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Like everything in life, soccer also has movement. The strategies and style of play change over time, thanks to tactical studies and the physical evolution of the players. The “10”, that position wrapped in romanticism for the talent and psychomotor skills of those who execute it, is in danger of extinction. Here, a review of the best players in that role who have passed through the national courts.
Rubén Marcos was the golden chest of the Blue Ballet in the 1960s. The former midfielder from Universidad de Chile had a successful career, where he won five First Division titles with the lay team and captured the attention and praise of the soccer world. His polyfunctionality on the playing field made him a unique player. Game vision, technique, ball control, aerial play; All these qualities possessed Rubén, who also shone in the Red, being the most outstanding in the Qualifiers for the 1966 World Cup in England and the 1967 Copa América. At Universidad de Chile he played 254 games and scored 110 goals. In the 1966 World Cup, he played all three games in the group stage and scored two goals.
Francisco Valdés’ career in Chilean soccer was historic. He served as a midfielder, but for decades he held the record as top scorer in the national tournament with 215 goals, a mark that was beaten by Esteban Paredes in 2019. Chamaco debuted at Colo Colo in 1961, a club with which he played 13 seasons. He retired at Audax Italiano in 1983. He played two world cups with La Roja; England 1966 and Germany 1974. With the Cacique he played 354 matches, in which he scored 179 goals. He was part of the team that reached the final of the Copa Libertadores in 1973, the year in which he was chosen the best professional soccer athlete in the country.
Aravena’s left foot was deadly. Each free throw became a great goal possibility for his team. The Chilean midfielder who scored the most goals in a calendar year (58, in 1983) became, thanks to his great punch, the most goalscorer midfielder in La Roja’s history (he was dethroned by Arturo Vidal) with 22 goals. He started his career in 1976. He was champion with Universidad Católica, Puebla (Mexico) and won a Chile Cup with Unión Española (1992). He retired at Audax Italiano in 1993.
Jorge Valdivia’s first appearance on the fields of the First Division of national football was in 2003, when he debuted at Universidad de Concepción. His superior technique immediately captured the attention of fans. With Campanil he played 30 games, scored seven goals and contributed with ten assists, all in his first season. After brief steps by Rayo Vallecano of Spain and Servette of Switzerland, the midfielder arrived at Colo Colo in 2005 to be part of a historic team with Matías Fernández, Alexis Sánchez and Humberto Suazo. His quality was reinforced by his teammates on the squad led by Claudio Borghi. Where he shone based on magical plays, such as that feint that made Palestine suffer (see video) and fantastic assists.
Enrique Hormazábal’s name is a unique chapter in the history of national football. The Chilean, a sports star in the 1950s, was considered the best footballer of those years. The idol of Chamaco Valdés and Sergio Navarro debuted for Santiago Morning in 1948. His fame became greater when he reached Colo Colo in 1956, a club where he was three-time champion of the National Championship (1956, 1969 and 1963) and one of the Chile Cup. (1958). With the albos he played 178 games and scored 85 goals. His temperament and mischief made him a special player, coupled with his innate talent and great ability to make long passes with unmatched precision, led him to stardom in the country. With the Red he played 43 games and scored 17 goals, being the top scorer of the Selection until 1965, when he was dethroned by Leonel Sánchez.
Pipo Gorosito debuted at River Plate in 1986. With Los Millonarios he was champion of the Copa Libertadores in 1986. Then he played two periods in San Lorenzo, where he is an idol, and one in Swarovski Tirol, Austria. In 1994 he arrived at the Catholic University where he made an unforgettable duo with Alberto Acosta. In that year he was champion with the crusaders of the Inter-American Cup and was distinguished as the best player in Chilean soccer. Despite the 1994 and 1995 national runners-up with UC, the Argentine excelled on national courts, earning him the status of one of the university’s greatest idols.
When the world champion with Argentina in Mexico 1986 signed in Colo Colo (1992), the local scene was revolutionized. Chilean soccer of the 90s, which had several important figures such as Marcelo Espina, Leonardo Rodríguez, Néstor Gorosito, Alberto Acosta, Marcelo Salas, among others, received another star. Claudio Borghi, who started in Argentinos Juniors and played in teams such as Milan, River Plate and Flamengo, demonstrated all his ability on national courts. The surprise was even greater when, after another visit to Argentina and Mexico, he decided to return to Chile to finish his career. The rabona specialist played in O’Higgins (1995), Audax Italiano (1996) and retired in Santiago Wanderers (1998).
Matías Fernández made his debut for Colo Colo in 2003 but it was not until 2005 that he began to capture all the eyes of the national fans. His skill and ability with the ball immediately made him the undisputed figure of Chilean soccer. Every goal, dribble and assist were pure gold. In his first stage with the albo team he played 55 games, scored 39 goals and made 13 assists. He achieved the two-time championship in 2006 and the same year he fell with his team in the final of the Copa Sudamericana. That year he was chosen as the best player in South America and Villarreal, led by Manuel Pellegrini, was transferred. From the outside you could see a homeless player, who demonstrated abilities to easily get into the best in the world, however, his extensive international career, in teams like Sporting Lisbon, Fiorentina and Milan, failed to fully meet the expectations of fans.
The talented Argentine midfielder Leonardo Rodríguez moved from Germany’s Borussia Dortmund to play for the University of Chile in 1995, where he left a legacy. The trans-Andean footballer excelled in the lay team, not only with his strength, his face, his ability to pass the ball between the lines or his goals, but also with titles. In his two periods in the blue team he obtained three national championships (1995, 1999 and 2000), in addition to two Copa Chile (1998 and 2000). He was the best player in the 1991 Copa América (Chile), where he was crowned champion, such as in 1993 (Ecuador) and the Confederations Cup (1992).
Exvolante Jaime Riveros is an icon of Chilean soccer. His excellent left foot made him one of the historical scorers of the national tournament, with 204 goals and 417 assists in the ten clubs he defended (nine nationals and one foreigner, Deportivo Cali in 2005). They remember him well in the Fifth Region, where he achieved two remembered national championships; with Santiago Wanderers (2001), where he was chosen the country’s footballer of the year, and with Everton (2008). At the 2004 Opening Tournament, the midfielder scored 21 goals in 15 consecutive games, setting himself a record that he still holds.
Another magical left-footer of national football. Coto Sierra debuted at Unión Española in 1988, a club where he shone for his quality and where he won a national championship (2005) and two Copa Chile (1992 and 1993). After playing a season in Sao Paulo (1994-1995), he ended up in Colo Colo, a club where he was an idol thanks to his game and his titles (national championships of 1996, 1997 and 1998). At the 1998 World Cup in France he showed the world his great punch with a free kick goal against Cameroon. El Coto retired in Unión Española in 2009, but not before taking the team that formed it in the 2005 Opening Tournament as champion.
The excellent technical quality and intelligence of Manuel Rojas (1954) was crucial for Palestino in his good campaigns in the second half of the 1970s. Manny, as he was nicknamed by his colleagues, was champion with the Arab club in the 1975 Chile Cup and the 1978 First Division. Among those titles, he traveled to Mexico to play for America, where he stayed with the Aztec title in 1976. He played 28 games for La Roja. He was a finalist in the 1979 Copa América and played in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. His career ended at Chicago Sting (United States) in 1988.
The Argentinean Diego Buonanotte debuted in River Plate (2006), played in Malaga, Granada, Pachuca, Quilmes and AEK Athens before joining Universidad Católica in 2016. The Dwarf came to the crossed team to be champion, an issue that he accomplished not only once , but five (three national championships and two Super Cups). With UC he has played 121 games, where he has made 30 goals and 26 assists. The 1.61-meter midfielder stands out for his technique and his ability to dribble and confuse rivals, becoming one of the key pieces of the most winning Chilean team in recent years.
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