Willy Topp

Willy Adolfo Topp Bravo (born 4 March 1986), commonly known as Willy Topp or sometimes Billy Topp, is a Chilean footballer who played as striker. His last club was the Belgian side Royal Racing Football Club Montegnée. Topp has also been involved with the youth levels of Chile's national set-up.

Willy Topp
Personal information
Full name Willy Adolfo Topp Bravo
Date of birth (1986-03-04) 4 March 1986
Place of birth Temuco, Chile
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
1998–2003 Universidad Católica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2007 Universidad Católica 7 (0)
2005 → Temuco (loan) 3 (0)
2006 → Puerto Montt (loan) 3 (0)
2007–2008 Bradford City 13 (0)
2009 Jumilla CF 2 (0)
2010 Royal Montegnée 3 (1)
Total 31 (1)
National team‡
2003–2005 Chile U-17 4 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01:56, 3 January 2010 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:40, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Topp started his career in his homeland with Universidad Católica, where he first played at the age of 16. He featured for them in the Milk Cup international youth tournament in 2003 and appeared on loan with other Chilean sides Temuco and Puerto Montt. In 2007, he joined Bradford City in England's League Two, but he played just 13 games in little more than a year, before he was released from his contract six months early. He spent a brief time playing semi-professionally with Jumilla Club de Fútbol in the Spanish Tercera División Group 13 before moving to Royal Montegnée.

Club career

Universidad Católica

Born in Temuco, Chile, on 4 March 1986,[1] Topp's football career started with Universidad Católica in his native Chile at the age of 11.[1] In the 2002–03 season, he scored 23 goals in 28 games with Católica's youth team, helping the under-20 side become champions and earning him a call up to Chile's squad for the South American under-17 tournament.[2][3] Later in the year, he was selected to play for Católica in the Milk Cup international youth tournament in Northern Ireland, where the team came third.[1][4] As a result of his performances in the tournament, Topp was invited to train with English side Manchester City. However, because he was not 18, he was unable to remain with the club and returned to Chile.[1]

Topp first played for the Católica's senior teams at the age of just 16 in a friendly against Santiago Morning.[1] He also had loan spells at Deportivo Temuco in 2005,[5] where he suffered a broken metatarsal injury,[6] and Club de Deportes Puerto Montt in 2006. He also came on as a substitute for Diego Maradona for the final four minutes of a charity match contested between Católica and Chile in February 2006.[7] After his contract with Católica expired, Topp decided to leave the club and attempt to sign for a European club taking advantage of his EU passport.[8]

Bradford City

Topp was due to sign for Belgian side Royal Racing Football Club Montegnée but instead returned to England in September 2007 for a trial with League Two side Bradford City as part of a deal between the two sides.[9][10] After scoring in his first trial game for the reserves against Coventry City on 19 September,[11] manager Stuart McCall decided to buy Topp. His protracted move took nearly three months to complete, after first a disagreement between Bradford and his former club Católica,[12][13] then a hold-up with the English Football Association,[14] before Topp was signed for £35,000 on 11 December 2007—the first time City had paid money for a player since Andy Tod in 2001.[15] Topp made his Bradford debut as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Hereford United on 29 December 2007.[16] His first start came a month later when he made one goal and nearly scored another as Bradford defeated Shrewsbury Town 4–2.[17] It was the first of four successive games in all of which he was substituted during the second half before he was diagnosed with the muscle-tightening condition posterior compartment syndrome.[18] In March 2008, Topp visited a medical specialist to prepare for an operation on his thigh, so that he could be ready for the 2008–09 pre-season.[19]

Topp went back home to Chile during the summer and returned to play in a number of pre-season friendlies but was an unused substitute for Bradford's first home league game of the season against Notts County,[20][21] and was left out of the side three days later against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup after his representatives said he wanted to leave the club. Topp held talks with manager Stuart McCall and told him he wanted to stay with the club.[22] Topp subsequently came on as a late substitute in a 2–0 victory against Macclesfield Town the following day.[23] He made only one more appearance as substitute before he was released from his contract six months early, in December 2008, to let him find a new club.[24] He played a total 13 games for Bradford, starting six, without scoring.[25]

Jumilla CF

In August 2009, after eight months out of the game, Topp joined Jumilla Club de Fútbol, a side playing in Tercera División Group 13, part of the fourth tier of Spanish football. He made his debut for Jumilla on 14 September against CD Plus Ultra when he came on as a second-half substitute during a 3–0 victory.[26] He started the following game to help his new side defeat CD Beniel 5–0.[27]

Royal Montegnée

In January 2010, Topp left Jumilla to return to Belgian side Royal Montegnée where he had previously been registered as a player before moving to Bradford City.[28] Topp made his debut for Montegnee in a 4–0 victory against Oreye on 7 March, but had a poor game reported to be because of a poor selection of boots.[29] Later the same month, Topp was sent off during a 3–1 victory,[30] but the following weekend scored his first goal for Montegnée in another 3–1 win.[31]

International career

Topp was involved in the senior Chile national team set up in 2003 and 2004 under the management of Juvenal Olmos,[32] and has represented his country at under-17 level,[1] once scoring a hat-trick in a game against Paraguay in September 2002.[33] In 2003, he was in Chile's under-17 squad to play in the South American under-17 tournament.[3] Chile failed to qualify for the FIFA World Championships in Finland later the same year, in the tournament. In December 2004, Topp scored against Uruguay for the under-20 side in a preparation game for a tournament in Colombia the following year.[34] However, he was left out of his country's final squad for the tournament,[35] and for the subsequent squad for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in The Netherlands.

Playing statistics
Updated to 3 January 2010.[25]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Universidad Católica
Temuco (loan)
Puerto Montt (loan)
Bradford City 2007–08 110000000110
2008–09 2000000020
Total 130000000130
Jumilla Club de Fútbol 2009–10
Royal Racing Football Club Montegnée 2009–10
Career totals 130000000130

Honours

Club
Universidad Católica
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References
  1. "Willy Topp" (in Spanish). Universidad Catolica. Archived from the original on 2006-02-08. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
  2. (in Spanish) "Juveniles de UC apilan coronas". El Mercurio. 2002-12-15. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  3. "Willy Topp, una de las promesas chilenas para el Sudamericano sub 17" (in Spanish). Cooperativa. 2003-04-28. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  4. "2003 Premier results". Northern Ireland Milk Cup. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
  5. "Willy Topp, el Sub 20 bajado pa' Colombia: "Soy superior a muchos de los jugadores"". La Cuarta (in Spanish). 2005-02-10. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  6. (in Spanish) El Mercurio (2005-03-25). "Club X Club". Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  7. "Diego Maradona jug 40 minutos en partido benfico". Reuters (in Spanish). 2006-03-02. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  8. (in Spanish) González, Andrés (2007-06-06). "UC ya piensa en el equipo del Clausura". El Mercurio. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  9. Parker, Simon (2007-09-19). "McCall eyes Topp trialist". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  10. "Ryan Toale heads to Bradford City". Royal Racing Football Club Montegnée. 2007-10-06. Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  11. "A Topp effort on debut". Telegraph & Argus. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  12. Parker, Simon (2007-10-17). "City get silent treatment over Topp". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  13. Parker, Simon (2007-10-22). "Asking price is over the Topp". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  14. Parker, Simon (2007-12-02). "Topp saga takes another twist". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  15. Crowther, Mike (2007-12-11). "League give Topp the green light". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  16. Parker, Simon (2007-12-29). "City 1 Hereford 3". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  17. Crowther, Mike (2008-01-30). "It's raining goals, hallelujah!". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  18. Parker, Simon (2008-02-19). "Muscle condition hindering Topp". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  19. Parker, Simon (2008-03-31). "Thorne signs up but Topp set for op". Telegraph & Argus. Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  20. Parker, Simon (2008-06-25). "McCall rubbishes silly 'Billy' rumours". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  21. "Bradford 2–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 2008-08-09. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  22. Crowther, Mike (2008-08-15). "Topp to fight for place". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  23. "Macclesfield 0–2 Bradford". BBC Sport. 2008-08-16. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  24. "Bradford part company with Topp". BBC Sport. 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  25. "Willy Topp". Soccerbase. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  26. "El Jumilla C.F. vence al Plus Ultra 0–3" (in Spanish). El Eco de Jumilla. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  27. "El Jumilla C.F. vence sin contemplaciones al C.D. Beniel" (in Spanish). El Eco de Jumilla. 2009-09-20. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  28. "Billy Topp signing". Royal Racing Football Club Montegnée. 2010-01-01. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  29. Huber, Bernhard (2010-03-07). "Ismael a flingue Oreye une deuxieme fois" (in French). RRFC Montegnée. Retrieved 2010-03-14.
  30. Huber, Bernhard (2010-03-28). "Amay battu, c'est normal" (in French). RRFC Montegnée. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  31. Huber, Bernhard (2010-04-04). "Warnant battu et éjecté du Top 3" (in French). RRFC Montegnée. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  32. "Por un espacio en el plantel eliminatorio". La Tercera (in Spanish). 2004-04-27. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  33. (in Spanish) "Chile es Topp". El Mercurio. 2002-09-14. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
  34. (in Spanish) Olea, Nicolás (2004-12-04). "Echando a perder se aprende". El Mercurio. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  35. "José Sulantay definió la nómina sub 20 que viajará a Colombia" (in Spanish). Cooperativa. 2005-01-09. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
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