Carlos Ruiz

Carlos Humberto Ruiz Gutierrez (born 15 September 1979), initially nicknamed El Pescadito or "The Little Fish" but later became El Pescado or "The Fish" (even by Spanish-speakers), is a Guatemalan former professional footballer. A product of CSD Municipal's youth academy, Ruiz has played for five MLS clubs (Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas, Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union, and D.C. United), scoring 88 goals in 182 MLS regular-season matches and 16 goals in the post-season, which is the second most post-season goals in MLS history. In 2002, he was named the MLS's Most Valuable Player of the season.

He was a member of the Guatemalan national team from 1998 to 2016. He is regarded to be the greatest Guatemalan footballer of all time. He served as captain, is the player with the most caps and is the all-time top scorer of the Guatemala national team. He played in five World Cup qualification phases and in September 2016, he became the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualification with 39 goals, although his country never qualified for the tournament.

In 2019, Ruiz worked for a television channel in Miami.

Club Career

Early career (1995–2002)

Ruiz, born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, started his footballing career in local club San Carlos. At the age of 12, he joined the youth divisions of Club Social y Deportivo CSD Municipal, and at 16, he made his professional debut. He became a starter for Municipal and a young star in the Guatemalan league until 2000, when he traveled to Europe to play for a short time alongside compatriot Guillermo Ramirez at Greek club PAS Giannina. After a stint with PAS, he returned to Municipal.

LA Galaxy (2002–2005)

In January 2002, Ruiz signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Карлос Руис (russian)