Ricardo Peláez facts for kids
Peláez in 2013
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ricardo Peláez Linares | ||
| Date of birth | 14 March 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985–1987 | América | 17 | (8) |
| 1987–1997 | Necaxa | 352 | (138) |
| 1997–1998 | América | 33 | (17) |
| 1998–2000 | Guadalajara | 42 | (15) |
| Total | 444 | (171) | |
| International career | |||
| 1989–1999 | Mexico | 43 | (16) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ricardo Peláez Linares (born on March 14, 1963) is a famous Mexican former football player. He used to play as a striker. Today, he works as a sports analyst for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Mexico.
Ricardo Peláez started his football journey with Club América. Later, he moved to Necaxa, where he became a very important player. He played over 300 games for Necaxa and scored 158 goals. This made him the club's top scorer of all time! After a short return to Club América, he finished his playing career at Guadalajara. He also played for the Mexican national team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
After he stopped playing, Peláez became a football executive, helping to manage teams. He also continued his work as a sports analyst, sharing his knowledge about the game.
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Ricardo Peláez's Club Career
Ricardo Peláez Linares first studied to become an accountant. He found accounting work to be quite boring. Since football was his passion, he decided to try out for Club América. He was 23 years old when the club saw his talent and added him to their main team.
He played his first game for Club América in 1985. He helped them win the Prode 85 title that same year.
His best years were with Necaxa. He helped Necaxa win the league championship twice, in 1994-95 and 1995-96. He also won the Campeón de Campeones cup in 1994-95 and the Campeón de Copa in 1995-96. Because of these wins, Necaxa was even called the "Team of the Decade."
Peláez scored 158 goals for Necaxa. Many of these goals were headers, which was one of his best skills. This made him Necaxa's all-time leading scorer. After a brief return to Club América from 1997 to 1998, Peláez joined Guadalajara. With Guadalajara, his team finished second in the Torneo Invierno 98, losing to Necaxa. He retired from playing professional football in the year 2000.
Playing for Mexico: International Career
Ricardo Peláez was a key part of the Mexican national team. He played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. During this big tournament, he scored two important goals.
He scored the first goal against South Korea, helping Mexico win 3–1. His second goal was against the Netherlands in a 2–2 draw. In total, Peláez played 43 games for Mexico and scored 16 goals.
Ricardo Peláez as a Football Executive
After his playing career, Peláez took on roles as a football executive. This means he helped manage and lead football clubs from behind the scenes.
Leading Club América
On November 8, 2011, Ricardo Peláez became the new Sporting President of Club América. This was part of a big change in the club's leadership. One of his first actions was to hire Miguel Herrera as the club's new manager.
Before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he also worked as the Sporting Director for the Mexican national team. After the World Cup, he returned to Club América. He left his role as Sporting President in April 2017.
Under Peláez's leadership, Club América was very successful. They often made it to the playoffs and reached the finals four times. They won two league titles and two CONCACAF Champions Cup titles.
Working with Cruz Azul
On May 7, 2018, Peláez was announced as the Director of Football for Cruz Azul. He signed a two-year contract with the club. In his first season with Cruz Azul, the team reached the Copa MX final. They won the cup by defeating Monterrey 2–0.
Role at Guadalajara
After much talk, Peláez became the new Director of Football for Guadalajara. He started this role in the 2020 Clausura season. However, on October 11, 2022, his contract with Guadalajara ended after the team lost a playoff game.
Life Outside Football
In 2004, Ricardo Peláez started working as a commentator for football matches on Mexican television, specifically for Televisa. He also lent his voice to the FIFA video games. From 2006 to 2012, he was one of the Spanish language commentators alongside Enrique Bermúdez.
From September 2017 to May 2018, he worked as an analyst for ESPN Deportes and ESPN Mexico. He continues to share his insights on football today.
Honors and Achievements
Ricardo Peláez won many titles during his career as a player and an executive.
As a Player:
- América
* Mexican Primera División: Prode-85
- Necaxa
* Mexican Primera División: 1994–95, 1995–96 * Copa México: 1994–95 * CONCACAF Cup Winners' Cup: 1994 * Campeón de Campeones: 1995
- Mexico National Team
* CONCACAF Gold Cup: 1996
See also
In Spanish: Ricardo Peláez para niños
