Introduction
Daniel Alberto 'Cata' Díaz (born 13 March 1979) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Getafe CF as a central defender.
After starting at Rosario Central he went on to spend most of his career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 174 games and three goals over the course of six seasons, mainly with Getafe. He also had two spells with Boca Juniors.
Díaz appeared for Argentina at the 2007 Copa América.
Club career
Nicknamed Cata because of his origins from San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Díaz started playing at youth amateur local Juventud de Catamarca before moving in 1997 to Rosario Central, still as a junior. Three years later, he first appeared professionally with the latter team.
Díaz moved to Cruz Azul in 2003. After only one season with the Mexican club, he returned to Argentina to become Alfio Basile's captain in Colón de Santa Fe; he subsequently drew attention from Argentine giants Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate, but as Basile was at that time the former's coach, the player decided to make the move for around US$3 million.
Cata made his debut for Boca in a 4–1 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy, and was a big part in the side's 2005 Apertura-winning campaign, adding the South American Supercup (win over Once Caldas of Colombia) and the South American Cup (defeat of Mexico's Club Universidad Nacional).
In the summer of 2007, Díaz moved to Spain's Getafe CF for €4 million, being a defensive cornerstone from the very beginning as the Madrid outskirts team reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2007–08. During his spell at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez he rarely missed one game when healthy – for instance, in his third season, he appeared in 30 matches (2,700 minutes of action) to help them finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.
On 15 June 2012, at nearly 33, Díaz signed with fellow La Liga side Atlético Madrid for two years and €1 million. He was scarcely used during his only campaign by countryman Diego Simeone and, subsequently, returned to his homeland and Boca.
On 23 July 2016, Díaz returned to Getafe after agreeing to a one-year contract with the Segunda División club.
International career
Díaz made his first appearance with the Argentina national team in 2003, and was called to the 2007 Copa América squad as the nation finished second in Venezuela. On 6 June 2009, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia, he scored his first and only international goal, finding the net in the 57th minute for a 1–0 home win; he would be, however, overlooked for the final stages in South Africa.
Honours
Club
- Argentine Primera División: Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, 2015 Primera División
- Copa Argentina: 2014–15
- Copa Libertadores: 2007
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2005
- Copa Sudamericana: 2005
- Copa del Rey: 2012–13
- UEFA Super Cup: 2012
International
- Copa America: Runner-up 2007