Fredy Alejandro GuarÃÂn Vásquez (born 30 June 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder.
He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell in Argentina, and played two years in France with Saint-ÃÂtienne. He made a name for himself with Porto in Portugal, where he spent four seasons and won ten major titles, including three Primeira Liga championships and the 2011 Europa League.
GuarÃÂn represented Colombia at the 2011 Copa América and the 2014 World Cup.
GuarÃÂn was born in Puerto Boyacá. In 2005, already a regular for Envigado F.C. and the Colombian under-20 national team, he joined Boca Juniors of the Argentine Primera División, where he spent the first six months in the youth team. Upon completion of his loan the Buenos Aires-based club attempted to sign him on a permanent basis, but he instead chose to go on loan to AS Saint-ÃÂtienne in August 2006.
GuarÃÂn made his debut for the French side scoring twice in a friendly against RCD Espanyol, and gradually fought his way into the starting lineup as the season closed. He first appeared in the Ligue 1 on 14 October 2006 against Olympique Lyonnais, and scored his first goal in a 3âÂÂ1 victory over Troyes AC. In April 2007, the deal was made permanent for four years.
On 10 July 2008, GuarÃÂn agreed a four-year contract with Primeira Liga club FC Porto for an undisclosed fee. Portuguese under-21 international Paulo Machado went the opposite direction, on loan. During his spell he was used mainly as a substitute, but managed to appear regularly; arguably, his most important goal came on 16 May 2010 as the team renewed their Taça de Portugal title, defeating G.D. Chaves 2âÂÂ1.
In 2010âÂÂ11, even after the departure of Raul Meireles to Liverpool, GuarÃÂn initially struggled to make Porto's starting XI. He was, however, a very important midfield element for the eventual national champions, playing more than 40 official games and scoring ten goals, including five in the Europa League campaign, which also ended in conquest.
GuarÃÂn joined Inter Milan on 31 January 2012 for â¬1.5 million, on loan, with the player replacing Paris Saint-Germain FC-bound Thiago Motta. The Italians also had an option to make the move permanent for â¬13.5 million in June.
On 17 May 2012, a permanent deal was arranged, but for â¬11 million. GuarÃÂn scored his first official goal for the Nerazzurri on 30 August, in a 2âÂÂ2 home draw against FC Vaslui in the Europa League (4âÂÂ2 on aggregate). In the group stage of the same competition, he provided all three assists in a 3âÂÂ1 defeat of Neftchi Baku PFC.
Again in the Europa League, on 21 February 2013, GuarÃÂn scored twice in a 3âÂÂ0 away win over CFR Cluj (5âÂÂ0 on aggregate) to help Inter make it through to the last 16. In the January 2014 transfer window, he was supposed to move to Juventus FC in exchange for Mirko VuÃÂiniÃÂ, but the deal ultimately fell through after the clubs could not reach an agreement. He declared he would not return if he was not allowed to leave, but eventually he reconsidered; it was later reported that he simply wanted to clarify his future with the club, stating that he never asked to leave and that he was confused as to why the situation was created.
On 25 March 2014, GuarÃÂn agreed to extend his contract until 2017. On 14 September, as a second-half replacement, he scored in a 7âÂÂ0 home win against U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. At the start of the 2014âÂÂ15 season, he began being used by manager Walter Mazzarri as a second striker.
On 7 December 2014, in his 100th appearance for Inter, GuarÃÂn assisted Mauro Icardi in the 44th minute of an eventual 1âÂÂ2 home defeat to Udinese Calcio. On 16 February of the following year, he scored twice after winning a first-minute penalty kick in a 4âÂÂ1 victory at Atalanta BC, helping his team to secure the first away win in the league since December 2014.
On 26 January 2016, GuarÃÂn joined Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C. in the Chinese Super League for a reported â¬11 million fee plus bonuses. On 26 September 2019, the 33-year-old free agent moved to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with CR Vasco da Gama.
GuarÃÂn agreed to a one-year deal at Millonarios F.C. on 31 December 2020, again on a free transfer.
On 24 May 2006, GuarÃÂn made his international debut for Colombia, in a pre-World Cup friendly against Ecuador. He represented the nation at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2011 Copa América.
GuarÃÂn was selected by José Pekerman for his 2014 World Cup squad. He played his first game in the tournament on 24 June after the national team had already won its first two group matches, featuring the full 90 minutes in a 4âÂÂ1 win against Japan which was also his 49th cap; he earned his 50th four days later, coming on as a late substitute to help oust Uruguay 2âÂÂ0 in the round of 16.
On 10 May 2015, whilst at the service of Inter, GuarÃÂn suffered a muscular injury to his right leg, being ruled out of the Copa América.
A versatile player, GuarÃÂn was a strong, fast and creative attacking midfielder, who could also play in the centre, in a holding role or on the right flank. He was capable of shooting from long-range with both feet, and of acting as a playmaker in midfield.
In 2013, GuarÃÂn's Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni described him as "...an extraordinary player who combines physicality with technique in an incredible way. He is also an important element in the locker room."
During an interview in May 2024, GuarÃÂn admitted that he struggled with alcoholism.
Porto
Shanghai Shenhua