Elías Figueroa
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Elías Ricardo Figueroa Brander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 25 October 1946 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Valparaíso, Chile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) |
centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1962–1964 | Santiago Wanderers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1964–1966 | Santiago Wanderers | 54 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1964 | → Unión La Calera (loan) | 30 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1967–1972 |
Peñarol | 214 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1972–1976 |
Internacional | 336 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1977–1980 |
Palestino | 118 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981 |
Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981–1982 | Colo-Colo | 17 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 791 | (40) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1966–1982 | Chile | 47 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994–1996 |
Palestino | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Elías Ricardo Figueroa Brander (born 25 October 1946) is a Chilean former
Regarded by many as one of the greatest
Early life and youth career
Figueroa was born in Valparaíso, Chile on 25 October 1946. He began playing football in Chile with Florida High Quilpué, and later joined the youth system of his hometown club Santiago Wanderers in 1962.
Club career
Early career in Chile
Figueroa began his professional career in 1963, when, at the age of 16, he appeared in the first division of the Chilean professional football league, playing for the
Success with Peñarol
His performances attracted interest from several foreign teams, and following the South American Championship in Montevideo in 1967, he was acquired by Uruguayan side Peñarol later that year. At that time this Uruguayan Club was the best team in the world as champion of the Intercontinental Cup (football) and the Uruguayan league was very strong. Figueroa settled in a team full of stars and legends, but he with 18 years was elected the best player in the Uruguayan Championship 1967 and also 1968 and 1971.[1] He spent several years with the Peñarol, where he experienced one of his most successful periods in domestic football. He won the Uruguayan Championship with the club in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and in his farewell at the end of 1971, people cried at the airport.
Continued success with Internacional
By then Figueroa had established himself as a well-developed and highly regarded athlete; however, he was looking to develop his skills further, and his talents caught the attention of Brazilian executives. He was acquired by Brazilian club
Later career in Chile and the United States
Shortly after his time in Brazil, Figueroa returned to his homeland in 1977, joining
International career
Figueroa earned 47 caps and scored two goals for the Chilean senior national team between 1966 and 1982.[4]
He was the captain of the Chile national side on many occasions, and even captained the Chilean squad through their most successive era to date, when they qualified for three World Cups. He played in the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, and also featured prominently in the 1974 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where he was elected the best central defender of the tournament, despite Chile's poor performance in the competition.[5] He also later took part in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. In 1974 Figueroa was elected the best central defender of the tournament and member of the all-star team of World Cup.[5]
He was also captain when they finished third in the
Playing style
Known as "Don Elías", Figueroa was noted for having a keen ability to anticipate attacks as a defender with his great reading of the game and tight marking ability. Figueroa also had the ability to start counter-attacks from the back-line thanks to his composure on the ball, vision, and good range of passing. His playing style as a sweeper was frequently compared to Franz Beckenbauer, but while the German often looked for long, killer balls upfield, Figueroa typically used shorter, incisive passes to spring his teammates forward. Figueroa was also a threat in the final third of the pitch, often marauding forward to lay on goals for other players or strike on goal with his powerful shot. Figueroa remembers: "when I played in Brazil, I always did a play in which the wing back and the winger retained the ball while I would advance unmarked and make a central attacking run".[6] Possessing good technical skills, Figueroa was also a physical presence, good in the air, and strong in one-on-one situations as a central defender. Known for his leadership, he also had a reputation of being a clean and fair player. Only once in his entire career was he shown a red card and was selected as captain for every team he played for. According to journalist Nelson Rodrigues, Figueroa was "elegant, as an earl dressed in suit, and dangerous as a Bengal Tiger. Elias Figueroa was the perfect defender."[7]
After retirement
Punditry
After retiring, Figueroa later became a television sports commentator for Chilean and Brazilian football, and was also successful in his new profession.
Coaching career
In December 2006, Figueroa served as coach when Chile played a friendly game against
Potential FIFA Presidential Run
On 25 March 2011, Figueroa was chosen as ChangeFIFA's candidate to clean up FIFA following the scandal-hit 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid race last year. Unless Figueroa is nominated by a national federation, FIFA president Sepp Blatter's only opponent in the elections on 1 June will be Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam. ChangeFIFA co-director David Larkin said that if FIFA members denied one of their own legendary players the right to stand for president, "it will only prove to show that FIFA has become an exclusive and undemocratic club of an elite few who will stop at nothing to prevent their loss of privilege and power". Figueroa told Brazil's leading sports newspaper, Lance!: "My idea, which is also theirs, is to change some things in football, make it better. I still cannot give details, but, if the nomination is confirmed, we will reveal."[8]
However, on 31 March 2011, Figueroa said in a statement he had decided not to accept because "in such a short period of time I could not develop a case worthy of the magnitude and importance of such a distinguished job".[9]
Legacy
In 1999 Figueroa received the honorable mention of being one of the top eleven players from Latin America and in the same year he was part of a select group of the Great Masters Cup in a ceremony held in Cannes, France.
His time playing in Brazil was so successful that some local journalists divided his career in the South American nation "before and after Figueroa." Single lineage heads the list of all Chilean players to date.
Honours
Peñarol
- Primera División: 1967, 1968
- Intercontinental Champions' Supercup: 1969
- Copa Libertadores runner-up: 1970
Internacional
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976
- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1975, 1976
Palestino
- Copa Chile: 1977
- Primera División: 1978
Chile
- Copa América runner-up: 1979
Individual
Distinctions | Year |
---|---|
All-Star Team of 1974 FIFA World Cup[10] Best defense of the tournament[11] | 1974 |
South American Footballer of the Year[12] | 1974, 1975, 1976 |
Third place South American Footballer of the Year | 1977 |
Best South American defense of the year[13] | 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 |
Best global defense of the year[13] | 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 |
Bola de Ouro Brazil's best player[13] | 1972, 1976 |
Bola de Prata Brazil's best defense of the year
|
1972, 1974, 1975, 1976 |
Best player of Uruguay[3] | 1967, 1968, 1971 |
Best foreigner player of the century in Brazil[14] | 2001 |
Best foreigner player of the century in Uruguay | 2000 |
Best footballer of the year in Chile | 1966, 1981 |
Best sportsman of the year of Chile | 1981 |
Chilean Footballer of the History of Circle of Sports Journalists of Chile[15] | 1999 |
N° 37 The World's best Player of the Century IFFHS[16]
|
1999/2000 |
N° 8 South America best Player of the Century IFFHS[17]
|
1999/2000 |
N° 1 Chilean best Player of the Century IFFHS[18]
|
1999/2000 |
N° 1 South America best Defender of the Century IFFHS[17]
|
1999/2000 |
List FIFA 100 of Pelé | 2004 |
Member of South American Team of the 20th Century[19] | 1999 |
Member of historical team by the American Cup[20][21][22][23] | 2011 |
Member of Dream Team of Peñarol of all time[24] | 2002 |
Member Bicentennial Team of Santiago Wanderers[25] | 2010 |
Most influential footballer in the history of Sport Club Internacional of Porto Alegre.[26]
|
2012 |
Placar magazine (Brazil) N 19° in published a list of the best 100 players of all time[27] | 1999 |
Playboy Brazil magazine N 13° in published a list of voted among the best in history[28] | 2005 |
World Soccer magazine; selected in published a list of the best 50 players of all time[29] | 2010 |
Sports Illustrated Latino; Elected at the eleventh ideal of the past 50 years of South American football[30] | 2012 |
Distinction as Ambassador to the UN by the Sports Program for Development and Peace[31] | 2002 |
Distinction of the order "Knight of Rio Branco" granted by the | 2000 |
Award of CONMEBOL by exalt to South American soccer[33][34][35] | 2009 |
Member of the Walk of Fame Stadium Maracana[36]
|
2000 |
Was nominated constantly to Selection of the World and South America from 19 years | 1966–1982 |
Was only player alongside Hugo Sánchez that has participated in three World Cups alternately | 1966– 1974- 1982 |
Sent off just once in 18-year career[5] | 1965–1983 |
Was captain in all teams where he played | 1966–1982 |
IFFHS South America Men's Team of All Time[37] | 2021 |
Copa América Historical Dream Team | 2011 |
See also
- Bola de Prata
- Bolo de Ouro
- South American Footballer of the Year
- FIFA 100
- List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
References
- ^ "A la carta: Elías Figueroa". www.elgrafico.com.ar. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Home - Clube - História - O Dono do Brasil - Anos 70 - O Octacampeonato Gaúcho" (in Portuguese). internacional.com - Site oficial. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ YouTube
- ^ "Appearances for Chile National Team". RSSSF. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
- ^ a b c FIFA.com (25 January 2012). "Figueroa, Chile's defensive commander". Archived from the original on 20 January 2017.
- ^ "Don Elías: "Nunca me gustó ser defensa" - Revista Capital". Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ Clarín.com (13 January 2011). "Planeta RedondoElías Figueroa, el dueño del área". Archived from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ "ChangeFIFA Urges Federations to Back South American Legend's Challenge to Blatter Presidency". www.worldfootballinsider.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ "Battle for FIFA Presidency is Between Blatter and Bin Hammam". worldfootballinsider.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ^ "FIFA World Cup All-Star Team - Football world Cup All Star Team". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Figueroa, Chile's defensive commander". FIFA.com. 25 January 2012. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ^ "South American Coach and Player of the Year". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ a b c S.A.P., El Mercurio (2 January 2004). "Elías Figueroa y las razones para ser uno de los 100 mejores de la historia - Emol.com". Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ S.A.P., El Mercurio (9 January 2001). "Elías Figueroa agradeció distinción entregada en Brasil - Emol.com". Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Reyes, Luis Antonio (26 October 2007). "Prensafutbol.cl: Elías Figueroa fue elegido el mejor futbolista chileno de todos los tiempos". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ "IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics)". Iffhs.de. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ a b "IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics)". Iffhs.de. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ "IFFHS' Players and Keepers of the Century for many countries". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "Latest Soccer News, Results, Schedules, Transfer News". Soccer Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ Cooperativa.cl. "Elías Figueroa integra el once sudamericano de todos los tiempos - Cooperativa.cl". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "El Ancasti - Edición Digital". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ "'Siento que mi esfuerzo no fue inútil' - 20071015". Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ ".: Diario el Litoral Corrientes :. El equipo argentino de todos los tiempos". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ S.A.P., El Mercurio (29 December 2002). "Elías Figueroa presente en el equipo soñado de Peñarol - Emol.com". Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Página 12 - La Estrella de Valparaíso - 16.08.2012".
- ^ LUN. "Página 23 - LUN, martes, 18 de diciembre de 2012". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "The Best x Players of the Century/All-Time". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "La Cuarta: Don Elías Figueroa: "Para la Playboy de Brasil soy mejor que Romario y Ronaldinho" [21/08/2005]". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ "World Soccer October 2010 - YouKioske". Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ S.A.P., El Mercurio. "Palo a palo". diario.elmercurio.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ a b S.A.P., El Mercurio (14 August 2000). "El reconocimiento a Don Elías - Emol.com". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ S.A.P., El Mercurio (16 August 2000). "Gobierno brasileño distinguió a Elías Figueroa - Emol.com". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Elías Figueroa suma un nuevo galardón". www.mercuriovalpo.cl. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ S.A.P., El Mercurio (26 January 2009). "Conmebol premiará a Elías Figueroa, Carlos Caszely y Jaime Pizarro - Emol.com". Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Don Elías es premiado". www.estrellanorte.cl.[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://www.maracana.proderj.rj.gov.br/historia_maracanaI.asp[permanent dead link]
- ^ "IFFHS". Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
External links
- Official Twitter
- Elías Figueroa at National-Football-Teams.com
- Top 50 South American Players of All Time