Carlos Pavón was a classic penalty-box striker and one of Honduras’s all-time greats. Strong, aggressive and with excellent timing in the area, he lived off sharp movement and instinct rather than flashy dribbling. He wasn’t especially quick over long distances, but once he was around the box he was constantly attacking spaces, reading rebounds and punishing any mistake. Very good in the air despite not being the tallest, thanks to his balance, leap and heading technique, and a reliable finisher with both power and placement.

He became an icon at Real España, where he scored heavily and won several league titles, and had some of his best club years in Mexico with Atlético Celaya and Morelia, lifting the league with the latter. For the national team he was the main reference up front for more than a decade, ending up as one of Honduras’s top scorers ever. His reputation is that of a pure No.9: a forward you don’t want loose in the box, capable of deciding qualifiers and big games with one or two touches.

This set focuses on his peak years around the turn of the century, when he was scoring consistently in Mexico and carrying a big goal threat for Honduras. The idea is to show a very dangerous finisher at CONCACAF level, with a high Attack, Response, Aggression and heading/jumping, without turning him into a modern complete centre-forward. On the ball he should feel simple but effective: decent technique for controlling and laying off passes, but the main value comes from his positioning, movement in the box and clinical finishing with both feet and head.

I gave him a red value in jumping because it was his most imposing trait and he was truly world-class in that respect; in fact, his nickname "La Sombra Voladora" reflects that; his jumping ability has even been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's.
https://youtube.com/shorts/sh2dV4cr65c? ... fWa87aIoG0
https://youtu.be/41RzgwAQooE?si=juAhGMmKTI7gDjXQ&t=96