{{short description|Paraguayan footballer}} {{family name hatnote|Cabrera|Báez|lang=Spanish}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Nelson Cabrera | image = | fullname = Nelson David Cabrera Báez | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1983|4|22}} | birth_place = Itauguá, Paraguay | height = {{height|meters=1.91}} | position = Centre back | currentclub = | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Olimpia Asunción | years1 = 2004–2005 | years2 = 2005–2008 | years3 = 2009–2012 | years4 = 2009–2010 | years5 = 2012 | years6 = 2012–2017 | years7 = 2017–2018 | years8 = 2019–2023 | years9 = 2023 | clubs1 = Olimpia Asunción | clubs2 = Cerro Porteño | clubs3 = Colo-Colo | clubs4 = → CFR Cluj (loan) | clubs5 = Chongqing Lifan | clubs6 = Bolívar | clubs7 = Sportivo Luqueño | clubs8 = Always Ready | clubs9 = Nacional Potosí | caps1 = 24 | caps2 = 107 | caps3 = 23 | caps4 = 5 | caps5 = 21 | caps6 = 131 | caps7 = 20 | caps8 = 106 | caps9 = 8 | totalcaps = 445 | goals1 = 0 | goals2 = 18 | goals3 = 1 | goals4 = 0 | goals5 = 5 | goals6 = 12 | goals7 = 2 | goals8 = 15 | goals9 = 0 | totalgoals = 53 | nationalyears1 = 2007 | nationalyears2 = 2016 | nationalteam1 = Paraguay | nationalteam2 = Bolivia | nationalcaps1 = 1 | nationalcaps2 = 5 | nationalgoals1 = 0 | nationalgoals2 = 0 }}
'''Nelson David Cabrera Báez''' ({{IPA|es|nelsondaˈβið kaˈβɾeɾa}};{{efn|In isolation, ''Nelson'' and ''David'' are pronounced {{IPA|es|ˈnelson|}} and {{IPA|es|daˈβið|}} respectively.}} born 22 April 1983) is a former footballer who played as a defender. Born in Paraguay, he represented the Paraguay national football team once in a friendly before naturalizing as a Bolivian citizen and switching to represent Bolivia internationally.
==Career== Cabrera started his career at Olimpia Asunción and moved to rivals Cerro Porteño in 2005. There he won two championships and was team captain from 2007 to 2008. He was then transferred to CSD Colo Colo of Chile for $1,000,000. In the 2009–2010 season he played for CFR Cluj of Romania, where he won the National League and played in the UEFA Europa League.
Cabrera was born and raised in Paraguay and he represented their national team in a friendly match in 2007. However, later in his career he played in Bolivia, gained their nationality and debuted officially for the Bolivia national football team in 2016.<ref>[http://internationalsoccerteams.com/team-news/south-america/baldivieso-names-bolivia-copa-america-centenario-squad/ "Baldivieso names Bolivia Copa America Centenario squad"] (internationalsoccerteams.com)</ref> FIFA regulations required players switching nationalities at the time to have resided in the country for at least five years, but Cabrera only had for four.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elcomercio.com/deportes/nelsoncabrera-nacionalizado-fifa-sancion-bolivia.html|title=¿Quién es Nelson Cabrera?, el jugador por el cual FIFA sancionó a Bolivia |trans-title=Who is Nelson Cabrera ?, the player for whom FIFA sanctioned Bolivia|work=El Comercio|date=1 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=FIFA investigates 'ineligible' Bolivia player in World Cup |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2016/10/07/fifa-investigates-ineligible-bolivia-player-in-world-cup/91726258/ |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> He was subsequently found to be ineligible by FIFA resulting in forfeiture of the preliminary 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification games between Bolivia and Peru on 1 September 2016 and between Chile and Bolivia five days later on 6 September 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2016/m=11/news=bolivia-sanctioned-for-fielding-ineligible-player-2847422.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101173257/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2016/m=11/news=bolivia-sanctioned-for-fielding-ineligible-player-2847422.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 November 2016|title=Bolivia sanctioned for fielding ineligible player|last=FIFA|date=2016-11-01|publisher=FIFA|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-11-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-01 |title=FIFA orders Bolivia to forfeit 2 World Cup qualifiers |url=https://apnews.com/90717cc026f640ae962aad607a0d0011/fifa-orders-bolivia-forfeit-2-world-cup-qualifiers |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=AP News |language=en-US}}</ref> Bolivia appealed the decision of FIFA to their own appeal committee, and then to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It was not disputed that Cabrera was ineligible. However, Bolivia questioned FIFA's right to investigate and argued that a protest must be submitted within an hour of the match in question. Both appeals were dismissed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-29 |title=CAS dismisses the appeals filed by the Bolivian Football Federation |url=https://www.tas-cas.org/en/general-information/news-detail/article/cas-dismisses-the-appeals-filed-by-the-bolivian-football-federation.html |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=www.tas-cas.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 August 2017 |title=CAS confirms sanction against Bolivia for fielding ineligible player |url=https://inside.fifa.com/legal/football-regulatory/news/cas-confirms-sanction-against-bolivia-for-fielding-ineligible-player-2905857 |access-date=July 13, 2024 |website=FIFA.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-29 |title=Boost for Chile as Bolivia lose forfeit appeal |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37531301/bolivia-lose-appeal-ineligible-player-giving-boost-chile |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>
The investigation on Cabrera's eligibility was requested by the Chilean Football Federation; however, this eventually backfired for Chile, as Peru, who also benefitted from the investigation's outcome, would qualify for the intercontinental play-offs against New Zealand, eliminating Chile by merely a narrow goal difference.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nelson Cabrera se burló de la eliminación de Chile al Mundial de Rusia 2018 |url=https://rpp.pe/futbol/eliminatorias/nelson-cabrera-se-burlo-de-la-eliminacion-de-chile-al-mundial-de-rusia-2018-noticia-1082132 |access-date=11 March 2022 |work=Radio Programas del Perú |date=12 October 2017 |language=es}}</ref> That is because Peru got the third valuable point after they lost to Bolivia earlier while Chile, who drew Bolivia, only got two. Cabrera celebrated Chile's elimination by tweeting "God knows what He is doing and His times are perfect," followed by an image indicating that Chile would have qualified to the play-offs had the investigation never occurred.<ref>{{cite web |title=nelson cabrera on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/nelsoncabrera22/status/917948638390865920 |website=Twitter |access-date=11 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nair |first=Rohith |date=October 11, 2017 |title=How a 3-0 'win' saw Chile fail to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/how-3-0-win-chile-fail-qualify-2018-fifa-world-cup |access-date=July 13, 2024 |website=Sportskeeda}}</ref>
Cabrera announced his retirement in March 2024, after his father died.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tras el fallecimiento de su padre, Nelson Cabrera anuncia su retiro del fútbol |url=https://www.lostiempos.com/deportes/futbol/20240325/fallecimiento-su-padre-nelson-cabrera-anuncia-su-retiro-del-futbol |website=Los Tiempos |access-date=11 September 2024 |language=es |date=24 March 2024}}</ref>
==Honours== ;Cerro Porteño * Paraguayan Primera División: 2005 ;Colo-Colo * Chilean Primera División: 2009 Clausura ;CFR Cluj * Romanian League: 2009–10 * Romanian Cup: 2009–10 ;Club Bolivar * Bolivian First Division: 2013 Clausura, 2014 Apertura, 2015 Clausura
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{NFT player|23321}} * {{Soccerway|nelson-david-cabrera/23340}} * {{BDFA|NELSON-DAVID-CABRERA-31345}}
{{Bolivia squad Copa América Centenario}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabrera, Nelson}} Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from Itauguá Category:Footballers from Central Department Category:Bolivian men's footballers Category:21st-century Bolivian sportsmen Category:Bolivia men's international footballers Category:Paraguayan men's footballers Category:Paraguay men's international footballers Category:Paraguayan emigrants to Bolivia Category:Naturalized citizens of Bolivia Category:Dual internationalists (men's football) Category:Bolivian expatriate men's footballers Category:Paraguayan expatriate men's footballers Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Paraguayan Primera División players Category:Chilean Primera División players Category:Bolivian Primera División players Category:Liga I players Category:China League One players Category:Club Olimpia footballers Category:Cerro Porteño players Category:Sportivo Luqueño players Category:Colo-Colo footballers Category:CFR Cluj players Category:Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic F.C. players Category:Club Bolívar players Category:Club Always Ready players Category:C.A. Nacional Potosí players Category:Copa América Centenario players Category:Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Chile Category:Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Romania Category:Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in China Category:Paraguayan expatriate sportspeople in Bolivia <!--until 2016--> Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Chile Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Category:Expatriate men's footballers in China Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Bolivia <!--until 2016--> Category:21st-century Paraguayan sportsmen