Mágico González

For other people of the same name, see Jorge González (disambiguation).
Mágico González
[1]
Personal information
Full name Jorge Alberto González Barillas
Date of birth March 13, 1958 (1958-03-13) (age 53)
Place of birth San Salvador, El Salvador
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1975–1976 ANTEL
1976–1977 Independiente Nacional
1977–1982 FAS
1982–1984 Cádiz 64 (29)
1984–1985 Valladolid 9 (2)
1986–1991 Cádiz 119 (28)
1991–1999 FAS
2002 San Salvador
Total 235 (90)
National team
1976–1998 El Salvador 62 (21)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is González and the second or maternal family name is Barillas.

Jorge Alberto González Barillas (born 13 March 1958 in San Salvador), popularly known as El mágico (the wizard), is a retired Salvadoran footballer.

A striker gifted with superb ball-control skills (his talent being overshadowed by questionable behaviour off the pitch[1]), he is mainly associated with Cádiz Club de Fútbol, while also representing El Salvador national team for well over a decade.

González was born to a family of modest means in the Luz neighborhood of San Salvador, one of seven brothers and only one sister. His older brother, Mauricio González "Pachín", was a footballer who became well known at the local level.

Contents

Club career

González began his professional playing career in 1975 with the Administración Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (ANTEL) team. He played for ANTEL and Independiente Nacional 1906 over the course of two seasons, before moving to Club Deportivo Fútbolistas Asociados Santanecos, a club in the Salvadoran first division.

While playing in El Salvador, he became known as Mago but later, upon transferring to Spain, his nickname was slightly changed to Mágico.

Both Atlético de Madrid and Cádiz CF became interested in acquiring González in 1982; despite the colchoneros' higher profile, he signed with the Andalusians. González's debut in Spain came in a friendly against La Barca de la Florida, while his top flight first game was on 11 September 1982, in a 1–3 defeat against Real Murcia. González became a fan-favorite thanks to his dazzling moves and goals. He was notorious for his love of the nightlife and his sleeping habits were also brought into question, but his on-field abilities endeared him to the Cádiz fans enough that they overlooked his minor indiscretions.

In 1983 and 1984, Cádiz traveled to the United States to play. The first year it was González who was the principal attraction, but in 1984 the team was joined by FC Barcelona and its superstar Diego Maradona.

Despite relegation into the second division in 1984 and interest from French club Paris Saint-Germain and Italian sides ACF Fiorentina and U.C. Sampdoria, González opted to stay in Cádiz. His stay was somewhat short-lived, however, as he was transferred to Real Valladolid after the 1983–84 season due to problems with then manager Benito Joanet. He did not get along at Valladolid, where his personal life was tightly controlled and, after playing in just nine games, he returned to Cádiz in January 1986. As a guard against his partying, González's contract is reputed to have contained a clause stipulating he was to be paid $700 per game played and none for the ones he missed.

After several coaching changes, González was finally able to shine again for Cádiz under Víctor Espárrago. In all, he scored 57 goals in 183 games for the Spanish side until his departure, on 6 June 1991.

González returned to El Salvador and FAS after another Italian club, Atalanta BC, failed to garner his services. He stayed at FAS until 1996, when he retired to begin coaching as an assistant in Houston, Texas. After a short stint in the US, González returned to his native El Salvador.

In 2001, Cádiz honored González with a testimonial match, with the proceeds going to the victims of a recent earthquake in El Salvador. In 2003, the Salvadoran National Assembly gave González the government's highest honor, the Hijo Meritísimo, and renamed the national stadium the Flor Blanca, after him.[2] On 28 August 2004, another testimonial match was played in his honor, this time in El Salvador, in the Mágico González Stadium. The match was between America XI, a group of international stars, and a team made up of ex-FAS players. González played a half with either side and scored a total of three goals.[3][4]

International career

Many critics and journalists say that if González had been Argentinian or Brazilian, he would have ranked amongst the best in the world, alongside Maradona and Pelé.[5]

He received the first of his 62 caps for El Salvador on 1 December 1976, in a FIFA World Cup qualification match against Costa Rica. He was also instrumental in leading the nation to the 1982 FIFA World Cup - the second time in history - where he appeared in all three group stage matches, including the 1–10 loss to Hungary.

González represented his country in 31 World Cup qualifiers,[6] and scored 21 goals in full internationals.[7]

International goals

Scores and results list El Salvador's goal tally first.
Goal Date Venue Opponent Result Competition Scored
1 24 November 1976 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador Independiente 4–2 Friendly 1
2 29 April 1977  ?  Mexico 1–2 Friendly 1
3 17 June 1977  ? Newell's Old Boys 1–1 Friendly 1
4 19 August 1977  ? Talleres de Córdoba 3–1 Friendly 1
5 10 October 1977 Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey  Suriname 3–2 1977 CONCACAF Championship 1
6 28 November 1977  ?  Nicaragua 6–0 1977 Central American Games 2
7 1 December 1977  ?  Nicaragua 8–0 1977 Central American Games 3
8 11 May 1980 Estadio Fello Meza, Cartago Cartaginés 2–1 Friendly 1
9 4 June 1980 Estadio Flor Blanca, San Salvador  Haiti 3–0 Friendly 1
10 31 July 1980 Qemal Stafa, Tirana Marathón 1–3 Friendly 1
11 17 August 1980 Estadio Mateo Flores, Guatemala City  Guatemala 1–1 Friendly 1
14 24 August 1980 Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City 3–1 1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification 1
15  ? September 1980 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador  Guatemala 3–2 Friendly 2
16 5 October 1980 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador  Panama 4–1 1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification 3
17 23 November 1980 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador  Honduras 2–1 1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification 1
18 26 July 1981 Estadio Cuscatalan, San Salvador  Haiti 4–0 Friendly 1
19 2 August 1981 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador Vitória Guimarães 2–1 Friendly 1
20 2 September 1981 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador Newell's Old Boys 3–2 Friendly 1
21 25 March 1982 Estadio Chateau Carreras, Córdoba Talleres de Córdoba 1–2 Friendly 2
23 18 April 1982 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador  Honduras 3–2 Friendly 2
24 9 May 1982 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador Universitario de Deportes 2–2 Friendly 1
25 12 May 1982 Estadio Flor Blanca, San Salvador Universitario de Deportes 4–1 Friendly 1
26 16 May 1982 Estadio Flor Blanca, San Salvador Ponte Preta 2–2 Friendly 1
27 8 December 1991 Estadio Cuscatlán, El Salvador  Hungary 1–1 Friendly 1
28 19 July 1992 Managua, Nicaragua  Nicaragua 5–0 1994 World Cup qualification 2
29 23 July 1992 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador  Nicaragua 5–1 1994 World Cup qualification 1
30 17 August 1992 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador Gabor Spittal 2–1 Friendly 1
33 21 August 1992  ? Savigliano 1–1 Friendly 1
34 23 August 1992  ? Belnsag 3–0 Friendly 2
36 25 October 1992 Estadio Cusctalan, San Salvador  Canada 1–1 1994 World Cup qualification 1
37 1 November 1992 Estadio Cusctalan, San Salvador  Bermuda 4–1 1994 World Cup qualification 1
38 2 May 1992 Estadio Cusctalan, San Salvador  Canada 1–2 1994 World Cup qualification 1

References

  1. ^ Durante la década de los 80 - Su paso por el fútbol español (During the 80's - His Spanish football spell); Marca (Spanish)
  2. ^ Magico, still doing it his way
  3. ^ News of 2004 homage; Cádiz official website (Spanish)
  4. ^ Jorge, la leyenda y su presente (Jorge, the legend and his present) (Spanish)
  5. ^ "El fútbol sería distinto sin David Vidal [Football would be different without David Vidal]" (in Spanish). El Día de Córdoba. 30 November 2007. http://www.eldiadecordoba.es/article/deportes/1544/futbol/seria/distinto/sin/david/vidal.html. 
  6. ^ Mágico González – FIFA competition record
  7. ^ Jorge Alberto González Barillas - International Goals; at RSSSF

External links

El Salvador squad – 1982 FIFA World Cup
El Salvador squad – 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup