Mario Yepes

Mario Yepes is a Colombian footballer who currently plays as a defender for the top-flight Italian club AC Milan. He was born on 13 January 1976 in Cali, Colombia.

In his younger days Mario captured ins and outs of football at Cortuluá between 1994 and 1997. He was initially deployed as a forward, being converted to a sweeper then. But his career really picked up steam at his hometown club Deportivo Cali where a highly promising young footballer moved in 1997. He became the Colombian champion twice with the club.

In 1999, Yepes joined an Argentine side River Plate and soon became a pillar of the team as he helped the club to win the Apertura and the Clausura championships in 1999 and 2000.

One of the main targets of several European clubs in the transfer period, the Colombian player opted for a French side FC Nantes Atlantique in the winter 2002. There he scored two goals in 73 appearances during a two-year stint at the club.

In 2004, a crafty centre back moved to a top-flight club Paris Saint-Germain. He was even nicknamed Super Mario for his outstanding playing abilities helping his team to win the French Cup in 2006 and the French League Cup in 2008. Overall, Yepes amasses 115 games for four decent seasons at PSG, scoring a total of 8 goals.

In 2008, Yepes left for Italy to join Chievo where he shone in 63 games during the two-year spell for the Flying Donkeys.

In the 2010/11 season, he signed for AC Milan to provide a first-choice defensive cover for the club. Yepes scored gis maiden goal for Milan in a match against Lecce in October 2011. That was the fourth and winning goal in the closing moments of the game which secured Milan a 4-3 victory.

Mario Yepes is a regular international for the Colombia national team since 1999. As of September 2012, he already played 85 games for the squad.