Javier de la Torre

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Javier de la Torre Jiménez (born December 19, 1923 in Aguascalientes in the state of the same name ; † November 26, 2006 in Guadalajara , Jalisco ) was a Mexican football player and coach who, as a coach, won five championship titles with Chivas Guadalajara between 1961 and 1970 , making them decisive Participated in the success and fame of the team that would go down in the annals of Mexican football history as "Campeonísimo". He was also known by his nickname "Chamaco" (the boy).

Career

De la Torre joined Club Deportivo Guadalajara at the age of eight, in whose children's and youth teams he matured into a regular in the first team. He made his debut on December 5, 1943 in the first year of existence of the Mexican professional league (1943/44) in a Clásico Tapatío , the traditional city ​​derby of Guadalajara, which his Chivistas won against the Atlistas 7: 3, with him the seventh and last goal of his team succeeded.

“Chamaco” played exclusively for Chivas Guadalajara throughout his career as an active footballer. Due to his great talent and immense speed, he fulfilled his regular position in right midfield so well that he is considered by many to be the best right center runner in the history of Mexican football.

At the beginning of the 1955/56 season he ended his active football career, but a few weeks later he was again working for his long-standing club Chivas Guadalajara when he was hired as interim coach after his predecessor José M. Casullo had thrown out begging. With the transition of the presidency to Evaristo Cárdenas , De la Torre was replaced ten game days later by the Uruguayan Donaldo Ross , who was to win the first championship title in the history of Club Deportivo Guadalajara in 1956/57.

Although Chivas Guadalajara had just become champions for the third time in just four years in 1960, the current Hungarian coach Árpád Fekete's dissatisfied Presidium De la Torre brought back to the coaching post. A decision that the club's superiors should never regret. Because under De la Torre, who is very familiar with the club, the championship team flourished and won another five championship titles. The "Campeonísimo" was born.

But a coach doesn't just have good times. De la Torre also had to experience this painfully. Immediately after winning the title in 1970, he was hired as assistant coach of the Mexican national team in order to play the most successful World Cup in his own country. It is true that the Mexicans were able to survive the group stage at a World Cup there for the first time, where they then lost out to Italy in the quarter-finals . But the real scandal came after the 1970 World Cup , when the previous head coach Raúl Cárdenas resigned and De la Torre took over the training. Because of course “Chamaco” should lead the team to the 1974 World Cup in Germany . Which, however, failed completely. In the final group held in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince , the Mexican selection left a partially desolate impression, did not get beyond a draw against Guatemala (0: 0) and Honduras (1: 1) and were defeated by Trinidad with 0 : 4, so that a 1-0 win against Haiti on the last day of the game was of no use. Mexico was eliminated and Haiti was allowed to travel to a World Cup finals - for the first and so far only time. Needless to say, De la Torre left his job as national coach sooner than it took the plane to land on home soil.

Javier de la Torre died after a long and serious illness at the age of 82 in his adopted city of Guadalajara.

successes

personal data
SURNAME Torre, Javier de la
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Javier de la Torre Jiménez
BRIEF DESCRIPTION mexican soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH December 19, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Aguascalientes (City) , Aguascalientes (State)
DATE OF DEATH November 26, 2006
Place of death Guadalajara (Mexico) , Jalisco