Mariano Bombarda (born 10 September 1972) is an Argentinian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Early life Bombarda was born in Cádiz, Spain, to an Italian father and Argentinian mother. Due to the profession of his father, who was a naval engineer, his family moved a lot and in addition to Spain he has also lived in Italy, Argentina and Venezuela. Career As part of an exchange program in 1989 for students from Venezuela, he played for ACV in Assen, Netherlands, where he entered the under-19 team. For two years after, Bombarda played in the youth team and sometimes in the reserve team of the Argentinian club Huracán, after which he returned to the Netherlands to play for ACV and study higher education. After impressing in the first team of the amateur club, Bombarda was scouted by Groningen. He made his professional debut in the 1994–95 season for the club when he replaced Marcel Boudesteijn in the match against Heerenveen on 26 August 1994. Bombarda then played for Metz, before returning to Groningen. Later on, he joined Willem II, where he scored a goal after just 28.21 seconds in a 4–3 defeat against Sparta Prague in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. Afterwards, he played for Feyenoord and Tenerife. At the latter, he retired from football after one season, in 2005. After football Bombarda has since worked as a youth team coach at Willem II. References External links Profile 1972 births Living people Footballers from Cádiz Citizens of Argentina through descent Argentine people of Spanish descent Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine footballers Association football forwards Asser Christelijke Voetbalvereniging players Club Atlético Huracán footballers FC Groningen players FC Metz players Willem II (football club) players Feyenoord players CD Tenerife players Eredivisie players Ligue 1 players Segunda División players Argentine expatriate footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in France Argentine expatriates in Venezuela