Position: Midfielder
Born: 16.07.76
Club: Reggina

Carlos Paredes, not to be mistaken with the legendary Portugese guitar player of the same name, is Paraguay's midfield hardman.

Paredes is not the sort to shirk a tackle, and it is his ability to stop the opposition that makes him such an important part of the Paraguayan team.

Paredes attracts cards of both the yellow and red variety, such is the nature of his game - indeed he was sent off at the last World Cup for a nasty challenge on Milenko Acimovic of Slovenia.

He played in 13 of Paraguay's 18 qualifying matches on their road to Germany 2006, and scored three goals. Perhaps Paredes' most important strike was when he scored the only goal in Paraguay's 1-0 win over Chile.