Héctor Yazalde

Héctor Yazalde

Yazalde as an Independiente player
Personal information
Full name	Héctor Casimiro Yazalde
Date of birth	(1946-05-29)29 May 1946
Place of birth	Avellaneda, Argentina
Date of death	18 June 1997(1997-06-18) (aged 51)
Place of death	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1962–1966	Piraña
1967–1971	Independiente	112	(72)
1971–1975	Sporting CP	104	(104)
1975–1977	Marseille	44	(23)
1977–1981	Newell's Old Boys	120	(54)
1981	Huracán	2	(0)
Total		392	(253)
National team
1970–1974	Argentina	10	(2)
Teams managed
1986	Huracán
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Héctor Casimiro Yazalde (29 May 1946 – 18 June 1997) was an Argentine footballer who played as a striker.

Nicknamed Chirola, Yazalde scored 46 goals in one single season with Sporting Clube de Portugal, being awarded that season's European Golden Shoe.

Born in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province, Yazalde's beginnings in football were hazardous: he was visiting a friend who played with Club Atlético Piraña, an amateur club in the Argentine capital. He asked to join in the training session, immediately causing a stirring impression and signing the very day. From there, he signed with Club Atlético Independiente, going on to help the team win two national championships.

In the 1971–72 season, Yazalde signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal, helping the Lisbon side to the 1974 Primeira Liga by scoring 46 goals in just 29 games, both a domestic and European record, and the 1973 and 1974 Portuguese Cups. The following campaign, with the Lions finishing third, he netted 30, league's best and Europe's second.

As a prize for the European Golden Shoe, Yazalde received a Toyota car, which he sold, then sharing the money with his teammates. After his Portuguese spell, he successively represented Olympique de Marseille, Newell's Old Boys and Club Atlético Huracán, retiring in 1981 and becoming a player's agent in his country.