of a rival. Eleven days later he scores the only goal of the match against Chamois Niortais F.C. On 16 May, Aristeguieta was elected the best player of the month of April with 46% of the vote. On 17 May Nantes secured promotion to the Ligue 1 after beating CS Sedan Nantes FC gave the option to buy him for 1.2 million euros, extending the contract for 3 years. He was given the number 10 and also shared a room with Venezuelans Gabriel Cichero and Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, who had been photographed with Aristeguieta in his first training with the senior team of Caracas Futbol Club. On 28 November 2014, after being sparingly used by Nantes, Aristeguieta moved to La Liga's Getafe CF, on loan until June. On 7 January 2015 he passed a medical in the Madrid outskirts club, but his loan was cancelled on the 31st. Philadelphia Union (loan) On February 20, 2015, it was confirmed that Aristeguieta had joined Major League Soccer side Philadelphia Union on loan. Caracas In July 2017, Aristeguieta returned to Caracas and signed a 1.5-year deal. ==International career==

Youth level He began his involvement in the Venezuelan selection in the U-15 category to compete in the 2007 South American U-15 Championship played in Porto Alegre. Aristeguieta managed to be the top scorer of his team with three goals. Venezuela narrowly missed out on qualifying to the second round due to goal difference. He was again called up for the friendly against Chile on 31 March, playing 8 minutes in the last game of the Marcelo Bielsa era. He was subsequently called up for the match against El Salvador, the first after the 2011 Copa America, and scored a goal, thanks to an assist from Yonathan Del Valle. On 7 October 2011, he made his competitive debut on the first matchday of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito. After a year without playing for the national team, he played five minutes on 14 November 2012 against Nigeria. On 27 March 2013, He started against rivals Colombia. Wearing the number 9, he had two clear chances, including a possible goal, which was blocked off the goal line by a Colombian defender. Eventually his team won 1–0 at the Cachamay Stadium. ==Managerial career==

After retiring, Aristeguieta was appointed manager of the under-23 squad of former club Club Puebla. On 24 February 2024, he was named interim manager of the first team after the sacking of Ricardo Carbajal, but returned to his previous role on 12 March after the appointment of Andrés Carevic. On 6 July 2024, Aristeguieta was named in charge of another club he represented as a player, Caracas. On 7 November 2025, he was named interim manager of the national team for two friendlies against Australia and Canada. On 22 April 2026, Aristeguieta resigned from Caracas, joining the technical staff of Oswaldo Vizcarrondo in the national team. == Personal life ==

He got married in 2017 with Linden Azcunes. They have one child together, a son, Lucas Ezio Aristeguieta, born on June 6, 2019. In July 2020 they announced that they are expecting a girl named Sofía Alexandra. ==Career statistics==

Club International :''Scores and results list Venezuela's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Aristeguieta goal.'' ==Honours==

Caracas • Venezuelan First Division: 2009–10 • Copa Venezuela: 2009 ==References==