Quick Facts
Biography
Giovanni Andrés Hernández Soto (Spanish pronunciation: [xjoˈβannj herˈnandeθ soˈto]; born 17 June 1976), is a Colombian football manager and former player. He was formerly manager of Uniautónoma, Real Cartagena and Junior.
Before his career as a coach, he was famous for his technical ability to create plays, and ability to create goals out of free kicks.
History
Early career
Giovanni Hernández made his professional debut at the age of 17 with Once Caldas. In 1995 he played for América de Cali and he scored 5 goals during this season. He continued playing for the club during the 1996 Copa Libertadores where he scored 2 goals. He played for Independiente Medellín during 1998. At the end of that year, he was brought by Deportivo Cali.
Deportivo Cali
He played for Deportivo Cali in the 1999 Copa Libertadores as a substitute, but after a few goals he became a starter for the 2001 season, where he scored 13 goals.
Colón
In the second half of 2003, Hernández was sold to Argentine club Colón de Santa Fe. There he scored a goal and made an assist in his debut game. He quickly became one of the favorites in the Argentine league reaching a total of 12 goals that season. He played in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a lacklustre performance, not scoring a single goal.
Colo-Colo
Before the beginning of the 2007 Apertura in Chile, Giovanni joined Chilean club Colo-Colo. He was a vital part of the team that would eventually won the championship. Giovanni was the second leading scoring of the team with 7 goals. After a three-year absence from the Colombian national team, Giovanni was recalled for the match against Mexico in August 22.
Junior
Giovanni goes back to Colombia to play for Junior de Barranquilla, being the most expensive transfer made by the team at the time. Giovanni helped the team to reach the playoffs and to keep the team in the first division. He was of vital importance in obtaining the title in 2010.
International career
Hernández was called up along with his teammate Jairo Patiño to the Colombian national team for the 2001 Copa América, which they won. Colombia did not qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup but did qualify for the 2003 Confederations Cup where he was called up again. Giovanni scored 3 goals in 5 games and he was considered one of the best players of the tournament.
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 July 2001 | Estadio Centenario, Armenia, Colombia |  Peru | 2–0 | 3–0 | Copa América |
| 2 | 20 June 2003 | Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France |  New Zealand | 3–1 | 3–1 | Confederations Cup |
| 3 | 22 June 2003 | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, France |  Japan | 0–1 | 0–1 | Confederations Cup |
| 4 | 28 June 2003 | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, France |  Turkey | 1–1 | 1–2 | Confederations Cup |
| 5 | 30 April 2008 | Estadio Alfonso López, Bucaramanga, Colombia |  Venezuela | 3–2 | 5–2 | Exhibition game |
Honours
Club
- América de Cali
- Copa Libertadores (1): Runner–up 1996
- Colo-Colo
- Torneo de Apertura (1): 2007
- Torneo de Clausura (1): 2007
- Junior
- Torneo de Apertura (1): 2010
- Torneo Finalización (1): 2011
International
- Copa América (1): 2001