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 Alberto Spencer photographed forEl Gráfico | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera | ||
| Date of birth | (1937-12-06)6 December 1937 | ||
| Place of birth | Ancón,Santa Elena, Ecuador | ||
| Date of death | 3 November 2006(2006-11-03) (aged 68) | ||
| Place of death | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Los Andes | |||
| 1953–1955 | Everest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1959 | Everest | 90 | (101) |
| 1959–1970 | Peñarol | 519 | (326) |
| 1971–1972 | Barcelona SC | 37 | (19) |
| Total | 662 | (446) | |
| International career | |||
| 1959–1972 | Ecuador | 11 | (4) |
| 1964–1967 | Uruguay | 5 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera (6 December 1937 – 3 November 2006) was an Ecuadorianfootballer who played as aforward, and is widely regarded as one of the best Ecuadorian men's footballers of all time.[1] He is probably best known for his still-standing record for scoring the mostgoals in theCopa Libertadores, the premier club tournament in South America. He was elected the 20th best South Americanfootballer of the 20th century in a poll by theIFFHS in 2004.[2] He was known as "Cabeza Mágica" (Spanish formagic head).
Born inAncón,Santa Elena,Ecuador, Spencer was the son of a Jamaican of British origin.[3]
He was anambidextrousstriker with lethal pace, off-the-ball movement, heading and balance skills, and excellent finishing that tore defences to shreds for over a decade. After his retirement in 1973, he lived inMontevideo, Uruguay. In 1982, he was appointedconsul of Ecuador in Uruguay.
Spencer suffered a heart attack on 13 September 2006 during a routine checkup with his cardiologist. He died on 3 November 2006 in theCleveland Clinic inCleveland, Ohio, United States. His lineage survives through his Chilean wife María Teresa, his children Alberto, Walter, Jacqueline, and his grandchildren.[4]
Alberto Spencer began his career at age 15 playing for Everest. He jumped to fame when he was scouted while playing on loan forBarcelona SC againstPeñarol in July 1959. Peñarol's manager, Hugo Bagnulo, asked his scout 'Pibe' Ortega to attempt to sign him after the game was over. He was soon transferred to Peñarol where he amassed three Libertadores Cups and two Intercontinental Cups, as well as several Uruguayan league titles. After his second Intercontinental Cup, he was twice sought byInter, but ultimately Peñarol's board would not sell him.[5]
On the international front, Spencer holds the unique distinction of being the only goalscorer, capped by two different countries simultaneously:Ecuador, andUruguay. He 'switched' shirts no less than four times. He played for Uruguay against England (2-1) in a friendly match at the legendaryWembley Stadium and scored, making him the first Ecuadorian-born player to score in that stadium.
His name was omitted fromFIFA's, andPelé's list of100 greatest living players. This caused outrage among many South American journalists who believed greats like Spencer, were being ignored in favour ofcommercialism.David Mellor of theEvening Standard notably blasted FIFA in his reporting of the incident.
Although widely considered one of the best South American players of all time, he still remains largely an unknown figure in Europe. This is presumably because he never participated in a World Cup or played in Europe. Similar fates awaited other greats such asAlfredo Di Stéfano (who, while called up for the1962 tournament, did not play due to injury) andGeorge Best, though both are far more known due to their domestic careers withReal Madrid andManchester United respectively.
He was elected the 20th South American Player of the Century in a poll by theIFFHS in 2004.
Spencer still maintains the South American club record inCopa Libertadores, with his tally of 54 goals between 1960 and 1972, playing for Everest of Guayaquil, Barcelona ofGuayaquil, and Peñarol (Uruguay). During that period, he walked away as winner of the competition three times (1960, 1961, and 1966, all of them playing for Peñarol) and was winner of theIntercontinental Cup twice, beatingEusebio'sBenfica andReal Madrid, and was runner-up once. In fact, his Intercontinental goal tally is only one goal behind the all-time record of his more famous contemporary, Pelé.
Spencer was also four times the leading scorer of Uruguay's League with Peñarol, helping them to win the Uruguayan championship eight times during his 12-year stay. Throughout his professional career, he scored a grand total of 450 goals, surpassing 500 if friendlies were taken into account.
Peñarol
Barcelona SC
Individual
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