Quick Facts
ScorpioBiography
Jhon Eduis Viáfara Mina (born 27 October 1978) is a former Colombian footballer who played as a midfielder.
Football career
Early career
Born in the Colombian town of Robles, Viáfara came to international attention whilst playing for Once Caldas, for whom he was instrumental during his club's success in the 2004 Copa Libertadores, scoring with a long range strike in the final against Boca Juniors.
Portsmouth
His performances made him a regular in the Colombia national football team, and earned him a €2.2 million move to English club Portsmouth on 23 June 2005.
He played 14 league matches under Alain Perrin at Portsmouth, scoring one league goal, in a 2–1 loss at Manchester City on 27 August. Perrin was sacked and Viáfara was dropped by returned-manager Harry Redknapp.
On 30 January 2006, Viáfara was loaned for six months to Spanish club Real Sociedad of La Liga, along with Mark González of Liverpool. At the end of this deal, Real declined the chance to purchase Viáfara and he returned to Portsmouth again, after 11 matches played and two red cards.
Southampton
On 4 August 2006 he signed a three-year deal with Portsmouth's south-coast rivals Southampton of the Football League Championship. The transfer fee for the three-year deal was undisclosed, but is believed to be in the region of £750,000. He appeared consistently in the 2006–07 season. One of his most memorable moments was scoring two goals in the Championship Play-off Semi-final Second Leg against Derby County, although it was not enough as Derby went on to win the tie in a penalty shootout.
He scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season with a 12-yard strike in Southampton's 3–2 win over Stoke City on 26 August 2007. Then on 29 September he got his second of the season with a 16-yard strike in the 2–1 win over Sheffield United which proved to be the winner.
Shortly into his third season at the club, after managerial turmoil to the degree of there having been four managers within six months, he left. The reasons for his departure are said to be homesickness, with Dutch manager Jan Poortvliet saying he "did not want anyone who was not completely committed to the club to remain at the club". Other rumours for his departure include wage-bill cutting by chairman Rupert Lowe, although Southampton are not reported to have received a fee for his return to Once Caldas.
Return to Colombia
After Viáfara's return to Once Caldas the team's fortunes improved, they won their third Colombian league championship in Apertura 2009.
In 2010, he joined La Equidad and helped them to reach the final of the Apertura 2010 tournament as well as reaching the playoff stages of the Clausura 2010.
In 2011, he was signed by Junior and got off to an excellent start, scoring vital goals in both of the side's first two games in the Copa Libertadores 2011 group stages. He retired from football in 2015.
Arrest
On 19 March 2019, Viáfara was arrested in Cali for drug traffic and cocaine exportation to the United States.
International career
International goals
- As of 14 March 2014
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2007 | Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, United States |  Switzerland | 0–1 | 0–1 | Friendly |
Honours
América de Cali
- Copa Mustang: 2000
Once Caldas
- Copa Mustang: 2003, 2009
- Copa Libertadores: 2004