Carlos Pavón

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pavón and the second or maternal family name is Plummer.

Carlos Alberto Pavón Plummer (born 9 October 1973) is a Honduran former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is regarded as one of the best Honduran footballers in history, and by most as the nation's greatest player ever.^[1][2]

Carlos Pavón

Pavón with Honduras
Personal information
Full name	Carlos Alberto Pavón Plummer
Date of birth	(1973-10-09) 9 October 1973 (age 51)
Place of birth	El Progreso, Honduras
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1990–1992	Real España Reservas
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1992–1997	Real España	74	(22)
1994–1995	→ Toluca (loan)	17	(7)
1995	→ San Luis (loan)	11	(4)
1996	→ Valladolid (loan)	9	(0)
1996–1997	Correcaminos	20	(14)
1997–1998	Necaxa	25	(7)
1998–2000	Atlético Celaya	57	(34)
2000–2001	Morelia	28	(14)
2001	Udinese	7	(1)
2002–2003	Napoli	12	(0)
2003	Real España	18	(8)
2003–2004	Morelia	16	(6)
2004	Deportivo Cali	14	(3)
2004–2005	Cruz Azul	13	(3)
2005–2006	Comunicaciones	34	(19)
2006–2007	Real España	38	(17)
2007	LA Galaxy	18	(3)
2007–2009	Real España	25	(13)
2009	Necaxa	9	(0)
2009–2013	Real España	54	(21)
Total		488	(196)
International career‡
1993–2010	Honduras	101	(57)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 January 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 June 2010

Most prominently affiliated with Real España, he has made over 200 appearances for Los Aurinegros in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras, and is Honduras' all-time leading national team goalscorer.^[3]

Club career

Born in El Progreso, Yoro, to Blanca Nieves Pavón Macedo and Costa Rican footballer Allard Plummer, Pavón began his career at the age of 18 in his native Honduras with Real España on 30 May 1992 against Platense in the 1992 Honduran Cup,^[4] the final score was 1-1. While with Real España, Pavón won four Honduran league championships, as well as leading the league in scoring.

Mexican years

Pavón then played in Mexico for seven successive years, except for a short stint in Spain. He played for Morelia in the Mexican Primera División, winning the 2000 Clausura with the club. He has also played for Toluca, San Luis, Correcaminos, Necaxa, Cruz Azul, and Celaya, where he led the Mexican Second Division in scoring.

Europe

He has played in Italy in Serie A for both Udinese and Napoli from 2001 to 2003 and in Spain's first division with Real Valladolid (1995).

Major League Soccer

On 19 June 2007, he signed a deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. He scored twice in the away match against New York Red Bulls on 18 August 2007, both coming from David Beckham assists. The match attracted 66,000 fans, the highest attendance ever recorded for a Bulls game. Pavón was waived at the end of the season.

Despite other offers from MLS teams, he went back to Real Club España in Honduras for 2008. After being released, he signed on with the struggling Club Necaxa of the Primera División de México. He made his debut for Necaxa on 1 March 2009 after only one training session with the club. He started the match and assisted both goals in their 2–2 draw with Club Santos Laguna.

After trying his luck at Club Necaxa^[5] he returned to Real España and retired after the 2012 Clausura to become assistant coach at the club as well as a football commentator.^[6]

Career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Honduras			League		Cup		League Cup		North America		Total
1992–93	Real España	Honduran national league	31	10	6	3			2	1	39	14
1993–94			23	4	7	6					30	10
1994–95			3	1							10	7
1995–96			9	1							9	1
1996–97			8	6							8	6
2003–04			18	8							18	8
2006–07			38	17							38	17
2007–08			12	5							17	5
2008–09			13	8							13	8
2009–10			27	14					4	2	31	16
2011–12			27	7					4	3	31	10
Total	Honduras		209	81[7]	13	9			10	6	244	102
Career total			209	81	13	9			10	6	244	102

International career

Pavón made his debut for Honduras in a July 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup match against the USA and has earned a total of 101 caps, scoring a Honduran record 57 goals. He has represented his country in 37 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at the 2008 Summer Olympics and in only 1 game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.^[8]

He also played at the 1995,^[9]1999,^[10] 2001^[11] and 2009 UNCAF Nations Cups^[12] as well as at the 1993,^[13] 1998,^[14] 2000^[15] and 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cups.^[16]

His final international was a June 2010 FIFA World Cup match against Chile. After participating in the World Cup through pain, it was discovered Pavón had a hernia. His future in football was in limbo, as a result of the injury.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	29 November 1995	Santa Ana, El Salvador	Panama	2-0	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 1995
2.	10 December 1995	San Salvador, El Salvador	Guatemala	3-0	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 1995
3.	10 December 1995	San Salvador, El Salvador	Guatemala	3-0	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 1995
4.	24 July 1996	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Panama	1-1	Draw	Friendly
5.	21 August 1996	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2-1	Win	Friendly
6.	25 August 1996	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Cuba	4-0	Win	Friendly
7.	21 September 1996	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Mexico	2-1	Win	World Cup 1998 Qualifier
8.	21 October 1996	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	El Salvador	1-1	Draw	Friendly
9.	17 November 1996	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	11-3	Win	World Cup 1998 Qualifier
10.	1 February 1998	Oakland, United States	Trinidad and Tobago	1-3	Loss	1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
11.	21 March 1999	San José Costa Rica	Costa Rica	1-0	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 1999
12.	26 March 1999	San José Costa Rica	Costa Rica	2-1	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 1999
13.	21 May 1999	Miami, United States	Haiti	2-0	Win	Friendly
14.	21 May 1999	Miami, United States	Haiti	2-0	Win	Friendly
15.	9 February 2000	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	El Salvador	5-1	Win	Friendly
16.	12 February 2000	Miami, United States	Jamaica	2-0	Win	2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
17.	16 February 2000	Miami, United States	Colombia	2-0	Win	2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
18.	19 February 2000	Miami, United States	Peru	3-5	Loss	2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup
19.	7 May 2000	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Panama	3-1	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
20.	7 May 2000	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Panama	3-1	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
21.	3 June 2000	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Haiti	4-0	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
22.	16 July 2000	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	5-2	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
23.	16 July 2000	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	5-2	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
24.	16 August 2000	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	6-0	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
25.	16 August 2000	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	6-0	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
26.	2 September 2000	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	El Salvador	5-0	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
27.	2 September 2000	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	El Salvador	5-0	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
28.	2 September 2000	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	El Salvador	5-0	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
29.	23 May 2001	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Nicaragua	10-2	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 2001
30.	23 May 2001	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Nicaragua	10-2	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 2001
31.	23 May 2001	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Nicaragua	10-2	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 2001
32.	16 June 2001	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago	4-2	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
33.	20 June 2001	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Mexico	3-1	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
34.	20 June 2001	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Mexico	3-1	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
35.	20 June 2001	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Mexico	3-1	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
36.	1 September 2001	Washington, D.C., United States	United States	2-1	Win	World Cup 2002 Qualifier
37.	2 May 2002	Kobe, Japan	Japan	3-3	Draw	2002 Kirin Cup
38.	2 May 2002	Kobe, Japan	Japan	3-3	Draw	2002 Kirin Cup
39.	28 April 2004	Fort Lauderdale, United States	Ecuador	1-1	Draw	Friendly
40.	19 June 2004	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Netherlands Antilles	4-0	Win	World Cup 2006 Qualification
41.	19 April 2007	La Ceiba, Honduras	Haiti	1-3	Loss	Friendly
42.	25 May 2007	Mérida, Venezuela	Venezuela	1-2	Loss	Friendly
43.	13 June 2007	Houston, United States	Cuba	5-0	Win	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
44.	13 June 2007	Houston, United States	Cuba	5-0	Win	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
45.	13 June 2007	Houston, United States	Cuba	5-0	Win	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
46.	13 June 2007	Houston, United States	Cuba	5-0	Win	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
47.	17 June 2007	Houston, United States	Guadeloupe	1-2	Loss	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
48.	18 January 2009	Miami, United States	Chile	2-0	Win	Friendly
49.	26 January 2009	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	El Salvador	2-0	Win	UNCAF Nations Cup 2009
50.	28 March 2009	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago	1-1	Draw	World Cup 2010 Qualification
51.	1 April 2009	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Mexico	3-1	Win	World Cup 2010 Qualification
52.	10 June 2009	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	El Salvador	1-0	Win	World Cup 2010 Qualification
53.	12 August 2009	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Costa Rica	4-0	Win	World Cup 2010 Qualification
54.	5 September 2009	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Trinidad and Tobago	4-1	Win	World Cup 2010 Qualification
55.	5 September 2009	San Pedro Sula, Honduras	Trinidad and Tobago	4-1	Win	World Cup 2010 Qualification
56.	14 October 2009	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	1-0	Win	World Cup 2010 Qualification
57.	23 January 2010	Carson, United States	United States	3-1	Win	Friendly
Correct as of 7 October 2015[17]

Personal life

He is the son of Costa Rican Allard Plummer, who played for Marathón in the 1970s^[18] and Blanca Nieves Pavón Macedo. He is married to Emy Diana James de Pavón and they have two sons, Carlos and André.^[19] His son Carlos Alberto Plummer James was enlisted by Real España in 2011.^[20]

Pavón also tried his luck on the music scene, but without major success. He was selected by UNICEF to for their campaign to prevent violence against women.^[21]

Honours

Real Espana

• Liga Profesional de Honduras: 1993–94, 2003–04 A, 2006–07 C, 2010–11 A
• Honduran Cup: 1992

Monarcas Morelia

• Liga MX: Invierno 2000

Honduras

• Copa Centroamericana: 1993, 1995

Individual

• Honduras Medal Of Order: 1994
• Mexico Primera División A Verano Top Scorer: 1997 (shared with Ángel Lemus)
• Liga Nacional de Honduras Golden Boot: 2006–07 C
• CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Boot: 2007
• CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Star Team: 2007
• Honduran Footballer of the Year: 2009
• IFFHS Most Popular Player Award: 2009

Records

• Honduras All-time Top Scorer: 58 goals
• Real España All-time Top Scorer: 72 goals

See also

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps