Hugo Sánchez facts for kids
Sánchez in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugo Sánchez Márquez | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 1958 | ||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1972–1975 | UNAM | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1976–1982 | UNAM | 188 | (97) |
| 1979–1980 | → San Diego Sockers (loan) | 32 | (26) |
| 1981–1982 | → Atlético Madrid (loan) | 20 | (8) |
| 1982–1985 | Atlético Madrid | 91 | (46) |
| 1985–1992 | Real Madrid | 207 | (164) |
| 1992–1993 | América | 29 | (11) |
| 1993–1994 | Rayo Vallecano | 29 | (16) |
| 1994–1995 | Atlante | 31 | (13) |
| 1995–1996 | Linz | 18 | (6) |
| 1996 | Dallas Burn | 23 | (7) |
| 1997 | Atlético Celaya | 11 | (2) |
| Total | 679 | (396) | |
| National team | |||
| 1977–1998 | Mexico | 58 | (29) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2000 | UNAM | ||
| 2000 | Mexico (interim) | ||
| 2001–2005 | UNAM | ||
| 2006 | Necaxa | ||
| 2006–2008 | Mexico | ||
| 2008 | Mexico U23 | ||
| 2008–2009 | Almería | ||
| 2012 | Pachuca | ||
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Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a famous Mexican former footballer and manager. He played as a forward, scoring many goals. People remember him for his amazing kicks and volleys. Many consider him the greatest Mexican footballer ever. He is also seen as one of the best players of his time.
In 1999, a group called the International Federation of Football History and Statistics ranked Sánchez as the 26th best footballer of the 20th century. He was also named the best player from the CONCACAF region. In 2004, Sánchez was included in the FIFA 100 list, which names the world's greatest living players.
Sánchez is known as one of the best foreign players in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He is also one of Real Madrid's top goal scorers. He is the fifth highest scorer in La Liga history. He scored an amazing 562 goals in his career for both clubs and his country. He also won the Pichichi Trophy five times in Spain. This award goes to the league's top goal scorer.
He started his career with Club Universidad Nacional in 1976. He then played briefly for the San Diego Sockers in the USA. In 1981, he moved to Spain to play for Atlético Madrid. After four years, he joined their rivals, Real Madrid. He had his best years there, winning many titles and awards.
From 1977 to 1994, Sánchez played for the Mexican national team. He played 58 games and scored 29 goals. He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments. He was part of the Mexican team that reached the quarter-finals in the 1986 World Cup. Sánchez was famous for his cool acrobatic goal celebrations, especially his backflip.
After retiring as a player, he became a manager. He won two league championships with UNAM. He also coached the Mexican national team from 2006 to 2008.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out with UNAM
As a teenager, Hugo Sánchez played for the Mexican national team. He even played in the 1976 Summer Olympics. At 18, he joined Pumas de la UNAM. This is a professional team linked to Mexico's national university. While playing, he also studied to get a degree in Dentistry.
In his first year, UNAM won its first championship in the top division. Two years later, he became the league's top scorer with 26 goals. In 1979, UNAM loaned Sánchez to the San Diego Sockers in the USA. He played for them during the summer.
His five seasons with UNAM were very successful. In his last season (1980–81), Sánchez and UNAM won another league championship. They also won the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Copa Interamericana. During his time with UNAM, Sánchez scored 104 goals in 200 games. Because of his great performances as a young player, he earned the nickname Niño de Oro (Golden Boy).
Moving to Spain: Atlético Madrid
After his success in Mexico, many European teams noticed Sánchez. In 1981, he signed with the Spanish team Atlético Madrid. It took him some time to get used to playing in La Liga. In his first season, he played 20 league games and scored 8 goals.
By the 1984–1985 season, he was scoring goals regularly. His team won the Copa del Rey (King's Cup). They also finished second in the league and won the Spanish Super Copa. That year, Sánchez won his first Pichichi trophy. This award is given to the league's top scorer, and he scored 26 goals.
Becoming a Legend at Real Madrid
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On 15 July 1985, Sánchez joined Real Madrid. It was a big move, and 50,000 fans welcomed him at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
He played with a famous group of players known as La Quinta del Buitre (The Vulture's Cohort). This group included Emilio Butragueño, Manuel Sanchís, and Míchel. With Real Madrid, Sánchez won five league titles in a row from 1985 to 1990. He also won a Copa del Rey in 1989 and the UEFA Cup in 1986.
During these five years, Sánchez won four Pichichi trophies in a row. He is one of only two players in Spanish football history to do this without sharing the award. He is also one of only four players to win five Pichichis in total. He scored 208 goals in 283 games for Real Madrid. He scored 27 or more goals in four seasons. In the 1989–90 season, he scored 38 goals. This tied a record set in 1951 and earned him the European Golden Shoe award. All 38 of these goals were scored with just one touch, which is incredible!
Later Career and Retirement
In 1992, Sánchez went back to Mexico for a season. He won the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup with Club América. After that, he played for several clubs in Spain, Austria, and the United States. He played for Dallas Burn in the first year of Major League Soccer.
He finished his career playing for Atlético Celaya. He played alongside his old Real Madrid teammates, Butragueño and Míchel.
Sánchez officially retired from Spanish football on 29 May 1997. His very last official game was during the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. He touched the ball as a symbol of his retirement.
International Games for Mexico
Hugo Sánchez played 58 games for the Mexican national team between 1977 and 1994. He scored 29 goals for his country. Before playing for the main team, he won a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. He also played in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments, making eight appearances in total. He scored one World Cup goal. He helped Mexico win the 1977 CONCACAF Championship to qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. At 19, he played in the tournament.
Mexico did not qualify for the 1982 World Cup. But Sánchez was part of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. They lost to West Germany in a penalty shootout. He scored his only World Cup goal in their first match, a 2–1 win against Belgium.
Even when he was older, he helped Mexico reach the final of the 1993 Copa América at age 35. He scored one goal in a 2–0 win against Ecuador in the semi-finals. Mexico finished as runners-up to Argentina. Sánchez also played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. This was his last big tournament.
Coaching Career
Club Management
In March 2000, Sánchez became the manager of UNAM, his former club. They were struggling, but he helped them improve. However, he was fired in August of that year due to disagreements.
A year later, in November 2001, he was re-appointed as head coach of UNAM. After building his team for a few years, Sánchez's Pumas had a fantastic year in 2004. They won the Clausura 2004 and Apertura 2004 championships. They also won the Champion of Champions 2004 and the Santiago Bernabéu Cup. He became the only manager to lead a Mexican team to two championships in a row.
However, this success did not last. Pumas struggled the next season, and Sánchez decided to resign in November 2005. He then coached Club Necaxa in 2006. In early 2009, he became the coach of Almería in Spain. He helped the club avoid being moved down to a lower league.
Coaching the Mexico National Team
After coaching Club Necaxa, Sánchez was named head coach of the Mexican national team in 2006. His main goal was to lead Mexico to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Sánchez was known for being very open and emotional during his coaching career. His first game as Mexico coach was a 2–0 loss to the United States in February 2007. He got his first win against Venezuela, a 3–1 victory.
In June 2007, Sánchez coached Mexico in the Gold Cup. Mexico reached the final but lost 2–1 to the USA. A few days later, in the 2007 Copa América, Sánchez led Mexico to a big 2–0 win against Brazil. Mexico reached the semi-finals, beating Paraguay 6–0. They finished the tournament in third place by defeating Uruguay 3–1.
In March 2008, Sánchez's team had some poor results. They drew with Australia and Finland and lost to Ecuador's U-23 team. Mexico was eliminated from the Olympic qualifying tournament. Because of these results, Hugo Sánchez was fired as Mexico's head coach on 31 March 2008.
Playing Style and Skills
Hugo Sánchez was nicknamed Hugol and Pentapichichi. He was an amazing goal scorer who usually played as a centre-forward. Many people think he is Mexico's best footballer ever. He was a fast and skillful striker with a great eye for goal. He was smart about where to be on the field and could score with just a few touches.
Even though he wasn't very tall, Sánchez was good at heading the ball. He was also famous for scoring amazing and fancy goals. He could hit spectacular shots and volleys from anywhere on the field. His skill with the "Chilena," also known as a "Bicycle kick," came from his early training in gymnastics. Goals he scored this way were called Huguinas.
His special celebration was to do a somersault followed by a fist pump after each goal. He did this to honor his sister, Herlinda, who was an Olympic gymnast. Sánchez is thought to be the first famous player to do a backflip celebration.
His FIFA profile says Sánchez created the "scorpion kick." This trick was later made famous by Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita. Sánchez practiced this trick a lot in training, but he never scored a goal with it in a real game.
Sánchez was also very good at penalty kicks. He held the record for most penalties scored in La Liga with 56. Cristiano Ronaldo broke this record in 2017.
Life Outside Football
Personal Life and Family
Hugo Sánchez grew up in a middle-class family in Mexico City. His father, Héctor Sánchez, was also a footballer. Hugo's sister, Herlinda, was an Olympic gymnast. She participated in the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. Sánchez says his acrobatic skills, like his somersault celebrations, came from her.
His son, Hugo Sánchez Portugal, also became a footballer. He played for UNAM and Atlante. Hugo Sánchez also has two daughters from his current marriage. Sadly, his son, Hugo Sánchez Portugal, passed away in 2014 due to a gas leak.
In 2006, Sánchez became an official FIFA/SOS Ambassador for Mexico. He helped raise money for the official 2006 FIFA World Cup Charity. On 1 September 2007, a street in Puebla, Mexico, was named after him.
Media Appearances
As of January 2015, Sánchez worked as a commentator for ESPN in Mexico and the United States. He was a guest analyst during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He later became a regular analyst. He was also featured as an Ultimate Team Icon in the video game, FIFA 20.
Honours and Awards
Player Achievements
UNAM
- Mexican Primera División: 1976–77, 1980–81
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1980
- Copa Interamericana: 1981
Atlético Madrid
- Copa del Rey: 1984–85
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90
- Supercopa de España: 1988, 1989, 1990
- Copa del Rey: 1988–89
- UEFA Cup: 1985–86
América
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1992
Linz
- First League: 1995–96
Mexico National Team
- Pan American Games: 1975 (Gold Medal)
- CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship: 1976
- CONCACAF Championship: 1977
Individual Awards
- La Liga top goalscorer: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90
- European Golden Shoe: 1989–90 (Shared)
- FIFA 100: 2004 (One of the world's greatest living players)
- Golden Foot Legends Award: 2010
Manager Achievements
UNAM
- Mexican Primera División: Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004
- Campeón de Campeones: 2004
Mexico National Team
- CONCACAF Gold Cup runners-up: 2007
- Copa América third-place: 2007
See also
In Spanish: Hugo Sánchez para niños
- List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
