Tembetary Aged 15, Valdez left his home and family to move to
Ypané when he joined the
Youth Academy of
Atlético Tembetary, and eventually made his first-team debut in the
Paraguayan División Intermedia in 2000. The second division club were not able to pay him a salary large enough to earn a living and his family were not able to provide funding for him. Valdez confessed the difficulty he faced when leaving his impoverished family and his home to begin playing with the club, for two years he lived under the wooden plank grandstands of the stadium in a
stairwell, using a makeshift bed of blankets and cardboard which laid in the stairwell beneath the stand. Valdez stated, "For two years I lived under the grandstands, we were 12 or 13 people and some of them only endured two or three weeks."
Werder Bremen Upon joining Werder Bremen in December 2001, Valdez did not know a word of German and knew just enough Spanish due to being much more fluent in
Guaraní. Valdez stated that his first months were very hard because of the cold weather and that he did not know how to order food properly. For the first few months, he did not eat anything except chicken and chips because he would see it through the glass at a restaurant. In his first season in the Regionalliga Nord, he scored three goals in 12 appearances. In the 2002–03 Regionalliga Nord, he scored 15 goals in 30 league appearances. His performances earned him a call-up to the first-team from manager
Thomas Schaaf, where Valdez debuted in the
2002–03 Bundesliga in a 1–0 home loss to
Energie Cottbus 22 February 2003, where he was substituted onto the field in the 82nd minute for
Christian Schulz. One week later, Valdez gained in second appearance in a 3–0 away loss against
Bayer Leverkusen on 1 March, where Valdez was substituted onto the field for
Angelos Charisteas in the 72nd minute. His performances also earned him a call-up to the
Paraguay under-20 national team for the
2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Valdez made his first appearance of the
2003–04 Bundesliga season in round 4 in a 4–1 home victory against
Schalke 04 on 23 August, where he scored after three minutes of coming onto the field. On 29 October, Valdez eventually signed a four-year professional contract with Werder Bremen's first-team. On 8 November, Valdez made his full debut for Bremen in a 5–1 away win against
Hannover 96; he scored a double for Bremen before being substituted off of the field for
Markus Daun in the 81st minute. On 31 January, Valdez scored his fourth league goal against
Hertha BSC in a 4–0 home victory after entering the field in the 72nd minute. In round 31, Valdez scored his fifth and final league goal for the 2003–04 season in the 80th minute in a 6–0 home victory against
Hamburger SV, after being substituted onto the field in the 62nd minute. In the
2003–04 DFB-Pokal final on 29 May, Valdez was substituted onto the field for Ivan Klasnić in the 87th minute of the 3–2 win against
Alemannia Aachen, as Bremen were crowned champions. Bremen finished top of the 2003–04 Bundesliga table with 74 points and qualified for the
2004–05 UEFA Champions League. Valdez had scored five goals in 21 league appearances, although his appearances were limited due to competition between teammates
Aílton,
Angelos Charisteas and
Ivan Klasnić. On the first day of the
2004–05 Bundesliga season, a 1–0 home win against Schalke 04 on 6 August, Valdez was substituted onto the field for
Miroslav Klose in the 74th minute and scored the match winning goal in the 83rd minute. On 11 September, Valdez scored his second league goal in a 3–1 away loss to
Borussia Mönchengladbach. He had again been substituted onto the field for Klose, who was favoured more often instead of Valdez. On 14 September, Valdez debuted in the
2004–05 UEFA Champions League in a 2–0 away loss against
Inter Milan. On 27 October, in an away match against
VfB Stuttgart, the scores were tied at 1–1 until Valdez scored in the 81st minute to give Bremen a 2–1 victory. Valdez had entered the field in the 61st minute for Christian Schulz. On 7 December, in a Champions League away match against
Valencia, Valdez scored two goals within minutes of coming on as a substitute to win the game at 2–0 for Bremen in an ill-tempered match and enabled his side to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League at Valencia's expense. On 6 February, Valdez scored an 87th-minute goal to give Bremen a 3–2 away victory against
VfL Wolfsburg. He had entered the field in the 75th minute for Ivan Klasnić. During the
2004–05 Champions League knockout stage, Bremen faced
Lyon in the round of 16. Valdez played in both fixtures, as Bremen lost 3–0 at home on 23 February and lost 7–2 away on March. On the last day of the 2004–05 season, Valdez scored in a 2–1 away victory against
1. FC Kaiserslautern. Werder Bremen finished third on the 2004–05 Bundesliga table and qualified for the
2005–06 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round. Valdez had scored seven goals in 25 league appearances, where his appearances were restricted due to
Miroslav Klose and
Ivan Klasnić being the Bundesliga's top striking duo at the time. Valdez made his first appearance in the
2005–06 Bundesliga in a 2–0 away win against
Mainz 05 in round 2 on 14 August, where he entered the field in the 68th minute. Valdez made his full debut for the 2005–06 season in a 2–1 away victory against Hertha BSC on 1 October, where the game was tied at 1–1 until the 89th minute when Valdez scored to give Bremen a 2–1 victory. On 26 November, Valdez scored in a 2–1 away loss against Schalke 04. He played a full 90-minutes of match and was the main striker as Bremen had played with a 4–2–2–1–1 formation. One week later, he scored in a 2–0 home victory against
MSV Duisburg on 3 December. On 7 December in a
2005–06 Champions League group stage fixture, Valdez scored a double in a 5–1 home win against
Panathinaikos. Bremen advanced to the
knockout stage where they would faced
Juventus in the round of 16. Werder Bremen won the first-leg 3–2 on 22 February and lost the second-leg 2–1 on 7 March. Both Bremen and Juventus were tied 4–4 on aggregate, however Juventus progressed to the quarter-finals due to the
away goals rule. On 25 March, Valdez scored a
hat-trick in a 5–0 home win against Hannover 96. On 15 April, Valdez scored his ninth league goal of the 2005–06 season in a 1–1 away draw against VfL Wolfsburg. Bremen finished second on the 2004–05 Bundesliga table with 70 points, and qualified for the
2006–07 Champions League. Valdez had scored nine goals in 30 league appearances. After
Paraguay's early exit from the
2006 FIFA World Cup, Valdez signed with
Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €4.7 million in July.
Borussia Dortmund Valdez was given the number 9 shirt after joining Borussia Dortmund on a four-year contract. He became a regular starter for Dortmund's first-team, though he struggled to score. However, Valdez's lack of prolificacy was always compensated for by energy and creativity. His debut for Borussia Dortmund in the
2006–07 Bundesliga season came in a 2–0 away loss to
Bayern Munich. In a 3–1 away loss to Schalke 04 on 10 December, Valdez was substituted off of the field after 23 minutes. It was later reported that he had picked up a knee injury during the 3–1 defeat, and would be sidelined for approximately one month. Valdez returned to action in a 3–2 home win against Bayern Munich on 26 January, when he was substituted onto the field for
Ebi Smolarek in the 46th minute. He scored his first goal for Dortmund in a 2–0 away victory against VfL Wolfsburg on 5 May, Valdez scored in the 90th minute after entering the field for
Alexander Frei. Valdez made 29 league appearances, scoring just one goal, as Borussia Dortmund finished in ninth position of the 2006–07 Bundesliga table with 44 points. Valdez made his first appearance in the
2007–08 Bundesliga season in a 3–1 home defeat to MSV Duisburg on 12 August. One week later, he scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 4–1 away defeat against Schalke 04 on 18 August. Valdez's second league goal came after 11 minutes in a 2–1 away win against VfB Stuttgart on 1 December. One week later, on 7 December, Valdez scored a
penalty kick in a 6–1 home victory against
Arminia Bielefeld. On 19 April, Borussia Dortmund were defeated 2–1 by Bayern Munich in the
2007–08 DFB-Pokal final. Valdez was substituted onto the field in the 86th minute for
Sebastian Kehl. Valdez finished the 2007–08 season with three goals in 27 league appearances. Borussia Dortmund finished in 13th position of the 2007–08 Bundesliga table with 40 points, but qualified for the
2008–09 UEFA Cup First round as DFB-Pokal 2007–08 winners Bayern Munich had already qualified for the
2008–09 UEFA Champions League via their league placement, losing finalists Borussia Dortmund took the UEFA Cup spot reserved for the cup winners. In
round 1 of the
2008–09 DFB-Pokal on 9 August, Valdez scored Dortmund's third goal in their 3–1 away win against
Rot-Weiss Essen. His first appearance in the
2008–09 Bundesliga season came on 16 August in a 3–2 victory against Bayer Leverkusen, where Valdez scored after just four minutes. During the first-leg of Dortmund's
2008–09 UEFA Cup first round fixture on 18 September, Dortmund were defeated 2–0 at home against
Udinese. During the second leg of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round on 2 October, Dortmund defeated Udinese 2–0 in
Udine. As the result meant that both teams were tied 2–2 on aggregate, the match was decided by a
penalty shoot-out. Valdez scored Dortmund's fifth spot-kick, however Udinese won 4–3. Three days later, Valdez scored after ten minutes of the game in a 1–1 home draw against Hannover 96 on 5 October. On 16 May, Valdez scored Dortmund's third goal of their 6–0 home thrashing of Arminia Bielefeld. Valdez scored seven goals in 29 league appearances as Dortmund finished in sixth place of the 2008–09 Bundesliga table with 59 points. Prior to the start of the
2009–10 Bundesliga, Dortmund signed Paraguayan striker
Lucas Barrios, which provided plenty of competition for Valdez and fellow Dortmund striker
Mohamed Zidan. Valdez made his first appearance in the 2009–10 season in a 1–0 home victory against
1. FC Köln on 8 August. One week later, on 15 August, he scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season after four minutes in a 4–1 away defeat against Hamburger SV. One week later, he scored in Dortmund's 1–1 home draw against VfB Stuttgart on 22 August. On 23 January, Valdez scored for Dortmund in the 36th minute to give his side a 1–0 home victory against Hamburger SV. One month later, he again scored in Dortmund's 4–1 home win against Hannover 96 on 20 February. Valdez had entered the field for Lucas Barrios in the 63rd minute before scoring Dortmund's third goal in the 77th minute. Valdez's last goal for Dortmund came in a 1–1 draw against
1899 Hoffenheim on 18 April. Valdez had been substituted onto the field for Mohamed Zidan in the 29th minute and scored in the 57th minute to give Dortmund the lead. Valdez scored five goals in 28 league appearances as Dortmund had finished in fifth position of the 2009–10 Bundesliga table with 57 points. Dortmund qualified for the
2010–11 UEFA Europa League play-off round. On 10 May, it was reported in Germany that
Fulham manager
Roy Hodgson had considered a £3 million move for Valdez. Valdez stated that he would "love" to play in the
Premier League or Spain, and it was thought £3 million would be enough to tempt Dortmund to sell him. In June, Premier League club
Sunderland had lined up a bid for Valdez after his impressive performance against
Italy at the
2010 World Cup. Borussia Dortmund had indicated that they wanted €10 million (or around £8 million) for Valdez, but Sunderland manager
Steve Bruce had been hoping to sign him for less. It was also reported that
Wigan Athletic were weighing up a move for Valdez. In July, it was reported that
Eredivisie side
PSV were also after Valdez due to his performances at the 2010 World Cup. Valdez's contract would run until the summer of 2012, but Borussia Dortmund were keen to cash in on him and had reportedly set a €5 million asking price for Valdez following his good performances at the World Cup.
Hércules In August 2010, Valdez signed a three-year contract with
Hércules after admitting that he had received offers to play in Russia. Valdez became the most expensive signing in the history of Hércules having been transferred for €3.5 million. His debut resulted in a brace against
Barcelona on 11 September in a surprising 2–0 victory at the
Camp Nou. Valdez scored his second double for Hércules in a 3–1 win against
Levante on 29 November. He would then score in a 4–1 against
Atlético Madrid on 11 January 2011. In January, when Valdez had scored six times in 11 appearances, it was reported that
Real Madrid had considered signing him when Madrid striker
Gonzalo Higuaín was ruled out for the season following back surgery, however a transfer was never established. He received a red card on 61 minutes in his second last game of the 2010–11 season in a 3–2 loss against
Racing de Santander on 8 May. Valdez would finish the season having scored eight goals in 25 league appearances as Hércules would finish 19th in La Liga and face relegation. Having been partnered up front with
David Trezeguet, the two had scored 20 goals between them for the
2010–11 season. Valdez took no part in the
2010–11 Copa del Rey which saw Hércules eliminated against
Málaga in the round of 32. During his performance at the
2011 Copa América in July, it was reported in Spanish newspapers that a Wigan Athletic party had traveled to Spain to make a €4 million offer for the striker, which was rejected as they were told to put up more money to meet the €5 million release clause in Valdez's contract. Sunderland then proposed an offer of €4.2 million to sign Valdez, who by then had received a lucrative offer from PSV and also offers from Russia, Portugal and England. On 1 August it was reported by
ABC de Sevilla that
Real Betis had already begun negotiations with Hércules for Valdez as a replacement for
Achille Emaná who was reported to being transferred to
Saudi Arabia's
Al-Hilal, where Hércules had asked for €4 million for the striker, Valdez was also reportedly tempted by Al-Hilal.
Rubin Kazan In August 2011, Valdez signed a four-year contract with
Russian Premier League side
Rubin Kazan. His debut in the
2011–12 season came in a 3–1 away loss to
Krasnodar on 10 September, where Valdez received a yellow card on 27 minutes. He made his first appearance in the
2011–12 UEFA Europa League on 15 September in a 3–0 victory over Ireland's
Shamrock Rovers. Valdéz scored his first goals in the Europa League, a double, in a 4–1 home win against Shamrock Rovers on 30 November. Two weeks later, he again scored in the Europa League in a 1–1 away draw against
PAOK on 15 December. This result meant that Rubin Kazan would progress to the
2011–12 UEFA Europa League knockout phase, where Rubin lost 2–0 on aggregate to
Olympiacos. Valdez scored his first league goal for Rubin in a 1–1 away draw against
Zenit Saint Petersburg on 25 March; Valdez was substituted onto the field in the 46th minute and equalised for Rubin in the 58th minute before being substituted off of the field in the 68th minute. Two weeks later, he scored his second league goal in a 1–1 away draw against
Dynamo Moscow on 7 April. He made his first appearance in the
2011–12 Russian Cup in Rubin Kazan's 2–0 semi-final win against
Rostov on 11 April. In the final game of the season, Valdez opened the scoring for Rubin as they fought back from a goal down to defeat
CSKA Moscow 3–1 on 13 May 2012. On 8 July 2012, it was reported that
Argentine Primera División club
Newell's Old Boys had announced their intention to sign Valdez with the signing of former Paraguay national team head coach
Gerardo Martino in charge of the team for the 2012–13 season. It had also been reported that Valdez had stated that he was interested in transferring to Newell's Old Boys. On 14 July 2012, Valdez was substituted onto the field for
Obafemi Martins in the 64th minute of Rubin's 2–0
2012 Russian Super Cup victory against Zenit. The win meant that Valdez had claimed his second title at the club within just under 12-months since his arrival. It was then reported that Spanish
La Liga club
Espanyol and
Primera División Paraguaya club
Libertad were interested in signing him. Valdez debuted in the
2012–13 season in a 2–1 away loss to Krasnodar on 23 July, where he was substituted onto the field for
Vladimir Dyadyun in the 46th minute.
Loan to Valencia In the summer of 2012, Valdez signed for Valencia on loan. He came on as a substitute against Bayern Munich in the
Champions League in which he scored a header where Valencia lost 2–1. Nelson's first league goal for Valencia came on 20 October, heading in a 90th-minute winner to snatch a 3–2 victory over
Athletic Bilbao. On 3 November, Valdez scored in injury time to complete Valencia's 2–0 victory over Atlético Madrid, inflicting the capital side's first defeat of the season.
Valencia Valencia purchased Valdez's contract outright from Rubin Kazan in February 2013; he subsequently signed a contract with the club lasting till June 2015.
Al Jazira On 19 July 2013, Valdez joined
Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira for a fee believed in the region of €3 million. Wearing the number 9 shirt, Valdez made his first appearance for Al Jazira in a 1–0 away victory against
Al-Shaab in a
2013–14 UAE Arabian Gulf Cup tie on 3 September 2013. Valdez made his
2013–14 Arabian Gulf League debut against the same team in a 2–1 away victory on 15 September, playing a full 90-minutes of the fixture. On 25 October, he scored his first league goal for Al Jazira in a 1–1 away draw against
Al Dhafra. His goal came in the 38th minute. In October 2013, Valdez sounded as a possible signing for Barcelona, to which he responded would be a dream that Barcelona is the best club in the world. At the time, Barcelona was coached by his former national team coach, Gerardo Martino. His goals came in the sixth and tenth minutes of the first half, in a fixture which proved to be Valdez's last appearance for Al Jazira as he was ultimately sanctioned and fined for his celebration. After a fan had whistled at Valdez, in response he scored his first goal and put his finger on his mouth to silence the fans and then scored his second goal and celebrated his goals by touching his crotch as a sign of having "balls". The TV image had censured Valdez's private part and Al Jazira stated that they were prepared to preserve the good behaviour of the sport and had decided to suspend Valdez for his gesture until further notice. Valdez had received the suspension immediately after the match and could not justify his behaviour in an interview. Moments after the match, Valdez wrote in English via his
Twitter account that his objective was never to offend anyone instead to make understand that he uses his balls when he is on the field and due to the bad luck in his last games he could not score goals, he expressed it in this manner. Finally, Valdez expressed that during the rumours of his exit from the club that his intention was to stay at the club.
Loan to Olympiacos On 30 January 2014, Valdez joined
Super League Greece side Olympiacos on loan from Al Jazira, being issued with the number 18 shirt. He made his debut with the club on 2 February in a 2–1 home victory against
Panetolikos, coming onto the field as a substitute for
Marko Šćepović in the 60th minute. Two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–2 home victory against
Platanias on 15 February. The goal came in the 68th minute and was assisted by
Javier Saviola. Valdez's second league goal for Olympiacos came in a 2–0 home victory against
Panthrakikos on 15 March; he scored in the 35th minute via an assist by
Alejandro Domínguez. Valdez participated in the
2013–14 Champions League round of 16 stage against
Manchester United. In the first-leg, he replaced
Hernán Pérez in the 86th minute, coming on to the field as a substitute for the bench in Olympiacos' 2–0 home victory on 25 February. In the second-leg on 19 March, Valdez again entered the field for Pérez in the 57th minute was Olympiacos were defeated 3–0 and ultimately 3–2 on aggregate. On 23 March 2014, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 away win against
Ergotelis. Valdez's hat-trick all came in the space of ten minutes from his first goal, scoring in the 3rd, 9th and 13th minute of the first-half. He netted his last goal of the season in a 1–0 home victory against
Aris on 30 March; the goal came in the 84th minute and was assisted by
José Holebas. Valdez concluded the Super League Greece season with six league goals in ten appearances. Olympiakos finished in first place of the
2013–14 Super League Greece table and qualified for the
2014–15 Champions League. He made his first appearance in the
2013–14 Greek Cup on 2 April 2014 in a semi-final 2–1 first-leg home victory against PAOK, playing the full 90 minutes of the fixture.
Eintracht Frankfurt On 29 July 2014, it was reported that Valdez had signed with
Eintracht Frankfurt for the
2014–15 Bundesliga season, returning to the Bundesliga four years after departing the German competition in 2010. Valdez, who was issued with the number 11 shirt for the club, stated that his motivation for joining Frankfurt was because of being offered to join the club by coach Thomas Schaaf, who had coached Valdez during his years at Werder Bremen. Valdez mentioned that he had always maintained contact with Schaaf and believed that he was one of the few people that he felt he owed something to: "He made me a professional. For me, it was clear that I was going to go to Frankfurt when I received the offer. It is an enormous pleasure to return to the Bundesliga." Valdez first appeared in an Eintracht Frankfurt shirt in an International club friendly fixture against Inter Milan on 10 August; he was in the starting XI and was substituted off of the field in the 60th minute for
Václav Kadlec as Frankfurt would win the tie 3–1 at home. Valdez then made his first appearance for Frankfurt in an official competition during a 2–0 away victory against
Viktoria Berlin in the first round of the
2014–15 DFB-Pokal on 16 August. Valdez again was in the starting eleven and was substituted in the 70th minute of the match for
Alexander Meier, who went on to score Frankfurt's second goal of the match. Valdez made his 2014–15 Bundesliga debut in a 1–0 home victory against
SC Freiburg on 23 August, playing until the 84th minute of the match before being substituted off of the field for
Johannes Flum. On 30 August, Valdez appeared in his second league match, a 2–2 away draw against VfL Wolfsburg. He received a hard knock in the second half of the match and was subsequently substituted off of the field in the 56th minute for
Timothy Chandler. It was later confirmed that Valdez had torn cruciate ligaments in his right knee and would be side lined for approximately six months. In late December, German newspaper
Bild reported that Valdez stated that despite the expectation of being sidelined for an estimated six months, his injury has healed outstandingly, just after three and a half months of the incident, and if the rehab continued well, Valdez would regress by January, much earlier than planned, and with hopes of making it in time for the
2015 Copa América. Upon Valdez's return from injury, he was substituted onto the field in the 74th minute in a league fixture against
SC Paderborn on 14 March 2015 and scored for Frankfurt in the 82nd minute as his side won the fixture 4–0.
Seattle Sounders FC 2015 season Valdez signed with
Seattle Sounders FC of
Major League Soccer (MLS) on 7 August 2015 as a
Designated Player. He scored a goal in his debut for the club on 16 August, earning the second goal in a 4–0 win over
Orlando City SC at
CenturyLink Field,
Seattle.
2016 season Prior to the 2016 season, Primera División Paraguaya club
Cerro Porteño announced their second attempt in the space of six months to sign Valdez. Valdez admitted that he maintains contact with club president Juan José Zapag and that what remained for him in his career to achieve is to play in the
Copa Libertadores, but he indicated that the transfer seemed difficult to occur. Sources stated that Valdez's price was too great whilst Valdez said that he desires to continue playing abroad. Colombian
Categoría Primera A clubs
Independiente Medellín and
Atlético Nacional showed interest in the player and reports suggested that Valdez was to depart Seattle Sounders. On 18 January 2016, Valdez publicly responded to reports about his arrival to Medellín: "I'm proud to be a Sounder and very happy in Seattle. Don't want to raise somebody's hopes or disappoint my fans!" Valdez also revealed that he had received and rejected million-dollar offers from clubs in
China, which he responded that he did not want to know anything about it. Valdez' first competitive appearances came in the home and away legs of the
2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League quarter final stages against Mexican club
América; on 23 February 2016, Valdez played 73 minutes of the 2–2 draw in Seattle before being substituted off of the field. In the return leg on 2 March 2016, Valdez played a full 90 minutes of the fixture which concluded 3–1 in favor of América and ended 5–3 on aggregate. His contract ran until December 2016. During the
2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, Valdez scored his only two goals of the season, helping Seattle advance to the
MLS Cup, where they won their first league championship.
Cerro Porteño On 4 January 2017, Valdez signed with Primera División Paraguaya club
Cerro Porteño. After not renewing with Cerro Porteño, Haedo Valdez expressed that he wanted to play for one more year and that if he had to return to
Atlético Tembetary, he would without problems. Following Valdez' departure from Cerro Porteño, he was in conversations with
Sol de America president and also turned down an offer from
Guireña due to family reasons at the beginning of 2021. He was also linked with
Primera División Argentina club
Argentinos Juniors as a very close signing, which was reported in the Argentine press. Following this, Valdez announced that his family and himself were diagnosed with
COVID-19 whilst being in Germany. On 1 July 2021, Haedo Valdéz announced his retirement through his
social media channel. ==International career==