Considered as the best player in the history of Guatemala and in words of David Beckham when he played for LA Galaxy in 2008: "If Carlos were European, he would immediately be recognized as a world-class player of great value". Carlos Ruíz epitomizes the classic poacher: lethal finishing, aerial dominance, and razor-sharp instincts. His 2002–2008 prime saw him dominate MLS and CONCACAF football, blending aggression with intelligence in attacking, his stats reflect a striker who lived for goals—whether via headers or volleys.

Biography: Born in September 15, 1979, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, he began his career in the youth categories of CSD Municipal, where he played from 1991 to 1995. He made his professional debut with the same club in 1995, in a match between CSD Municipal and Xelajú M. C., and scored his first professional goal against Azucareros in 1996 in the Copa Gallo. He remained with CSD Municipal until mid-2002, and with the club won the 2000 Clausura, the 2001 Apertura, the 2002 Clausura and the UNCAF Interclub Cup in 2001.

With CSD Municipal, he scored 25 goals.

He made his debut in the MLS in 2002, where he was transferred to LA Galaxy, where in his first season in the team of Los Angeles, he scored 24 goals + 8 in the playoff, and he scored the golden goal in overtime against New England Revolution, where he won his first trophy with LA Galaxy, being the MVP of the season. In 2003, he scored 15 goals and in 2004 he scored 11 goals, making a total of 50 goals in 72 games with LA Galaxy.

Incredible fact, in december 2003, Carlos Ruiz traveled to England for a trial with Wolves, who were then in the Premier League, Dave Jones, manages of the Wolves at the 2003-2004 season called Ruiz "one of the best leading goal scorers in MLS" and believed he could adapt to English football, but after a week-trial, Wolves decided not to sign him, saying "We didn't think he would be able to add anything extra to our squad" Wolves signed Ionel Ganea, but Wolverhampton descended to 2nd Division for 2004-05 season, leaving Ruiz still in LA Galaxy for one more year.

In 2005, he was transferred to FC Dallas, where in 2005 he scored 11 goals in the MLS, in 2006 scoring 13 goals, including the "Goal of the Decade" a bicycle kick vs. D.C. United. In 2007, he scored only 7 goals in the MLS Season, having a total for FC Dallas 31 goals in 68 games, and in the playoff he scored 5 goals in 6 matches.

In 2008, he has transferred to LA Galaxy, now with players like Landon Donovan and David Beckham, he scored a hat-trick against Shanghái Shenghua, but in March 29, 2008, he suffered a gross tackle by Ciaran O'Brien, getting seriously injuried, and losing the rest of the 2008 season.

After he recovered from his injury he get to Toronto FC, where he gets another injury, just playing 4 matches into the team, but for 2009, he was signed from Club Olimpia of Paraguay for play for them in a bad time of the team, where in 2008 they didn' qualified for any international tournament, after getting 6.° in the general clasification. In January 27 of 2009, against Sol de Am[quote][/quote]érica, he scored his first goal in his career after his injury last year, getting again his good level of football and goalscorer skill. He scored 10 goals in 18 matches, becoming Olimpia's top scorer in 2009 Torneo Apertura, and being 3.° best goalscorer of the tournament, remembering his hat-trick against Rubio Ñu in a 5-3 win, and a memorable free kick goal against 3 de Febrero and a decisive goal against Cerro Porteño, the classic rival of Olimpia. Unfortunately, in June 29, he declared in a interview that the contract with the team would expire in June 30, and he would not continue on the team, then he finished the short but renewed era in the Paraguayan team.

In June 30 2009, he was signed to Club Puebla of Mexico. He scored 11 goals in 37 matches, leading the attack of the team under José Luís Sánchez Sola, wearing his iconic #20 in the jersey of the team, but in July 10, 2010, he was signed from Aris Salonica of Greece to play finally in Europe. He made an historic achievement, being the first guatemalan player to play in european tournaments, in the UEFA Europa League 2010-11, he scored 4 goals in 16 matches, remembering the goal he scored against Austria Wien in the fourth previous round, and a goal against Rosenborg and Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League group stage, eliminating both teams and qualifyng to the elimination phase. But in 2011, Aris Salonica doesn't wanted him in the team no more, so he was signed for Philadelphia Union in February 22, 2011.

Again in the MLS, he scored 6 goals in 14 matches, then in August 2, 2011, he was signed once more, this time for Veracruz, to play once more in Mexico. In the team, he scored 10 goals in 23 matches in the Liga de Ascenso, being the top scorer of the team. In 2013, he signed for D.C. United, but he didn't scored any goal in 13 matches, being his decline of his goalscorer skills.

After his forgotten time in D.C. United, in February 20 of 2014, after 12 years of playing in Guatemalan football league, he came back for play for his first club in his career, CSD Municipal, where he would be the highest central american player payed in the club. During this time, he scored 50 goals in 93 games, being the highest goalscorer of the Torneo Apertura 2014 and scoring 10 goals in the Clausura 2015, where he get runner-up of the league against Comunicaciones, which they made their six-consecutive league champions. After that, he signed for F. C. Dallas in 2016, where in a short sign, from august-october, he scored a important goal for the team against Seattle Sounders, where that important comeback would make the team win the MLS Supporter's Shield 2016, scoring his last goal of his career, retiring from professional football in october 2016.

But, let's talk about his best part of his career, the national team, he's a legend for the Guatemala national team, getting too close to reach the World Cup 2006, getting 2 point down to Trinidad & Tobago for the play-off against Bahreín.

His debut was in 1998, where from that until 2008, he scored 22 goals in the WQ Qualifiers, scoring 8 goals for the 2002 qualifiers, and 10 goals in the 2006 qualifiers, and 4 goals for the 2010 qualifiers (playing until his injury in 2008), and scoring 39 goals with the Guatemalan team, being in a record time in the most goalscorer player in the history of the national team, remembering the volley goal he scored in the final match for the 2006 qualifiers against Costa Rica.

On February 3, 2009, Carlos Ruiz stated in an interview that he had no intention of returning to the national team jersey,[50] due to the differences he had with some leaders of the Guatemalan National Football Federation. He has therefore stated that his retirement from the national team is irrevocable, having played his last match against the Cuban national team on October 15, 2008 for the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers, where he scored 6 goals in 2 matches (4 goals against Santa Lucía and 2 goals against Cuba).

In January 2011, it was rumored that Carlos Ruiz would return to the national team under the current head coach, Ever Hugo Almeida, the same man who also coached him at Municipal of Guatemala back in 1999 and Olímpia of Paraguay. The reason for his return to the national team was to compete in the Central American Cup, which was played in Panama in January 2011.

Carlos Ruiz's official return to the Guatemala national team was on January 16, 2011, in a Central American Cup match against the Costa Rican national team. After his return to the Guatemala national team, he scored his first goal in three years on March 28, 2011, against Bolivia.

Ruiz had previously announced that the 2014 Brazil qualifiers would be his last appearance for the Guatemala national team. Therefore, on October 16, 2012, he played and scored in his final match, against the United States national team, after which his retirement from the Guatemala national team was announced. Through his actions on the field, Ruiz also served as captain in most of his matches during his time with the team, where from 2009-2013 he scored 14 goals in 12 matches for the national team.

In 2014, he came back to the national team, where he played the Copa Centroamericana 2014, where he scored 2 goals in 4 matches, being runner-up against Costa Rica, where he scored a penalty goal. In the 2018 World Cup qualifyers, he scored 9 goals in 6 matches, including a goal against USA in the 2-0 victory, and 5 goals against San Vicente y Las Granadinas, after that, he officialy retired from national team in 2016 after that match, where he became the highest World Cup qualifyers in the history of football, with 39 goals, and becoming the highest goalscorer and player with matches, 68 goals in 133 matches, an absolute legend from Guatemala that deserved to play a World Cup, unfortunately, he never received that achievement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PZVtT3qPz4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UwOQrRCPHY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N7wbEdat5k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOvrtrpF2Js
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-5i2BdERDo
https://fbref.com/en/players/6608a30a/Carlos-Ruiz
https://www.facebook.com/MLS/videos/best-of-carlos-el-pescadito-ruiz/985528225203069/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-dec-31-sp-soccer31-story.html
[url]https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-08-sp-soccer8-story.html
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SDOeQASy4g
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNDGYhgP8Hc
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvJrPK59RTM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3irADuH5ewY