Luis de la Fuente (footballer, born 1914)

Luis de la Fuente y Hoyos (January 17, 1914 – May 28, 1972), nicknamed "The Pirate", was a Mexican professional footballer. He is one of the all time most successful Mexico-born footballers.[1] Born in the state of Veracruz on January 17, 1914, he was one of the most successful players to represent Aztec soccer in the world arena.

Luis de la Fuente
Personal information
Full name Luis de la Fuente y Hoyos
Date of birth (1914-01-17)January 17, 1914
Place of birth Veracruz, Mexico
Date of death May 28, 1972(1972-05-28) (aged 58)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Aurrerá
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1930–1931 Aurrerá
1931–1934 Real España
1934–1935 Racing Santander 20 (5)
1935–1937 Real España
1937–1938 América
1938–1939 Real España
1939–1940 Corrales
1940–1941 Vélez Sarsfield 16 (8)
1941–1943 Marte
1943–1952 Veracruz
National team
1934–1950 Mexico 9 (7)
Honours
Representing  Mexico
Men's Football
Central American and Caribbean Games
1938 Panama Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Born in Veracruz, de la Fuente was the first of four children of a father from Asturias and a mother from Santander Province, Spain. Shortly after he was born, de la Fuente's parents fled Veracruz after the United States seized the port city. The family would return to Veracruz but de la Fuente's father died when he was still young. His mother sent him to live with relatives in Santander for his primary education, but at age 10 he returned to his mother who sent him to study in Tacubaya, Mexico City where he would first play organized football. The director of local side C.F. Aurrerá noticed de la Fuente's emerging football talent, and eventually he dropped out of school to sign with the club.[2]

Club career

At age 15, De la Fuente made his competitive debut for Aurrerá in a 1929 cup match against Club Necaxa. He played for the club in the Primera Fuerza for two seasons, then joined Real Club España for the 1932–33 season. Next season, De la Fuente helped España win the championship. His performances earned him a place on Mexico's side that played in the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, but lost to the United States in the last round. After being eliminated, Mexico embarked on a European tour where de la Fuente started in a set of club friendlies.[2]

He played professionally in Mexico for clubs like Aurrera, Marte and RC España. His performance with the national team attracted the interested of Spanish club Racing de Santander, who ended up signing him. After the Spanish Civil War broke out he returned to Mexico to play for RC España and then Club América.[2]

In 1939, the Paraguayan team Atlético Corrales embarked on a Latin American tour and visited Mexico with a squad composed of great players, and during their exhibition games in Mexico they decided to sign De La Fuente.[3] He played for Atlético Corrales for over a year and then signed for Vélez Sarsfield of Argentina before returning to Mexico to play for Marte and, finally, in 1943 sign for his native state team Tiburones Rojos of CD Veracruz. At CD Veracruz he was part of the team that won two Primera División de México championships in 1945 and 1949. It was here, as an already famous and accomplished footballer, that he reached legend status. De la Fuente is the first Mexico-born person to play in four countries (Mexico, Spain, Paraguay and Argentina).[4]

His natural position was the midfield, but his incredible ball skills and technique helped his overall field game, distributing precise passes and assisting goals when not scoring them himself. He was incredibly dangerous in the air game, where his athleticism propelled him to leap over rival defenses. He also possessed a powerful boot on both legs, being the left his strong side.

International career

De La Fuente played for the Mexico national team that lost in qualifiers for the 1934 FIFA World Cup of Italy.

Honours

Individual

Personal life and death

De La Fuente retired after a very accomplished 21-year career on June 13, 1954. He died in 1972 of a heart attack and is interred in Veracruz, facing the Luis "Pirata" Fuente Stadium which carries his name and his legend.

References
  1. Biografia de Luis "Pirata" Fuente (1914-1972) (in Spanish)
  2. Báez-Jorge, Félix (2010). Personajes populares de Veracruz (PDF) (in Spanish). Mexico: Universidad Veracruzana. p. 126. ISBN 978-607-33-0003-2.
  3. Atlético Corrales y su increíble aventura Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  4. La leyenda del «Pirata» (in Spanish)
  5. https://iffhs.com/posts/1135. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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