Alberto Spencer
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2023) ) |
 Alberto Spencer photographed for El Gráfico | |||
| 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 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Los Andes | |||
| 1953–1955 |
Everest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1955–1959 |
Everest | 90 | (101) |
| 1959–1970 |
Peñarol | 519 | (326) |
| 1971–1972 |
Barcelona SC | 37 | (19) |
| Total | 662 | (446) | |
| International career | |||
| 1959–1972 | Ecuador | 11 | (4) |
| 1964–1967 | Uruguay | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera (6 December 1937 – 3 November 2006) was an Ecuadorian
Biography
Born in Ancón, Santa Elena, Ecuador, Spencer was the son of a Jamaican of British origin.[3]
He was an
Spencer suffered a heart attack on 13 September 2006 during a routine checkup with his cardiologist. He died on 3 November 2006 in the
Career
Alberto Spencer began his career at age 15 playing for Everest. He jumped to fame when he was scouted while playing on loan for
On the international front, Spencer holds the unique distinction of being the only goalscorer, capped by two different countries simultaneously: Ecuador, and Uruguay. He 'switched' shirts no less than four times. He played for Uruguay against England (2-1) in a friendly match at the legendary Wembley Stadium and scored, making him the first Ecuadorian-born player to score in that stadium.
His name was omitted from FIFA's, and Pelé's list of 100 greatest living players. This caused outrage among many South American journalists who believed greats like Spencer, were being ignored in favour of commercialism. David Mellor of the Evening Standard notably blasted FIFA in his reporting of the incident.
Although widely considered one of the best South American players of all time, he still remains largely an unknown figure in Europe. This is presumably because he never participated in a World Cup or played in Europe. Similar fates awaited other greats such as
He was elected the 20th South American Player of the Century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2004.
Achievements
Spencer still maintains the South American club record in
Spencer was also four times the leading scorer of Uruguay's League with Peñarol, helping them to win the Uruguayan championship eight times during his 12-year stay. Throughout his professional career, he scored a grand total of 450 goals, surpassing 500 if friendlies were taken into account.
Honours
Club
- 1969
Serie A: 1
- 1971
Individual
Copa Libertadores top scorer: 2
Primera División top scorer: 4
- 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968.
- RSSSF - Ecuador: Player of the century.
- IFFHS: 20th best South American player in the century.
- Copa América Historical Dream Team: 2011
References
- ^ "FIFA World Cup countdown: Top 10 Ecuadorian men's footballers of all time - Sports Mole". amp.sportsmole.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ IFFHS' Century Elections Archived March 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine - rsssf.com - by Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF, 2000.
- ^ Rob Smyth (24 March 2010). "The worst English champions ever (sort of)?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- ^ "Alberto Spencer fue sepultado en Uruguay". ESPNdeportes.com (in Spanish). 7 November 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Better than Pele?". Revista Estadio. 15 November 2006. Archived from the original on 4 July 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2006.
External links
- Alberto Spencer: el Caballero, el Diplomático, el Goleador (in Spanish)
- International Herald Tribune obituary
- Alberto Pedro Spencer's Matches and Goals in Copa Libertadores
- Honor Video for Alberto Spencer on YouTube
- Alberto Spencer Tribute Video on YouTube
- Alberto Spencer at Find a Grave
 | ||
