Experts said it would be impossible to replace a man who, quite aside from his goalkeeping talent, was one of the biggest personalities in Guaraní football. Fortunately for Paraguay, they now have in Justo Villar a man more than capable of filling his shoes. A gifted shot-stopper, he made his debut in the Paraguayan first division with Sol de America before moving to Argentina, where he is considered one of the league’s finest keepers.

As a boy, Villar alternated between goalkeeping and goalscoring before deciding to emulate his father, a keen amateur keeper, by choosing a career between the sticks. His decision proved a wise one as he carved out a reputation as his country’s finest goalkeeper, earning himself a move to Argentina, one of South America’s toughest leagues.

Villar was first selected for the Paraguay national team for a friendly tournament held in Guatemala in mid-1999. His coach at the time was none other than Ever Almeida, a living legend in Paraguayan goalkeeping and Villar’s boyhood hero. However, Villar was kept in the shadows by Chilavert and Ricardo Tavarelli until the appointment of Anibal Ruiz, who handed the youngster his golden opportunity during the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers.

Throughout the qualifying phase, the footballing press rated Villar as one of the most consistent keepers around, tipping him as one to watch at Germany 2006. Not bad for a man who once had to choose between studying building design and the beautiful game. In the end, architecture’s loss turned out to be football’s gain, as anybody who has seen his speed across the ground and lightning reflexes will testify.

Among his fellow keepers, Villar has always admired Peter Schmeichel, Colombia’s Oscar Cordoba and fellow Paraguayan Chilavert, whom he describes as “a keeper with excellent technique and a massive personality, something he transmitted throughout the team”. Villar considers himself as a goalkeeper who “tries to do things as simply as possible to avoid getting into trouble” - a trait he says inspires confidence in his team-mates.

As well as establishing himself as Paraguay’s undisputed number one, Villar also helped his Argentine side Newell’s Old Boys win the Apertura title in 2004/05. With the Albirroja having reached the last 16 at both France 98 and Korea/Japan 2002, Paraguayan fans will be hoping to go even further at Germany 2006 with the talented Villar as their last line of defence.