Alberto Spencer facts for kids
Alberto Spencer photographed for El Gráfico
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera | ||
| Date of birth | 6 December 1937 | ||
| Place of birth | Ancón, Santa Elena, Ecuador | ||
| Date of death | 3 November 2006 (aged 68) | ||
| Place of death | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1953–1959 | Everest | 90 | (101) |
| 1960–1970 | Peñarol | 519 | (326) |
| 1971–1972 | Barcelona | 37 | (19) |
| Total | 646 | (446) | |
| International career | |||
| 1959–1972 | Ecuador | 11 | (4) |
| 1964–1967 | Uruguay | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera (born December 6, 1937 – died November 3, 2006) was a famous football player. He was from both Ecuador and Uruguay. Many people believe he was the best Ecuadorian footballer of all time.
Alberto Spencer was known as "Cabeza Mágica," which means "Magic Head" in Spanish. This nickname came from how incredibly good he was at scoring goals with his head. He still holds the record for scoring the most goals in the Copa Libertadores. This is the biggest club football tournament in South America. In 2004, he was voted the 20th best South American footballer of the 20th century.
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About Alberto Spencer
Alberto Spencer was born in Ancón, Ecuador. His father was from Jamaica and had British family roots.
Spencer was a very skilled forward who could use both feet. He was incredibly fast and good at moving around the field. His amazing heading skills and balance helped him score many goals. He was a top player for more than ten years.
After he stopped playing football in 1973, he lived in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 1982, he became the consul for Ecuador in Uruguay. This means he worked for his home country in Uruguay.
Sadly, Alberto Spencer passed away on November 3, 2006, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. He is remembered by his wife, María Teresa, and his children, Alberto, Walter, and Jacqueline.
Spencer's Football Journey
Alberto Spencer started his football career when he was just 15 years old. He played for a team called Everest. He became famous in 1959 while playing for Barcelona SC. He was on loan to them for a game against Peñarol. Peñarol's manager was so impressed that he signed Spencer right after the game.
Spencer then moved to Peñarol, a big club in Uruguay. There, he won many important titles. He helped Peñarol win the Copa Libertadores three times. He also won the Intercontinental Cup twice. This cup was played between the best teams from Europe and South America. After his second Intercontinental Cup win, a famous Italian club, Inter, wanted to buy him. However, Peñarol decided not to sell him.
Spencer also played for two different national teams. He played for both Ecuador and Uruguay. This is very rare in football! He even scored a goal for Uruguay against England at the famous Wembley Stadium. This made him the first player born in Ecuador to score there.
Some people were upset when Spencer was not included in FIFA's list of the 100 greatest living players. Many South American journalists felt that great players like Spencer were being overlooked. This was possibly because he never played in a World Cup or for a European club.
Even though he is considered one of the best South American players ever, he is not as well-known in Europe. Other great players like Alfredo Di Stéfano and George Best also didn't play in many World Cups. But they became more famous because they played for huge European clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Amazing Achievements
Alberto Spencer holds the record for the most goals in the Copa Libertadores. He scored 54 goals between 1960 and 1972. He scored these goals while playing for Everest, Barcelona, and Peñarol. He won the Copa Libertadores three times with Peñarol (in 1960, 1961, and 1966).
He also won the Intercontinental Cup twice. In these games, his team beat famous clubs like Benfica (with Eusebio) and Real Madrid. His total goals in the Intercontinental Cup are almost as many as Pelé's, who is another football legend.
Spencer was also the top scorer in Uruguay's league four times while playing for Peñarol. He helped Peñarol win the Uruguayan championship eight times during his 12 years there. Throughout his professional career, he scored a total of 450 goals in official matches. If you count friendly games, he scored over 500 goals!
Fun Facts About Spencer
- In one friendly game in Colombia, a player from the Millonarios team tackled Spencer very hard. Spencer's friend, Jose "Pepe" Sasía, warned the player not to hurt Spencer again. He said Spencer was too important to their team!
- Even Pelé, one of the greatest footballers ever, said that Spencer was better at heading the ball than he was. Pelé said Spencer was "spectacular" with his head.
- Spencer only received a red card twice in his career. Once was in a league match for Peñarol. He was so ashamed that he didn't travel with the team for their next Copa Libertadores match. The other time was in a crucial World Cup qualifying game against Chile in 1965.
- His first game for Peñarol was a friendly match against an Argentine team called Atlanta. Peñarol won 6–2, and Spencer scored three goals!
- After Spencer passed away, the Ecuadorian Football Federation honored him. They changed the name of the Estadio Modelo stadium in Guayaquil to Estadio Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera.
Honors and Awards
Club Achievements
- Uruguayan League: 8 times
- 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968
- Copa Libertadores: 3 times
- 1960, 1961, 1966
- Intercontinental Cup: 2 times
- 1961, 1966
- Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales: 1 time
- 1969
- Ecuadorian League: 1 time
- 1971
Individual Awards
- Copa Libertadores top scorer: 2 times (1960, 1962)
- Uruguayan League top scorer: 4 times (1961, 1962, 1967, 1968)
- Ranked 20th best South American player of the century by IFFHS
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Spencer para niños
