José Manuel Moreno
Encyclopedia
José Manuel Moreno Fernández (August 3, 1916 — August 26, 1978), nicknamed "El Charro", was an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 football inside forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 who played for several clubs in Argentina, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, and was the first footballer ever to have won top division league titles in four different countries (later players to emulate the feat include Jiri Jarosik
Jirí Jarošík
Jiří Jarošík is a Czech footballer who is currently playing for AC Sparta Prague. He played Czech national team, where he played 23 matches. He is a defender and midfielder.-Early career:...

 and Rivaldo
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...

).

Moreno was part of the River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....

 team known as La Máquina ("The Machine") which dominated Argentine football in the 1940s, and was also a member of the Argentine national team
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 that won three South American Championships
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...

 during the same decade.

In 1999, he was ranked among the 25 best players in the world in the 20th century and among the five best in South America, through a poll by the IFFHS.

Club career

Moreno was born in the neighbourhood of La Boca
La Boca
La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It retains a strong European flavour, with many of its early settlers being from the Italian city of Genoa. In fact the name has a strong assonance with the Genoese neighborhood of Boccadasse , and some people believe that...

, in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

, and grew up in the surroundings of the club Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

' stadium, La Bombonera
La Bombonera
La Bombonera may refer:* Estadio Alberto J. Armando, home stadium of Club Atlético Boca Juniors* Estadio Nemesio Díez, home stadium of Deportivo Toluca* Estadio "La Bombonera", Montevideo, home stadium of Club Atlético Basáñez...

. At the age of 15, he tried out for the lower divisions of Boca Juniors, but did not make the selection. According to the Argentine Football Association
Argentine Football Association
The Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...

 archives, he said, frustrated: "some time you will regret it". Moreno then became part of the lower divisions of River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....

, Boca Junior's arch-rival, in 1933, having been recommended by Bernabé Ferreyra
Bernabé Ferreyra
Bernabé Ferreyra was an Argentine association football forward. He was one of the first professional players in Argentine football to reach great popularity, to the point that he had a movie biography.-Club:...

, a notable forward for River Plate.

River Plate (1935-1944)

At the age of 18, Moreno was selected along with other young players from the club by Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 manager Emérico Hirschl to make a tour in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. Thus, his first competitive appearance was against Brazilian side Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...

. He debuted in Primera División
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...

on March 17, 1935, in a 2-1 win against C.A. Platense
Club Atlético Platense
Club Atlético Platense is an Argentine sports club based in Vicente López, in the north side of Greater Buenos Aires. The club nickname is Calamar after the journalist Palacio Zino said that the team moved "like a squid in its ink"....

, scoring one goal. He was part of the squad that won league titles in 1936 and 1937, and went on to become a key player on the River Plate squad known as La Máquina, famous for his line of attack composed by Moreno, Adolfo Pedernera
Adolfo Pedernera
Adolfo Alfredo Pedernera , born in Avellaneda, Argentina, was a football player and coach. Nicknamed "El Maestro" , He is still considered by many to be one of the greatest Argentine players of all-time. He was elected the 12th best South american footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the...

 Ángel Labruna
Ángel Labruna
Angel Amadeo Labruna, , was a football player and coach in Argentina. He is tied with Arsenio Erico as the all-time highest goalscorers in the Argentine first division...

, Juan Carlos Muñoz
Juan Carlos Muñoz
Juan Carlos Muñoz was a footballer from Argentina who played right wing for River Plate, from 1939 to 1950, playing 184 games and scoring 39 goals. He started playing professionally for Sportivo Dock Sud in 1938. and he was sold in June 1939 to River Plate...

, and Félix Loustau
Félix Loustau
Félix Loustau is a former Argentine footballer who was a key player on the River Plate squad known as La Máquina. La Maquina is considered to be one of the greatest team ever assembled in the history of South American football...

, and which dominated Argentine football during the first half of the 1940s decade, winning three national titles (1941, 1942 and 1945).

Mexico (1944-1946)

In 1944, Moreno was transferred to Mexican first division
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...

 club España
Club España
Club España was an American soccer team which won the National Challenge Cup in 1987. The team also won the 1985 National Amateur Cup. The team ceased operations in 1987 when head coach, Hugo Berly, and most of the players, moved to the newly formed Washington Diplomats....

, who had finished runner up to Asturias, first Mexican league champions in the 1943-44 season. With España, Moreno won the national title in the 1945-46 season. His time and success in Mexico earned him the nickname Charro, which is also the term used to refer to the traditional cowboy of Mexico.

Return to South America (1946-1961)

Moreno returned to his homeland and River Plate for the latter part of 1946. His second tenure at River lasted three seasons, and in 1949, he was transferred to Universidad Católica
Club Deportivo Universidad Católica
Club Deportivo Universidad Católica is a professional football club based in Santiago, Chile, which plays in the Primera División.Universidad Católica is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in Chile and considered one of the three "big teams"...

 of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, where in the same year he won another league title. He returned to Argentina in 1950, this time to play for Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

, and the following year, he played again for Universidad Católica. He also played one season in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

, with first division team Defensor
Defensor Sporting Club
-History:Founded on March 15, 1913 as Club Atlético Defensor, the name of the club was changed in 1989 to Defensor Sporting Club after a merger with Sporting Club Uruguay. The team plays in the Luis Franzini Stadium...

. In 1953, he went back to Argentina to join Ferrocarril Oeste
Ferro Carril Oeste
Club Ferro Carril Oeste, known simply as Ferro Carril Oeste or Ferro, is a sports club from the neighbourhood of Caballito, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The club was founded on July 28, 1904 by 95 railway workers from the Buenos Aires Western Railway...

.

Colombia

Moreno moved to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 in 1954, joining Independiente Medellín
Independiente Medellín
Corporación Deportiva Independiente Medellín is a professional Colombian football team competing in Fútbol Profesional Colombiano, the Colombian first division. The club is based in the city of Medellín and founded in 1913. It has won the league's national tournament known as Copa Mustang five...

, where he would end his playing career. He was both a player and a manager for the club. He won the Colombian championship in 1955, becoming the only footballer to have won league titles in four different countries' leagues, doing so in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. In 1957, he won his last – and 12th overall – first division title. He retired with Independiente Medellín in a friendly match against Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

 in 1961, a match during which he participated both as coach and player. Independiente won the match 5-2, and Moreno scored one goal.

National team

Moreno was a member of the Argentina national team
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 from 1936 to 1950, earning 34 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

 and scoring 19 goals. Moreno was part of the winning squads at the South American Championships
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...

 (now Copa América) of 1941
South American Championship 1941
The sixteenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Santiago, Chile from February 2, 1941 to March 4, 1941.With the purpose of celebrating the fourth centenary of Santiago's foundation by Pedro de Valdivia, Chile requested to host this tournament's edition...

, 1942
South American Championship 1942
The seventeenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Montevideo, Uruguay from January 10, 1942 to February 7, 1942.For the first time seven teams took part of the event; the participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.Bolivia, and...

 and 1947
South American Championship 1947
The 1947 South American Championship was the 20th South American Championship for national teams, and was organized by CONMEBOL. It marked the first time Ecuador hosted the tournament, which hosted all the matches in Estadio George Capwell in Guayaquil. Argentina won the tournament to obtain their...

. He scored the tournament's milestone goal number 500 in an atypical match against Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...

: he scored five goals in that match, a Copa América record which he shares with Héctor Scarone
Héctor Scarone
Héctor Pedro Scarone Beretta was a Uruguayan football striker. He went on for many years Since 1930 to holds the record as the all-time leading scorer with 31 goals in 52 games between 1917 and 1930 for the Uruguayan national team...

 (Uruguay), Juan Marvezzi (Argentina) and Evaristo (Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

). That day, Argentina beat Ecuador 12-0, which is also the largest goal difference in a single Copa América match.

Moreno was the top goalscorer of the 1942 South American Championship
South American Championship 1942
The seventeenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Montevideo, Uruguay from January 10, 1942 to February 7, 1942.For the first time seven teams took part of the event; the participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.Bolivia, and...

 with seven goals, along with Herminio Masantonio
Herminio Masantonio
Herminio Masantonio was an Argentine football centre-forward. He currently played most of his career for Club Atlético Huracán and represented Argentina at international level.-Club career:...

, and was chosen best player of the 1947 edition
South American Championship 1947
The 1947 South American Championship was the 20th South American Championship for national teams, and was organized by CONMEBOL. It marked the first time Ecuador hosted the tournament, which hosted all the matches in Estadio George Capwell in Guayaquil. Argentina won the tournament to obtain their...

. He is also tied for third place among the Copa América's all-time top scorers, with 13 overall goals.

Managerial career

Moreno had a brief spell as manager of Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

 in 1959. He also worked as the manager of Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

, Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Huracán home stadium is the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.Huracán was...

 and All Boys
All Boys
Club Atlético All Boys is a sports club based in the Floresta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The institution is mostly known by its football team, which currently plays at the Primera División, the top division of Argentine football league system....

 in Argentina and Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo is a Chilean football club based in the commune of Macul, Santiago. It competes in the Primera División, the top-flight football league in the country, from which they have never been relegated. Their home ground is the Estadio Monumental David Arellano.Colo-Colo...

 in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

.

Honours

  • Copa América
    Copa América
    The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...

    :1941
    South American Championship 1941
    The sixteenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Santiago, Chile from February 2, 1941 to March 4, 1941.With the purpose of celebrating the fourth centenary of Santiago's foundation by Pedro de Valdivia, Chile requested to host this tournament's edition...

    , 1942
    South American Championship 1942
    The seventeenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Montevideo, Uruguay from January 10, 1942 to February 7, 1942.For the first time seven teams took part of the event; the participating countries were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay.Bolivia, and...

    , and 1947
    South American Championship 1947
    The 1947 South American Championship was the 20th South American Championship for national teams, and was organized by CONMEBOL. It marked the first time Ecuador hosted the tournament, which hosted all the matches in Estadio George Capwell in Guayaquil. Argentina won the tournament to obtain their...

     (with Argentina
    Argentina national football team
    The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...

    )
  • Argentine Football Championship
    Primera División Argentina
    The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...

    : 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1945 (with River Plate
    Club Atlético River Plate
    Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....

    )
  • Mexican Football Championship
    Primera División de México
    The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...

    : 1946 (with Club España
    Club España
    Club España was an American soccer team which won the National Challenge Cup in 1987. The team also won the 1985 National Amateur Cup. The team ceased operations in 1987 when head coach, Hugo Berly, and most of the players, moved to the newly formed Washington Diplomats....

    )
  • Chilean Football Championship
    Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División
    The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS' Best Leagues of the World ranking...

    : 1949 (with Universidad Católica
    Club Deportivo Universidad Católica
    Club Deportivo Universidad Católica is a professional football club based in Santiago, Chile, which plays in the Primera División.Universidad Católica is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in Chile and considered one of the three "big teams"...

    )
  • Colombian Football Championship: 1955 and 1957 (with Independiente Medellín
    Independiente Medellín
    Corporación Deportiva Independiente Medellín is a professional Colombian football team competing in Fútbol Profesional Colombiano, the Colombian first division. The club is based in the city of Medellín and founded in 1913. It has won the league's national tournament known as Copa Mustang five...

    )

  • He was selected among the 25 best players in the world in the 20th century by the IFFHS in 1999. He also ranked as the fifth best player in South America, and as the third best in Argentina, behind Diego Maradona
    Diego Maradona
    Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...

     and Alfredo Di Stéfano
    Alfredo Di Stéfano
    Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...

    .

Further reading

Article:"The champion of four countries" (with translation)

External links

Futbol Factory profile (Archived) Player profile and statistics (with translation)
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