Walter Centeno
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Wálter Centeno Corea | ||
| Date of birth | 6 October 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Palmar Sur, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Compañeros de Tibás | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2002 | Saprissa | 152 | (18) |
| 1995–1996 | → Belén (loan) | 52 | (3) |
| 2002–2003 | AEK Athens | 14 | (2) |
| 2003–2012 | Saprissa | 251 | (47) |
| 2013 | Bayamón | 11 | (3) |
| Total | 480 | (72) | |
| National team | |||
| 1995–2009 | Costa Rica | 137 | (24) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2015– | Puntarenas | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Wálter Centeno Corea (born 6 October 1974) is a retired Costa Rican football midfielder who is one of Costa Rica's best players during the 2000s.
He had sublime vision and passing skills. He also had good dribbling abilities, great technique and a top eye for goal. He was a regular member of the national team. He holds the record for appearances with the Costa Rican national team, having gained 137 caps (135 FIFA official caps) and scored 24 goals along the way.
Nicknamed Paté, Centeno started his career at Saprissa, who loaned him out to Belén for whom he would make his professional debut on 4 February 1995 against Alajuelense. He scored his first goal on 3 September 1995 for Belén against Turrialba. He earned his nickname in his childhood due to his love for eating pate's.
After 7 years at Saprissa he had a short spell abroad when he moved to AEK Athens of Greece. While playing for AEK, he participated in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage managing to score in the team's away home draws against Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (2–2) and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico (1–1). He however returned to Saprissa after one season in Europe.
He was named the Best player of the 2003–04 Costa Rican season by the Costa Rican sports media, after scoring 9 goals while orchestrating Saprissa's offense, helping the team to win the league.
With Saprissa, he has won 10 national championships and 1 CONCACAF Champions Cup, won the title with a 3–2 aggregate win over Mexico's UNAM Pumas in the final, and was part of the team that played the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup, where Saprissa finished third behind São Paulo and Liverpool. His appearance at this tournament was considered as outstanding by FIFA experts.
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