Jose Manuel Moreno

José Manuel Moreno Fernández (Buenos Aires; August 3, 1916-Merlo; August 26, 1978), nicknamed "el Charro" or & # 34; el Fanfa & # 34;, was an Argentine footballer commonly considered by many as the best in the world in the 1940s. He was part of the famous River Plate forward known as La Maquina . With the Argentine national team he won two Copa América (1941 and 1947). In 1980 he was awarded post mortem with the Konex Platinum Award, which distinguished him as the best player in the history of Argentine football.

He is still today one of the top figures of Argentine football, the IFFHS ranks him as the 5th best South American player of the 20th century (only surpassed by Pelé, Maradona, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Garrincha) and as the 25th best player in the world of the XX century. Maradona says in his book “I am Diego” that "when the AFA chose me as the best Argentine soccer player of all time I was fascinated, but at the same time I was ashamed to leave behind names like Moreno". He was the first player to be champion of the national tournament in 4 different countries (shared record): in Argentina (36-37-41-42-47), Mexico (46), Chile (49) and Colombia (55-57). With River Plate, in the legendary Moreno Machine he won four Aldao Cups (1936, 1937, 1941 and 1947) and ten national titles. With 20 official titles won in his professional career, he can be considered one of the first multiple champions in the history of football. However, he was never able to compete in a World Cup, either because of the Second World War or because of the Argentine government's refusal to participate in France 1938 and Brazil 1950.

Total player

"José Manuel Moreno invented the position of the “total player”, the same one that would later make Di Stéfano say that everything he did at Real Madrid (grabbing the ball in his area and take it to the opposite goal and there assist or shoot) "Charro" had already done it in River. Nominally he played as a right or left insider, what we know today as an offensive midfielder. A rallying figure for the people, a leader and charismatic, he was a player with notable technical conditions, skilled, creative, ingenious, with the ability to define and a formidable header, he adapted to any system with ductility, in addition to making an impact with his physical condition.. "Moreno was like that: as fighter... as he was skilled. In fact, the chronicles that have remained from his time as a footballer speak of a player with striking technique, the ability to finish and a wonderful header. Other references tell us: "In that famous River team, as he would remember Alfredo Di Stéfano - who played with Moreno in River in 1947 -, the great bohemian of '40's football, grabbed the ball in his area, took it to the opposite goal and there assisted or shot the goalkeeper. #34;. "He had physical strength and exquisite quality, almost a contradiction. He was champion with the Machine in '41 and '42. Then came the national team. Flyer back and forth, tireless, messy. But also a scorer.' With more than 20 years of professional career, he scored 243 goals in 523 League games.

Biography

Born on August 3, 1916 son of Mrs. Malvina and Don José, a modest police officer, was the only male son of the family, surrounded by three older sisters. Moreno kicked the ball for the first time in the Barrio de la Boca, near his house, where he quickly fell in love with the Boca Juniors club. However, the Xeneize club closed the doors after a test and the charro, still small and dreamer, left indignant promising revenge. Years later I would shine with the River Plate shirt. José Manuel Moreno says that " one morning the old man bought me a couple of espadrilles, I went to the pasture that I hit the ball so much that at noon the espadrilles were felled, broken with mustaches ".

owner of a lush personality on and off the court, which made him nicknamed fanfa (by fanfare), his charisma reached women, dance and bohemia. Assiduous concurrent to nightclubs and tango fan. "It is the best training," he said, because "you have the rhythm, you change it in an instant, you handle all the profiles and do waist and leg work." Despite his taste for bohemia, he never stopped responding in The countryside and at goals consecrate yourself in your beloved River.

The machine

He appeared in River Plate on a tour that the team made in 1934, when he was only 18 years old. He established himself as a starter in 1936 along with Adolfo Pedernera, both in positions strange to those for which they remained in history. They formed the left wing of a formidable million-dollar attack that included Carlos Peucelle (right forward), Renato Cesarini (right midfielder) and Bernabé Ferreyra (center forward). He remained at River Plate for 9 seasons and won the Argentine championships of 1936 (the Championship Cup plus the Gold Cup), 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1947. On an international level, with River he won the Aldao Cup on 4 occasions: 1936, 1937, 1941 and 1947.

The River Plate Machine was born under the tactical talent of Carlos Peucelle, who designed a team in which everyone defended and everyone attacked. Moreno stood out for his tactical and strategic ability, for his head play and his scoring ability. The lead was made up of Muñoz, Moreno, Pedernera, Labruna and Loustau. The famous forward played together in only 18 games (Aristobulo Deambrossi and Carlos Peucelle were also regular forwards in that era) between 1941 and 1945, which were enough to be inscribed in a place of honor in the history of football. Moreno was the most popular of the five, and at a time when Argentine football was the best in the world and its league was going through a golden era.

In the River machine, José Manuel Moreno reached the dimension of total player, his function was to engage the attack and defense through his great detachment, good footing and dynamics. In the words of Adolfo Pedernera: "We did a WM with Rodolfi, Ramos, Moreno and I in the four vertices of what is called the magic square." Juan Carlos Muñoz adds: "The walls of Moreno and Pedernera from the middle of the field forward were very important, they cleared the way and facilitated the arrival. El Diario Marca adds: "Muñoz and Pedernera were the initiators, Moreno and Loustau in the role of assistants and Labruna as a scoring reference. The graph adds: José Manuel Moreno was a timer, the one who fell further behind in the quintet to supply his teammates from the very beginning of the play. The journalist Chomsky ends by explaining "They told me that in River Plate the young Di Stéfano was made to play by Moreno and Pedernera. When he went on loan to Huracán, Tucho Méndez fed him. And in Millonarios de Colombia, Pedernera again, now with Antonio Báez. When he arrived at Real Madrid, Di Stéfano began to play like Moreno and then became the king of Europe.

Later journey

José Manuel Moreno's success does not end only at River Plate. In 1944, amid problems with his contract and a soccer players' strike, he left for Mexico to join Club España, in that country. There he played with Isidro Lángara, won the 1946 championship and had notable success, which meant that upon his return he was given the nickname Charro. In Mexico he became good friends with Luis De la Fuente y Hoyos, the Pirate .

He rejoined River in 1946, upon his return there was a day of popular celebration that exceeded the limits of the River fans in a match that was played on the Club Ferro field. The wooden stands with capacity for 35 thousand people were overwhelmed (there were more than 45,000 spectators) and the fence gave way. That afternoon Moreno scored 3 goals that helped River win 5-1.

Champion again in 1947, already with Di Stéfano as center forward, he emigrated again after the players' strike of 1948. He was married to the Argentine actress Pola Alonso.

In 1949 he went to Chile, where he dazzled at the Catholic University where he was champion in addition to achieving the first professional title of that institution. Even today he is considered the best soccer player who played in Chilean lands.

Sergio Livingstone, his roommate at the Universidad Católica club rallies, told an anecdote about Moreno during his time in Mexico, where he inherited the name Charro: “One night he argued over a star with a customer in a cabaret and He went out into the street to fight. They warned him that it was a professional boxer, Kid Azteca (Luis Villanueva), and Moreno did not flinch. And what happened? I asked him. 'We left one and one.'

At the end of his career, he returned to Argentina to play for Boca Juniors. As a child he had tried out to sign for the club, but had been rejected. In 1950, already an established figure, he integrated a solid team forming the forward line: González, Moreno, Ferraro, Campana and Busico. That Boca Juniors team was runner-up in the Argentine tournament. In 1951 he went again to Chile and then to Club Atlético Defensor de Montevideo. He made a new stop in Buenos Aires to play 15 games at Ferro Carril Oeste, where he scored a single goal and five assists. That arrival at the Caballito club was due to "political reasons", according to Moreno himself, he would acknowledge more late in a journalistic interview.

Then he moved to Independiente Medellín, where he played his last game in 1961, at the age of 44, for the Colombian team - which he also managed -, in a friendly against Boca Juniors: they won 5 to 2 with two of his goals. Five minutes before the end of the game, without anticipating or warning anything, he raised his arms, greeted the audience and left. It was the end of the career of an all-time great.

Despite how little he took care of himself, Moreno managed to make his career one of the longest in Argentine football. In 1980 the Konex Foundation awarded him the Platinum Konex Award as the best footballer in history up to that time.

Moreno lived his last years in the town of Merlo and directed Deportivo Merlo in the C division in 1977 and 1978. After his death, on August 26, 1978, the stadium was named in his name and the team began to become known as "Los Charros."

National team

Shortly after his debut he was called up to the Argentina soccer team. In this one, playing left midfield, he formed a couple of unforgettable quality and hierarchy with Enrique García. He was part of the notable Argentina of the 1940s with which he won two Copa América: 1941 and 1947, being chosen as the best player of the latter.

Selection	Year	Parties	Goles	Average
ArgentinaArgentina	1936-1950	34	19	0.56

Clubs

Updated data to end of sports career.

Club	Div.	Season	League		Cups(1)		International(2)		Total(3)		Media Shotgun
			Part.	Goles	Part.	Goles	Part.	Goles	Part.	Goles
C. A. River Plate Argentina	1. a	1935	13	5	Non-existent		Non-existent		13	5	0.38
		1936	33	24	Non-existent		1	0	34	24	0.70
		1937	31	32	1	1	1	1	33	34	1.03
		1938	31	24	Non-existent		Non-existent		31	24	0.77
		1939	24	20	2	0	Non-existent		26	20	0.76
		1940	33	16	Non-existent		Non-existent		33	16	0.48
		1941	28	14	1	0	1	0	30	14	0.46
		1942	29	10	3	1	1	0	33	11	0.33
		1943	23	6	Non-existent		Non-existent		23	6	0.26
		1944	8	4	Non-existent		Non-existent		8	4	0.50
	Total club		253	155	6	2	4	1	263	158	0.60
R. C. Spain Mexico Mexico	1. a	1944-45	21	10	Non-existent		Non-existent		21	10	0.33
		1945-46	20	4	Non-existent		Non-existent		20	4	0.20
	Total club		41	14	-	-	-	-	41	14	0.26
C. A. River Plate Argentina	1. a	1946	13	8	1	0	Non-existent		14	8	0.57
		1947	28	10	Non-existent		2	0	30	10	0.33
		1948	23	3	Non-existent		Non-existent		23	3	0.13
	Total club		64	21	1	0	2	0	67	21	0.31
C. D. Catholic University Chile	1. a	1949	22	8	Non-existent		Non-existent		22	8	0.36
	Total club		22	8	-	-	-	-	22	8	0.36
C. A. Boca Juniors Argentina	1. a	1950	23	7	Non-existent		Non-existent		23	7	0.30
	Total club		23	7	-	-	-	-	23	7	0.30
C. D. Catholic University Chile	1. a	1951	12	2	Non-existent		Non-existent		12	2	0.16
	Total club		12	2	-	-	-	-	12	2	0.16
Defender S. C. Uruguay	1. a	1952	14	3	Non-existent		Non-existent		14	3	0.21
	Total club		14	3	-	-	-	-	14	3	0.21
C. Railway West Argentina	1. a	1953	15	1	Non-existent		Non-existent		15	1	0.06
	Total club		15	1	-	-	-	-	15	1	0.06
Independent Medellín Colombia	1. a	1954	12	3	Non-existent		Non-existent		12	3	0.25
		1955	15	3	Non-existent		Non-existent		15	3	0.20
		1956	15	6	Non-existent		Non-existent		15	6	0.40
		1960	2	0	Non-existent		Non-existent		2	0	0.00
		1961	1	1	Non-existent		Non-existent		1	1	1,00
	Total club		45	13	-	-	-	-	45	13	0.28
Total career			489	224	7	2	6	1	502	224	0.44

PALMARÉS

As a player

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Title	Equipment	Country	Year
First Division	River Plate	Argentina	1936
Gold Cup			1936
First Division			1937
First Division			1941
First Division			1942
First Division	Spain	Mexico	1945
First Division	River Plate	Argentina	1947
First Division	U. Catholic	Chile	1949
First Division	Independent Medellín	Colombia	1955
First Division			1957

National Cups

Title	Equipment	Country	Year
Ibarguren Cup	River Plate	Argentina	1937
Ibarguren Cup			1941
Escobar Cup			1941
Ibarguren Cup			1942

International Cups

Title	Equipment	Country	Year
Aldao Cup	River Plate	AFA/AUF	1936
Aldao Cup			1937
South American Championship	Argentinean team	Chile	1941
Aldao Cup	River Plate	AFA/AUF	1941
South American Championship	Argentinean team	Ecuador	1947
Aldao Cup	River Plate	AFA/AUF	1947

Complementary Tournaments

Title	Equipment	Country	Year
Opening Consuelo Tournament	Catholic University	Chile	1949

Individual distinctions

Career as technical director

directed Deportivo Merlo in Divisional C, from the end of 1976 to its death in 1978. As a tribute, the stadium bears his name.

previously directed All Boys. In 1958 with Bernardo Gandulla he directed his first team, Boca Juniors. That year Boca Juniors was runner -up of the First Division tournament with the most scoring striker.

He also directed Chile's colo-colo for six months, between 1962 and 1963.