20 of Our Favorite Celebrities from Paraguay
A lot of people have the misconception that celebrities often come from a background that’s as star-studded as they themselves. However, that is simply not always the case. As a matter of fact, celebrities really are just like everyone else. They come from all walks of life and their celebrity status can come in many different forms.
Have you ever thought about your favorite celebrity and wondered where they’re from? Perhaps you have a strong love for a particular country and you’re wondering which celebrities call that country home. In this particular case, you have the chance to find out more about 20 celebrities who are from Paraguay. If you have a love for this South American country that is home to more than 7.1 million people, why not peruse this list and see if anyone you recognize is on i? They’re listed from number 20 to number one, but when it really comes down to it, they’re all winners in our book.
20. Clara Sosa
She is a young model with a promising career, one that has already allowed her to explore many parts of the world that she only dreamed of as a child. She first achieved her fame by competing in beauty competitions. That eventually led to her landing an agent and beginning a career as a professional model. Originally from Paraguay’s capital city, Asuncion, she now spends her days participating in photoshoots or walking runways all over the world.
19. Veronica Cepede Royg
She’s been playing tennis since she was just five years old. She never really anticipated becoming a famous tennis player and she doesn’t come from a family of celebrities. As a matter of fact, her father owns a gas station and her mother worked in a dentist’s office. She has a sister who became an architect. She is simply a child who fell in love with playing tennis and she demonstrated the drive and the determination to stay with it until she became one of the world’s best tennis players. She is currently ranked among the top 200 players in the entire world, a ranking she achieved as recently as December of last year.
18. Cristian Riveros
Riveros plays football for the national team in Paraguay and has recently been named as the most expensive player that has ever played in the country. His talent definitely makes him one of the most revered players in the game as well. As a matter of fact, he’s responsible for no less than 99 caps for this team alone. He also played in two FIFA games, the first in 2005 and the second in 2010.
17. Carlos Gamarra
It probably won’t come as much of a surprise that a lot of footballers end up being on this list, especially when you consider how important the game is in Paraguay and how many of those top echelon players are considered bona fide celebrities. In this particular case, you’re talking about someone who was born in 1971. He plays center back for the national team and has been a team captain for a number of years. He was also named footballer of the year twice, in both 1997 and 1998. Clearly, he continues to hone his skills and guide younger players who are coming up through the ranks as well.
16. Augusto Roa Bastos
A gifted writer, he wrote the books “I, the Supreme” and “Son of Man.” The former is considered to be the culmination of his life’s work, but long after he had written it, “Son of Man” also became quite important to readers. In addition, he worked as a journalist and wrote a number of poems and even several plays, although he ultimately chose not to publish any of them. One of the things that influenced his writing was his time spent as a hospital orderly during the Chaco War. He used the atrocities that he saw there to influence his writing. In fact, many people attribute his raw emotion and vulnerability as a writer to his time spent working as an orderly.
15. Antolin Alcaraz
A rather gifted player who plays center back, Alcaraz had a few distinct struggles during his earlier years as a footballer. As opposed to staying with a team long enough to come into his own, he would routinely play for one season or so and then move on to another team. Eventually, he started to gain a reputation as someone who couldn’t be relied upon to stay the course. Fortunately, he realized that he needed to do things differently if he was going to remain a professional footballer and he joined Club Olimpia. Since then, he has truly found his home and he has become one of the most widely respected players in the game, as well as in Paraguay itself.
14. Fernando Lugo
It’s not really that often that a politician reaches true celebrity status, but this particular individual did manage to accomplish exactly that. In addition to his efforts in politics, he’s also widely been regarded as a popular cleric, specifically a Catholic priest. He’s also a well noted sociologist. Perhaps his most important claim to fame is the fact that as a politician, he has been able to unite people throughout the country as opposed to divide it, something that most politicians never manage to do successfully. Most people believe that it is his humility and his wide range of experiences that allowed him to do this.
13. Justo Villar
His record stands for itself. Over the course of 22 seasons, he played in three World Cups and no less than seven Copa America tournaments. He was widely regarded as one of the most valuable players in the sport on more than 100 occasions (120 to be exact). He played throughout Argentina and Chile as a goalkeeper. However, it was in Paraguay that he truly found his home. He also became one of the most well-loved footballers to ever play for the country.
12. Raul Babadilla
Although he has played football for other teams, he was never more happy than to come home to Paraguay. Being the son of parents from Paraguay, he was readily welcomed with open arms. Throughout his entire career he has played as a striker or winger and he’s made it to the international level on several different occasions. These days, he is widely regarded as one of the best senior players in the game and his skill as a footballer is still revered throughout the country.
11. Nelson Haedo Valdez
He hasn’t played football since 2021, but while he did, he was one of the best strikers in the game. As a matter of fact, he played for more than 20 years and was awarded for his abilities on numerous separate occasions. He also became a popular celebrity because of his personable, approachable nature. He was someone that loved to talk to people almost as much as he loved to play the game. As such, he quickly became a favorite among fans and among other players as well.
10. Larissa Riquelme
She’s both a model and actress who only came on the scene as recently as 2010. As a matter of fact, it was during that Year’s FIFA World Cup that she appeared on a commercial as a model and since that time, her popularity has taken off. She continues to model to this day and as previously mentioned, she also appears in a number of acting roles. She even has the distinction of being one of the most searched people on the internet.
9. Ana Lucrecia Taglioretti
This is the sad story of a gifted young musical prodigy who was born three months premature and was also blind. She started playing the piano at the age of five, then proved her talent as a singer and eventually settled with playing the violin. She was so gifted that even though she was only 19 years of age, she was invited to play with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Paraguay. She continued to play for them until her death at just 25 years of age. Unfortunately, her family was found to have a history of undiagnosed heart conditions and it is believed that she suddenly fell victim to such a condition while she was alone in her apartment. She is still much loved and missed to this very day.
8. Juan Iturbe
A native of Paraguay and from a family of individuals native to the country, Iturbe has long been considered one of Paraguay’s most influential footballers. As a matter of fact, people throughout the country have a tendency to love him because of his passion as much as anything else. In reality, he may not be considered the most skilled footballer that’s ever played for the country, but he has a certain magnetism about him that makes people truly fall in love with him.
7. Oscar Cardozo
He plays as a striker for the national team and is widely considered to be one of the most effective players in the game. As a matter of fact, he scored almost 200 points in a single game back in 2007. This is what first put him on the radar for the national team in Paraguay. Despite the fact that several years have passed, he doesn’t seem to have lost his ability to get the ball in the goal with lightning quick speed, not to mention accuracy that’s practically second to none.
6. Horacio Cartes
There may not be a lot of people involved in politics on this list, but there are a few, including this individual. As a matter of fact, he was actually president of the country from 2013 through 2018. Aside from that, he’s long been regarded as one of the most influential business professionals in the country. He has roughly 24 businesses that are currently in operation. One of them is a tobacco business that is regarded as the largest business of its type in the entire country.
5. Silvana Lopez Moreira
For the last four years, she has been the First Lady of Paraguay. As part of her duties, she routinely makes public appearances, usually for an important cause. As a direct result of her efforts, she has endeared herself to the people of Paraguay. Over the course of the last few years, her popularity has shot through the roof, making her one of the most beloved people in the entire country.
4. Francisco Solano Lopez
Some people become famous for the right reasons and others are more infamous than they are famous. This particular individual would definitely fall into the latter category. He started one of the biggest wars of his time, the War of the Triple Alliance. Despite the fact that he was president of the country more than 100 years ago, in 1870, he is still talked about today. It’s also worth noting that his father was actually the first president Paraguay ever had. Even though he isn’t so widely loved, he is still widely known.
3. Jose Luis Chilavert
He’s retired now, but prior to that he was one of the most famous footballers playing for the national team. People in Paraguay still love him, as he possessed both the skill and the personality to become a true celebrity in his own right.
2. Alfredo Stroessner
Here’s another one that fits into the infamous category. He was actually a dictator in Paraguay, from 1954 all the way until 1989. The people eventually got tired of his antics and overthrew him, forcing him into exile. He died in Brazil after spending 17 years there. He is still quite famous, but for all the wrong reasons.
1. Roque Santa Cruz
He’s often considered among the very best players to have ever existed. He holds the record for goals scored, having scored more than 100 caps for the national team. Considering his skill and the love that people have for football in Paraguay, he is often considered one of the most popular celebrities in the entire country.
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