| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rafael Puente del Río | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-01-31)31 January 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | West Santos FC (AKL) (Manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003 | Atlante | 1 | (0) |
| 2004 | Necaxa | 0 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2018 | BUAP | ||
| 2018–2019 | Querétaro | ||
| 2020 | Atlas | ||
| 2021–2022 | Juárez (Assistant) | ||
| 2023 | UNAM | ||
| 2024 | Muchachos FC (AKL) | ||
| 2025– | West Santos FC (AKL) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rafael Puente del Río orRafael Puente Jr. (born 31 January 1979) is a Mexican formeractor, professionalfootballer, andmanager.
Born to soccer columnist and formerMexico national team goalkeeperRafael Puente, Puente Jr. began playing football as a striker withMexican Primera División sideAtlante F.C., making his professional debut in 2003. He transferred toClub Necaxa in 2004.
Then on May 22, 2006, he debuted as an actor in telenovelas inCodigo Postal as Hector Garza. He is now a sports commentator.[2]
He was appointed the chief operating officer forGuadalajara in May 2014.[3] He was let go in October 2014 by newly appointed chairmanNéstor de la Torre.[4]
After being fired from Guadalajara, Puente Jr. joined his father as an analyst and commentator forESPN Deportes in the United States and also forESPN Mexico.[5] At ESPN, Puente Jr. covered the2015 Copa América inChile, the2016 UEFA Champions League Final inMilan, the2016 UEFA Euro, and also appeared on the networks show likeFútbol Picante,Los Capitanes,ESPN Radio Fórmula andESPN Fútbol Center.[5]
Although he had limited experience as a professional footballer, Puente became a football manager, drawing on his experiences playing forEnrique Meza,Miguel Herrera andJosé Guadalupe Cruz.[6] On October 5, 2016, Puente Jr. was announced as the new manager forAscenso MX clubLobos BUAP.[7]
On May 20, 2017, Rafael Puente Jr. successfully managed Lobos BUAP intoLiga MX promotion for the 2017–18 season. He signed a new one-year contract with Lobos in June 2017.[8] On 2 April 2018, Puente Jr. was sacked after earning nine points in 13 games of the Clausura 2018 season.[9]
On January 30, 2020, Puente Jr. was appointed byAtlas.[10] On August 10, 2020, Puente was sacked from Atlas after winning only one match of nine.[11]
Lobos BUAP