Jorge Alberto González

Mágico González

González (left) with Diego Maradona
Personal information
Full name	Jorge Alberto González Barillas
Date of birth	(1958-03-13) 13 March 1958 (age 59)
Place of birth	San Salvador, El Salvador
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1975–1976	ANTEL
1976–1977	Independiente Nacional
1977–1982	FAS
1982–1984	Cádiz	74	(30)
1984	Barcelona
1985	Valladolid	9	(2)
1986–1991	Cádiz	120	(28)
1991–1999	FAS
Total		203	(60)
National team
1976–1998	El Salvador	62	(21)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Jorge Alberto González Barillas (born 13 March 1958), popularly known as El Mágico (The Magician), is a Salvadoran retired footballer.

A highly creative forward, with superb ball-control, techical ability, and dribbling skills (his talent being overshadowed by questionable behaviour off the pitch), he is widely considered to be the greatest Salvadoran footballer of all time, as well as one of the best ever Latin American footballers in the history of the game; in 2000, he was named his nation's Player of the Century in IFFHS' Player of the Century Elections. At club level, he is mainly associated with his stint with Spanish side Cádiz, while at international level, he represented the El Salvador national team for more than two decades, also taking part at the 1982 FIFA World Cup and the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Born in San Salvador, González began his professional 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 in the Salvadoran Primera División.

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

Both Atlético Madrid and Cádiz CF became interested in acquiring González in 1982 – despite the Colchoneros' higher profile, he signed with the Andalusians. His first game in Spain came in a friendly against La Barca de la Florida, while his Segunda División debut was on 5 September 1982 in a 1–1 home draw against Real Murcia, scoring in the process. He became a fan-favorite thanks to his dazzling moves and goals, but was also notorious for his love of the nightlife and his sleeping habits were also brought into question, whilst his on-field abilities endeared him to the Cádiz fans enough that they overlooked his minor indiscretions; he finished his first season with 33 games and 15 goals as the team promoted to La Liga.