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| Salom (R) in action for Union Española |
According to multiple sources in Chile, Union Espanõla forward Carlos Salom has been called up to the Palestinian national team for their upcoming qualifiers against the United Arab Emirates and Timor Leste.
More after the jump…
The Argentine-born forward was the second leading scorer during the Apertura stage notching 9 goals over the 15 game stanza. Over a two month period in 2015, El Turco went on a tear scoring 10 goals in 13 games in league and cup competitions. For the season, Salom has 10 league goals in 22 games and an additional 5 goals in the Copa Chile over 10 games- with an average of a goal every 167 minutes.
When asked how the call up came about Salom stated:
“I had asked members of my family and discovered that my great-grandparents were from Palestine. I reached out to find out how I could go about getting citizenship and got the necessary documents needed to play. I was very lucky that everything was processed quickly. This is something extra to enjoy. I will enjoy the remaining games with Union Española before traveling to Palestine. I never thought I would get a chance to play at this level but I am taking it within stride.”
The 28 year old striker got his professional start at Sacashipas in 2005 in Argenina’s Primera C before moving to Spain where he spent a year with Rayo Vallecano. The next four years saw the Buenos Aires born forward bounce around- spending a year in the Peruvian top flight with Cienciano and returning to the Primera C eventually winning the league and the golden boot with Barracas Central in 2010-11.
Salom’s goals got him a chance in Argentina’s Primera- first with Olimpio in 2010-11 and then All Boys the following season before joining Concepción in Chile’s second tier.
Two years ago, Palestine qualified for the Asian Cup without an out-and-out forward in the side riding the attacking prowess of playmakers Ashraf Nu’man and Abdelhamid Abuhabib (who scored all of Palestine’s six goals in the final stage) to the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup title.
Salom’s style is similar to that of Ahamd Abu Nahyeh. Neither striker is particularly tall but both can cause havoc with their work rates, darting runs, and finishing ability.
