| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Héctor Ramón Zelaya Rivera | ||
| Date of birth | (1958-08-12)12 August 1958 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Trinidad,Honduras | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1982 | Motagua | ||
| 1982–1983 | Deportivo La Coruña | ||
| 1983 | Motagua | ||
| International career | |||
| Honduras U20 | |||
| 1980–1982 | Honduras | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Héctor Ramón Zelaya Rivera (born 12 August 1958) is a retiredHonduranfootball player.
NicknamedPecho de Águila (Eagle chest), he started as a forward but later played in defense or midfield forF.C. Motagua. He made his professional debut in theHonduran Liga Nacional on 7 March 1976 wearing the Motagua jersey in the 1–0 win againstCampamento.[1]
Not to be confused with former Motagua teammateHéctor "Lin" Zelaya, Zelaya also played for SpanishSegunda División sideDeportivo de La Coruña but an injury to his left knee prevented him from making an impact and he had to retire in 1983.[2] He played his final game for Motagua against Universidad, aged only 24.
Zelaya played three games for theHonduras U-20s at the 1977 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Tunisia.[3]
He then played in 7 World Cup qualifying matches in 1980 and 1981,[4] taking Honduras to their first ever World Cup. He made history by scoring his country's first ever goal at a World Cup Finals Tournament, when he scored against hostsSpain at the1982 FIFA World Cup. He putHonduras 1–0 up inValencia before Spain scored the equalizer.
After his playing career came to a premature end, he worked 25 years in the coffee business[5] of his wife's family. Also, he has been working for a children's football programme in Honduras calledFútbol para la vida.
Zelaya is married to journalist Marlen Perdomo and they have 4 children: Héctor, Iving, Alejandra and Marlen.[6]
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