Having first earned his place in the Libertad side under Gerardo Martino, midfielder Victor Caceres has gone on to become a feature of the coach’s Paraguay squads and will be an important member of the side that runs out at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

Starting his career with Atlantida, one of the lesser lights of Paraguayan football, Caceres was signed at the age of 18 by big guns Libertad, making his first division debut under the Argentinian Martino in the 2006 Apertura. Eighteen months later came his promotion to the national side, once again at the hand of the current Albirroja coach, who pitched him into the starting line-up for the opening South Africa 2010 qualifying match against Peru.

By the end of the campaign he had made 12 appearances, only one of them from the bench, also making the squad on two other occasions. As that record suggests, he had become an integral member of the midfield in a very short space of time, patrolling his beat effectively and battling hard for possession at every opportunity.

He was joined in the team by his younger brother Marcos, who plays at centre-half for Racing Club in Argentina but is currently out of action after suffering a serious knee ligament injury.

A permanent fixture for Libertad in recent seasons, Caceres cemented his reputation as one of the side’s star performers when he scored twice in the 2007 championship decider against Sportivo Luqueno. The following year he helped the Asuncion giants lift the Apertura and Clausura titles.