 Moreno on the cover ofEl Gráfico magazine in 1941. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jose Manuel Moreno Fernandez | ||
| Date of birth | (1916-08-03)3 August 1916 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires,Argentina | ||
| Date of death | 26 August 1978(1978-08-26) (aged 62) | ||
| Place of death | Merlo, Argentina | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1935–1944 | River Plate | 256 | (156) |
| 1944–1946 | España | 41 | (11) |
| 1946–1948 | River Plate | 64 | (24) |
| 1949 | U. Católica | 22 | (8) |
| 1950 | Boca Juniors | 22 | (6) |
| 1951 | U. Católica | 12 | (2) |
| 1952 | Defensor | 14 | (3) |
| 1953 | Ferrocarril Oeste | 15 | (1) |
| 1954–1957 | Independiente Medellín | 40 | (12) |
| 1960–1961 | Independiente Medellín | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 489 | (224) | |
| International career | |||
| 1936–1950 | Argentina | 34 | (19) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Manuel Moreno Fernández (3 August 1916 – 26 August 1978), nicknamed "El Charro", was anArgentinefootballer who played as aninside forward for severalclubs in Argentina,Mexico,Chile, andColombia; for those who saw him play, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, even compared toAlfredo Di Stéfano,Pelé andDiego Maradona,[1][2][3] and was the first footballer ever to have won first division league titles in four countries (later players to emulate the feat includeJiri Jarosik,Rivaldo,Zlatan Ibrahimović,James Rodríguez andAlexis Sánchez).
Moreno was part of theRiver Plate team known asLa Máquina ("The Machine") which dominated Argentine football in the 1940s, and was also a member of theArgentina national team that won theSouth American Championships in 1941 and 1947, being chosen in the latter tournament as the best player of the tournament.[4]
He was regarded by many as a complete player.[5][6] In 1999, he was ranked as the 5th best South American player in the 20th century (behind Pelé, Maradona, Di Stéfano andGarrincha), and among the 25 best players in the world through a poll by theIFFHS.[7] He was known as a player of great technique, great vision, and lethal in the penalty area.[6] Despite his reputation for drinking, smoking and not going to training, Moreno was also known for his formidable heading ability, scoring 75 with his head, he also had fine physical qualities.[6][8]
Moreno was born in the neighbourhood ofLa Boca, inBuenos Aires, and grew up in the surroundings of the clubBoca Juniors' stadium,La Bombonera.[9] At the age of 15, he tried out for the lower divisions of Boca Juniors, but did not make the selection. According to theArgentine Football Association archives, he said, frustrated: "some time you will regret it".[10] Moreno then became part of the lower divisions ofRiver Plate, Boca Junior's arch-rival, in 1933, having been recommended byBernabé Ferreyra, a notable forward for River Plate.[11]
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At the age of 18, Moreno was selected along with other young players from the club by managerEmérico Hirschl to make a tour inBrazil. His first competitive appearance was against Brazilian sideBotafogo. He debuted inPrimera División on March 17, 1935, in a 2–1 win againstC.A. Platense, scoring one goal.[12] Quickly become the greatest figure of Argentine soccer, he was part of the squad that won league titles in 1936 and 1937, and went on to become a key player amongAdolfo Pedernera on the River Plate squad known asLa Máquina, famous for his line of attack composed by Moreno, Pedernera,Ángel Labruna,Juan Carlos Muñoz, andFélix Loustau, and which dominated Argentine football during the first half of the 1940s decade, winning with Moreno two national titles (1941, 1942) and manyAldao Cups.
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In 1944, Moreno was transferred toMéxico Primera División clubEspaña, who had finished runner up to Asturias, first Mexican league champions in the 1943–44 season. With España, Moreno won the national title in the 1945–46 season.[13] His time and success in Mexico earned him the nicknameCharro, which is also the term used to refer to the traditional cowboy of Mexico.
Moreno returned to his homeland and River Plate for the latter part of 1946. His second tenure at River lasted three seasons. Champion again in 1947, already with Alfredo Di Stéfano as center forward, he returned to emigrate after the strike of 1948 players. He was transferred toUniversidad Católica ofChile, where in the same year he helped the team win its first league title.[14] He returned to Argentina in 1950, this time to play forBoca Juniors, and the following year, he played again for Universidad Católica. He also played one season inUruguay, with Primera División teamDefensor. In 1953, he went back to Argentina to joinFerrocarril Oeste.
Moreno moved toColombia in 1954, joiningIndependiente Medellín, where he would end his playing career. He was both a player and a manager for the club. He won the Colombian championship in 1955, becoming the only footballer to have won league titles in four countries' leagues, doing so in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. In 1957, he won his last – and 12th overall – first division title. He retired with Independiente Medellín in a friendly match againstBoca Juniors in 1961, a match during which he participated both as coach and player. Independiente won the match 5–2, and Moreno scored one goal.
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(June 2008) |
Moreno was a member of theArgentina national team from 1936 to 1950, earning 34caps and scoring 19 goals. Moreno was part of the winning squads at theSouth American Championships (now Copa América) of1941,1942 and1947. He scored the tournament's milestone goal number 500 in an atypical match againstEcuador: he scored five goals in that match, a Copa América record which he shares withHéctor Scarone (Uruguay), Juan Marvezzi (Argentina) and Evaristo (Brazil). That day, Argentina beat Ecuador 12–0, which is also the largest goal difference in a single Copa América match.
Moreno was the top goalscorer of the1942 South American Championship with seven goals, along withHerminio Masantonio, and was chosen best player of the1947 edition. He is also tied for third place among the Copa América's all-time top scorers, with 13 overall goals.
Moreno had a brief spell as manager ofArgentina in 1959. He also worked as the manager ofBoca Juniors,Huracán andAll Boys in Argentina andColo-Colo inChile.
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