Hugo Sánchez facts for kids
Sánchez in 2008
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hugo Sánchez Márquez | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 July 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Real Madrid | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 679 | (396) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1998 | Mexico | 58 | (29) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | UNAM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Mexico (interim) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | UNAM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Necaxa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Mexico U23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Almería | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Pachuca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a famous Mexican former footballer and manager. He played as a forward, scoring many goals. Many people think he is the greatest Mexican footballer ever. He is also considered one of the best players of his time.
In 1999, a group called the International Federation of Football History and Statistics said Sánchez was the 26th best footballer of the 20th century. They also named him the best footballer from the CONCACAF region. In 2004, Sánchez was included in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Sánchez is known as one of La Liga's best foreign players. He is also one of Real Madrid's top goal scorers ever. He is the fifth highest scorer in La Liga history. He scored a total of 562 goals in his career for clubs and his country. He won five Pichichi awards in Spain, which are given to the top goal scorer in the league.
He started his career at Club Universidad Nacional in 1976. He also played for the San Diego Sockers for a short time. In 1981, he moved to Spain to play for Atlético Madrid. After four years, he joined their rivals, Real Madrid. He had his most successful years there, winning many titles.
From 1977 to 1994, Sánchez played for the national team. He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments. He was part of the Mexico team that reached the quarter-finals in the 1986 World Cup. He was famous for his amazing 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 Mexico national football team from 2006 to 2008.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting with UNAM
As a teenager, Sánchez played for the Mexico national team in the 1976 Summer Olympics. At 18, he joined Pumas de la UNAM, a professional team in Mexico. He also studied Dentistry while playing for the team.
In his first year, UNAM won its first championship in the top league. Two years later, he became the league's top scorer with 26 goals. In 1979, he played for the San Diego Sockers in the US during the Mexican league's off-season. He scored many goals for them too.
Sánchez played five seasons with UNAM, which were very successful years for the team. In his last season, 1980–81, UNAM won its second 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, he earned the nickname Niño de Oro (Golden Boy).
Time with Atlético Madrid
After his success in Mexico, several European clubs wanted Sánchez. In 1981, he signed with the Spanish team Atlético Madrid. It took him a little while to get used to La Liga, Spain's top league. In his first season, he scored eight goals in twenty games.
By the 1984–1985 season, he was scoring goals regularly. That year, his team won the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) and finished second in the league. Sánchez also won his first Pichichi trophy that year for being the league's top scorer with 26 goals.
Success at Real Madrid
.jpg)
On 15 July 1985, Sánchez joined La Liga club Real Madrid. He was presented to 50,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
He played with a famous group of players known as the La Quinta del Buitre (The Vulture's Cohort). This group included Emilio Butragueño, Manuel Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel, and Miguel Pardeza. 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 awards in a row. He became one of only two players in Spanish football history to do this without sharing the award. 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, which tied a record set in 1951. This also earned him the European Golden Shoe award for being the best scorer in Europe. Amazingly, all 38 of these goals were scored with just one touch.
Later Playing Years
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 ended his playing career with Atlético Celaya. He played there with his former 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.
International Football for Mexico
Sánchez played 58 games for the Mexican national team between 1977 and 1994, scoring 29 goals. Before joining the senior team, he won a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games as a teenager. He also played in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments, making eight World Cup appearances in total. He scored one World Cup goal. He helped Mexico win the 1977 CONCACAF Championship, which qualified them for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. At 19, he played in the tournament, but Mexico was eliminated early.
After Mexico did not qualify for the 1982 World Cup, 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. Mexico was later suspended from the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Even when he was older, he helped Mexico reach the final of the 1993 Copa América at age 35. He scored in the semi-finals, but Mexico finished as runners-up to Argentina. Sánchez also played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, which was his last major tournament.
Managerial Career
Coaching Clubs
In March 2000, Sánchez became the manager of UNAM, his former club. He signed a two-year deal. The team played well under him, but he left later that year.
He returned to coach UNAM in November 2001. By 2004, Sánchez's Pumas team had won many titles. They won the Clausura 2004 and Apertura 2004 championships, and the Champion of Champions 2004. He became the only manager to lead a Mexican team to two championships in a row in the "short tournament" format. However, the team's success did not last, and Sánchez resigned in November 2005.
He then coached Club Necaxa in 2006. In early 2009, he became the coach of La Liga's Almería. He helped the club avoid being moved down to a lower league. He left Almería in December 2009.
Coaching the Mexico National Team
After coaching Club Necaxa, Sánchez was named head coach of the Mexico national team in 2006. His goal was to lead Mexico to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Sánchez was known for speaking his mind and being very open. His first match 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 US. A few days later, in the 2007 Copa América, Sánchez led Mexico to a surprising 2–0 win against Brazil. Mexico reached the semi-finals, beating Paraguay 6–0. They finished third in the tournament after defeating Uruguay 3–1.
In August 2007, Sánchez announced that Mexico would change their famous green home kit to their white away kit. This decision caused a lot of discussion.
In March 2008, Sánchez's team had some poor results, including draws and losses. Mexico was eliminated from the Olympic qualifying tournament. On 31 March 2008, Hugo Sánchez was removed from his job as Mexico's head coach.
How Hugo Sánchez Played
Hugo Sánchez was nicknamed Hugol and Pentapichichi. He was a great goal scorer who usually played as a centre-forward. Many people believe he is Mexico's best footballer ever. He was a fast and agile striker with good skills. He was known for his smart movement and being able to 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, acrobatic goals, like spectacular strikes and volleys. His skill with the "Chilena," or "Bicycle kick," came from his early training in gymnastics. Goals he scored this way were called Huguinas.
His special way to celebrate a goal was to do a somersault followed by a fist pump. He did this to honor his sister, who was an Olympic gymnast. Sánchez is thought to be the first famous player to do a backflip celebration.
He was also very good at penalty kicks. Sánchez held the record for most penalties scored in La Liga with 56, until Cristiano Ronaldo broke it in 2017.
Life Outside Football
Personal Life
Hugo Sánchez grew up in a middle-class family in Mexico City. His father, Héctor Sánchez, was also a footballer. His sister, Herlinda Sánchez, was an Olympic gymnast. Hugo says his sister helped him learn his acrobatic skills, like his famous somersault goal celebrations.
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 also featured as an Ultimate Team Icon in the video game, FIFA 20.
Honors and Achievements
UNAM
- Mexican Primera División: 1976–77, 1980–81
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1980
- Copa Interamericana: 1981
San Diego Sockers
Atlético Madrid
- Copa del Rey: 1984–85
- Supercopa de España: 1985
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90
- Copa del Rey: 1988–89
- Supercopa de España: 1988, 1989, 1990
- UEFA Cup: 1985–86
América
- CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1992
Linz
- First League: 1995–96
Mexico National Team
- Copa América runner-up: 1993
- CONCACAF Championship: 1977
- Pan American Games: 1975
- CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament: 1976
Individual Awards
- La Liga Pichichi Trophy (Top Scorer): 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90
- European Golden Shoe: 1989–90 (Shared)
- Don Balón Award Best Foreign Player: 1986–87, 1989–90
- FIFA 100: 2004 (List of world's greatest living players)
- Golden Foot Legends Award: 2010
- Marca Leyenda: 2018 (Award for football legends)
- IFFHS Best Mexican footballer of the 20th century
- IFFHS Best CONCACAF footballer of the 20th century
Records
- Most Bicycle Kicks In History: 35
- Highest Scoring Mexican Player of All Time
- Most Goals Scored In a Season With The First Touch: 38 – 1989–90
- La Liga Fifth All Time Goalscorer: 234 goals
- Real Madrid Seventh All Time Goalscorer: 208 goals
- The only non-European or South American player to win the European Golden Boot
- Third player with the most Pichichi Trophies
- The only North American player to win the Pichichi Trophy
- Considered to be the First Noted Exponent of the backflip
Managerial Honors
UNAM
- Mexican Primera División Apertura: 2004
- Mexican Primera División Clausura: 2004
- Campeón de Campeones: 2004
Mexico National Team
- Copa América third place: 2007
- CONCACAF Gold Cup runner-up: 2007
See also
In Spanish: Hugo Sánchez para niños
- List of men's footballers with 500 or more goals
