José Manuel Moreno
Moreno on the cover of El Grafico magazine in 1941.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jose Manuel Moreno Fernandez | ||
| Date of birth | 3 August 1916 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Date of death | 26 August 1978 (aged 62) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1935–1944 | River Plate | 256 | (156) |
| 1944–1946 | España | 41 | (11) |
| 1946–1948 | River Plate | 64 | (24) |
| 1949 | U. Católica | 22 | (8) |
| 1950 | Boca Juniors | 22 | (6) |
| 1951 | U. Católica | 12 | (2) |
| 1952 | Defensor | 14 | (3) |
| 1953 | Ferrocarril Oeste | 15 | (1) |
| 1954–1956 | Independiente Medellín | 40 | (12) |
| 1960–1961 | Independiente Medellín | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 489 | (224) | |
| National team | |||
| 1936–1950 | Argentina | 34 | (19) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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José Manuel Moreno Fernández (3 August 1916 — 26 August 1978), nicknamed "El Charro", was an Argentine footballer who played as an inside forward for several clubs in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia; for many who saw him play, he is the greatest player of all time, even better than Pelé and Alfredo Di Stéfano, and was the first footballer ever to have won first division league titles in four countries (later players to emulate the feat include Jiri Jarosik and Rivaldo).
Moreno was part of the River Plate team known as La Máquina ("The Machine") which dominated Argentine football in the 1940s, and was also a member of the Argentine national team that won three South American Championships during the same decade.
He was regarded by many as a complete player. In 1999, he was ranked among the 25 best players in the world in the 20th century and among the five best in South America, through a poll by the IFFHS. He was known as a player of great technique, great vision, and lethal in the penalty area. Despite his reputation for drinking, smoking and not going to training, Moreno was also known for his formidable heading ability and fine physical qualities.
Moreno was born in the neighbourhood of La Boca, in Buenos Aires, and grew up in the surroundings of the club Boca Juniors' stadium, La Bombonera. At the age of 15, he tried out for the lower divisions of Boca Juniors, but did not make the selection. According to the Argentine Football Association archives, he said, frustrated: "some time you will regret it". Moreno then became part of the lower divisions of River Plate, Boca Junior's arch-rival, in 1933, having been recommended by Bernabé Ferreyra, a notable forward for River Plate.
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