Claudio Bravo Chilean Footballer From Loncoche

Early life

Claudio Andrés Bravo Muñoz was born on 13 April 1983 and went to school at the Liceo Polivalente Juan Gómez Millas. His father noticed his early ability in goal and took him to the youth academy of Colo-Colo, the Santiago club where he would begin his professional career. While playing there he also studied physical activity at a technical level at the University of the Americas, alongside several of his team-mates.

Career

Bravo made his professional debut for Colo-Colo in 2002 and was nicknamed Cóndor Chico after a former goalkeeper of the club, Roberto Rojas. By mid-2003 he had taken over as first choice and he held the position afterwards. His first title came in 2006, when he made an acrobatic save in the penalty shootout of the Apertura final against Universidad de Chile.

In 2006 he moved to Real Sociedad in Spain on a five-year contract. After a first season in which he claimed the starting place, the club was relegated, and he spent the following seasons in the second division. He shared the Zamora Trophy for the 2008-09 Segunda División campaign, and the club returned to the top flight in 2010. He made 237 official appearances for Real Sociedad in total.

Barcelona signed him in June 2014 for a reported fee of 12 million euros, and he succeeded Víctor Valdés as the first-choice goalkeeper. In his opening season he went 754 minutes of league play without conceding, a record for the club, and he won the Zamora Trophy as La Liga's best goals-against average. Barcelona won the league, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League that year, and Bravo was named goalkeeper of the La Liga Team of the Season. The cups were mostly played by Marc-André ter Stegen, but Bravo kept clean sheets in the Club World Cup matches in Japan in 2015.

In August 2016 he joined Manchester City for a reported 17 million pounds. His first months were difficult and he lost his place in early 2017, but he returned to prominence in the League Cup, saving penalties in shootouts and starting the 2018 final against Arsenal, a 3-0 win that was his first trophy with the club. He left when his contract ended in August 2020 and signed with Real Betis, where he won the Copa del Rey in 2021-22. On 26 August 2024 he announced his retirement from professional football.

For Chile, Bravo played at youth levels and made his senior debut on 11 July 2004 against Paraguay at the Copa América. He later became captain, and he played at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups and at seven Copa América tournaments, ending his career with 150 appearances, the third most in the national team's history. In October 2014 he passed Leonel Sánchez as Chile's most capped player, and in March 2016 he became the first Chilean to reach 100 caps.

Recognition

As captain, Bravo led Chile to the Copa América titles in 2015 and 2016, the country's first major international honours. He saved penalties in both finals, against Argentina, and was named to the team of the tournament both times. At the 2017 Confederations Cup he saved all three penalties in the semi-final shootout against Portugal and won the Golden Glove as the competition's best goalkeeper. He was also voted Chilean Sportsman of the Year in 2015.

Public roles

In March 2025, Bravo signed with ESPN Chile as a football commentator.