Octavio Muciño Valdés (14 May 1950 – 3 June 1974) was a Mexican professional footballer who played as a centre-forward and midfield for Cruz Azul and Guadalajara as well as the Mexico national football team.

Octavio Muciño
Muciño in 1972
Personal information
Full name Octavio Muciño Valdés
Date of birth (1950-05-14)14 May 1950
Place of birth Jasso, Hidalgo, Mexico
Date of death 3 June 1974(1974-06-03) (aged 24)
Place of death Colonia Ayuntamiento, Guadalajara, Mexico
Position(s) Centre-forward, Midfielder
Youth career
1957-1969 Cruz Azul
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969-1973 Cruz Azul 116 (51)
1973-1974 C.D. Guadalajara 26 (15)
International career
1971–1973 Mexico 16 (7)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Mexico
CONCACAF Championship
Winner 1971 Trinidad and Tobago
Third place 1973 Haiti
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Muciño was born in Jasso, Hidalgo where he played in Cruz Azul's youth academy until his debut with the senior team in 1969. During his time at Cruz Azul, Muciño won 3 league titles and 2 continental cups. His only season with Guadalajara, he managed to become the team's top goal scorer with 15 goals. At the time of his death, Muciño was regarded as a key player for the Mexico national football team alongside Enrique Borja. Along with Borja, Muciño is often cited to be one of the greatest Mexican forwards of his generation.[1][2][3]

In the early hours of 31 May 1974 Muciño was shot 3 times outside of a restaurant by 32-year old Jaime Antonio Muldoon Barreto, an engineer with whom he had a physical confrontation earlier in the evening. Muciño succumbed to his injuries and died 3 days later at a hospital in Guadalajara. Muldoon Barreto left for Europe shortly after and never stood trial for the murder when he returned to Mexico years later. Muldoon Barreto's freedom is widely attributed to his family's high status and ties with the government of Jalisco.[4]

Early life edit

Octavio Muciño Valdés was born to Roberto Muciño Martínez, a mechanic, and Genoveva Valdés in Jasso, Hidalgo on 14 May 1950. He had 2 brothers and 1 sister. His father, Roberto Muciño Martínez, was also a footballer who played for Cruz Azul during both the club's amateur and professional eras. Muciño Martínez was part of the squad which won the club's promotional title in the 1963–64 season and subsequently played in the Primera División de México. Muciño Valdés was encouraged by his father to pursue a career in football.[5][6][7][8][9]

Club career edit

Cruz Azul edit

Muciño had enrolled in Cruz Azul's youth team at the age of 7.[10] At the age of 19, he was debuted with the senior team during the 1969–70 Mexican Primera División season against C.F. Monterrey on 19 November 1969. Muciño scored his first senior league goal on 29 March 1970 in the México 1970 tournament against Laguna. Cruz Azul went on to win the México 1970 competition, with Muciño netting a total of 14 league goals at the end of the season .[11]

Guadalajara edit

 
Muciño being carried by Guadalajara fans during a pitch invasion vs UNAM, 10 February 1974

In 1973, Muciño was transferred to C.D. Guadalajara for a fee of about 1 million pesos.[12]

The team had been undergoing poor performances in the league for a number of seasons at this point, ending the 1973–74 season 11th on the general table.[13] In spite of this, Muciño established himself as a fan favorite and key player, netting 15 goals in 26 games becoming the team's top goal scorer.[14]

Muciño played his final match with Guadalajara on 21 April 1971 in a 1-0 loss against Club Jalisco.[15]

At the time of his death, there had been transfer negotiations between Guadalajara and Atlas where Muciño would be exchanged for Ricardo Chavarín[16]

Personal life edit

Muciño was nicknamed El Centavo due to his small stature as a child.[17] He had one child, Octavio Muciño Jr., who was born on 1 February 1973.[18]

International career edit

At the age of 21, Muciño debuted for the Mexico national football team on 6 July 1971 in a friendly match against Greece.[19]

Muciño scored his first and second international goals on 4 December 1971 against Honduras in the 1971 CONCACAF Championship. Mexico would win the competition largely in part of his goals.[20]

Muciño was a key figure in the 1973 CONCACAF Championship, which doubled as CONCACAF's 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification, starting in all of Mexico's 5 games. Muciño scored 4 goals in a 8 - 0 win against the Netherlands Antilles, becoming Mexico's top goal scorer in the competition. Muciño played his final match international match on 18 December 1973 in a 1-0 win against Haiti in the competition.[21]

Death edit

Murder edit

At approximately 11 on night of 30 May 1974, Muciño met with 3 friends and their dates at Carlos O' Willys, a fine dining restaurant frequented by wealthy patrons located in Guadalajara.[22] A few tables away from where Muciño's party was situated, sat 32-year-old Jaime Antonio Muldoon Barreto.[23][24][25][26] Muldoon Barreto was described to be in an inebriated state. Purportedly a fan of Guadalajara's rival team Atlas, Muldoon Barreto recognized Muciño and walked towards his table and began to discuss football with him. Eventually, Muldoon Barreto began to antagonize and hurl insults towards Muciño and his date which escalated into a physical altercation between the two men. The two were broken up by fellow patrons and Muldoon Barreto was thrown out of restaurant. Approximately an hour and a half later, Muciño and his group left the restaurant. Muldoon Barreto was inside a luxury car near the entrance of the restaurant, apparently waiting for Muciño to exit. Muciño wishing to make peace with Muldoon Barreto, extended his hand for a handshake. Muldoon Barreto, however, immediately shot Muciño point-blank 3 times with a .25 ACP, once in the head, thorax, and shoulder. Muldoon Barreto then sped away from the area evading capture. Muciño was taken to Hospital México Americano where he was in a coma for 3 days. At approximately 5:30 on the morning of 3 June 1974, Muciño died from his injuries.[10][16][27][28][29][30]

Aftermath edit

News of Muciño's death quickly spread and shocked the city of Guadalajara and Mexico City. Angered football fans vandalized and attempted to set fire to Carlos O' Willys. Thousands of fans attended Muciño's funeral held in Jasso, Hidalgo, where he was subsequently buried.[31][32]

According to Muciño's son, a month or two after the murder occurred, Jaime Antonio Muldoon Barreto left Mexico for Spain, where there did not exist an extradition treaty between the two countries. When he returned to Mexico in 1980, Muldoon Barreto's lawyers cited poor mental faculties as reason he was unfit to stand trial. Muldoon Barreto was subsequently never prosecuted for Muciño's murder and remained free.[4][31][29]

Perpetrator edit

Jaime Antonio Muldoon Barreto (born 1942) was a mechanical-electrical engineer who belonged to a wealthy architecture and real estate family based in Guadalajara.[33][24][34][35] Muldoon Barreto graduated from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in 1967.[36] Muldoon Barreto's freedom is widely attributed to the influence and power possessed by the Muldoon Barreto family in the Mexican government.[4][31][29]

Legacy edit

Despite his short career, Muciño established himself as an important figure in both Cruz Azul and Mexican football. Muciño is often cited to be one of Cruz Azul's integral players who had helped achieve the club's rapid rise to prominence in the 1970s. Along with Enrique Borja, whose career statistics rivaled that of Muciño's, he is often deemed to be one of the greatest Mexican footballers of his generation.[37][38][39][40][2][41]

On 3 June 2009, 35 years after his death, Octavio Muciño was inducted into Cruz Azul's hall of fame. A ceremony was held with Muciño's family in attendance as well as former teammate Alberto Quintano.[7] In November 2011, Muciño was honored in a similar fashion by Guadalajara having Muciño's number 9 shirt inducted into the club's museum.[42]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League Cup International Total Average goals per game
goleadora
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cruz Azul 1969-70 Primera División 28 14 2 3 30 17 0.57
Cruz Azul 1970-71 30 19 4 1 34 20 0.62
Cruz Azul 1971-72 30 12 6 3 8 9 44 24 0.55
Cruz Azul 1972-73 22 1 4 1 26 2 0.08
Total 110 46 14 5 10 12 134 63 0.47
Guadalajara 1973-74 Primera División 26 15 4 4 30 19 0.63
Career total 136 61 18 9 10 12 164 82 0.5

International edit

Appearances and goals by national team and year[43][44]
National team Year Apps Goals
Mexico 1971 6 2
1972 5 1
1973 5 4
Total 16 7
Scores and results list Muciño's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mexico goal.
List of international goals scored by Octavio Muciño
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 4 December 1971 Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago   Honduras 1–0 2-1 1971 CONCACAF Championship [20][45]
2 2–1
3 4 April 1972 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico   Peru 1-1 2-1 Friendly [46]
4 8 December 1973 Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti   Netherlands Antilles 2–0 8-0 1973 CONCACAF Championship [20][45]
5 4-0
6 5-0
7 8-0

Honours edit

Cruz Azul

National team

CONCACAF Championship: 1971

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Octavio Muciño, el ídolo de Cruz Azul que vivió un parpadeo". www.milenio.com.
  2. ^ a b Asturiano, Jesús (19 September 2015). "Mejor jugador mexicano de los 70's".
  3. ^ "Enrique Borja » El Primer Banco de Talentos en México".
  4. ^ a b c "Cruz Azul: Recuerdan la dolorosa muerte del 'Centavo' Muciño". El Universal. 20 March 2021.
  5. ^ Imagen, Nueva (29 April 2014). "El partido de homenaje a ex jugador de Cruz Azul se definió en penales".
  6. ^ "Cruz Azul a 51 años del ascenso". 19 January 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Recordaron a Octavio Muciño" (in Mexican Spanish) – via PressReader.
  8. ^ "Mexico 1964/65". RSSSF.
  9. ^ "Conmemora Cruz Azul sus 50 años del ascenso a la Primera División". www.milenio.com.
  10. ^ a b "Jóvenes ídolos fallecidos muy pronto".
  11. ^ "Mexico 1970". 3 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  12. ^ "Cuando la tragedia sacudió a Cruz Azul: así fue el asesinato de una de sus figuras". infobae.
  13. ^ "Chivas cerca de repetir su historia de los 70". ESPN.com.mx. 12 December 2014.
  14. ^ "Aporte de juventud y goles al Rebaño". www.chivasdecorazon.com.mx. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Mexico 1973/74". RSSF. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  16. ^ a b Pineda, Augusto (3 June 1974). "Octavio Mucino Al Borde De La Muerte". Deporte Color. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Leyendas Celestes ⋆ Cruz Azul Fútbol Club".
  18. ^ "Octavio Muciño, ícono del Cruz Azul que hiló 10 victorias". Excélsior. 19 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Mexico - International Results Details 1970-1979". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  20. ^ a b c "V. CONCACAF NATIONS CUP 1971". RSSSF.
  21. ^ "VI. CONCACAF Nations Cup 1973". The Rec Sport Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  22. ^ Kelly, James (3 April 1977). "Guadalajara: 'The Biggest Small Town in the World'". The New York Times.
  23. ^ GDL, Revisiones (22 March 2021). "Ramón Corona 181 – Edificio Mulbar".
  24. ^ a b Viejo, Faro (26 April 2009). "Tapatio ¿Conoce a tu ciudad? -Trivia-". faroviejo.com.mx.
  25. ^ GDL, Revisiones (20 September 2019). "Los Edificios Que Guadalajara Extraña – Parte 2".
  26. ^ Pérez López, Abraham (1979). Diccionario biográfico hidalguense: H-P (PDF) (in Spanish). Matías Romero, Oaxaca, C.P.: Gobierno del Estado de Hidalgo. ISBN 978-607-7866-07-7.
  27. ^ Azul, Vamos. "Leyendas: Octavio Muciño, el delantero carismático que asesinaron en Guadalajara". Vamos Cruz Azul.
  28. ^ Dominguez, Alberto. "Lesiones y tragedia en el Rebaño".
  29. ^ a b c "Recuerdan el doloroso caso de la muerte del "Centavo" Muciño". es-us.deportes.yahoo.com.
  30. ^ "La violencia les arrebata la vida".
  31. ^ a b c "Cuando la tragedia sacudió a Cruz Azul: así fue el asesinato de una de sus figuras". Infobae. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  32. ^ Valdés, Apolo (27 January 2021). "¿Quién era Octavio "Centavo" Muciño"?". La Noticia. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  33. ^ GDL, Revisiones (22 March 2021). "Ramón Corona 181 – Edificio Mulbar".
  34. ^ GDL, Revisiones (20 September 2019). "Los Edificios Que Guadalajara Extraña – Parte 2".
  35. ^ Pérez López, Abraham (1979). Diccionario biográfico hidalguense: H-P (PDF) (in Spanish). Matías Romero, Oaxaca, C.P.: Gobierno del Estado de Hidalgo. ISBN 978-607-7866-07-7.
  36. ^ "JAIME ANTONIO MULDOON BARRETO - Cédula Profesional". www.buholegal.com.
  37. ^ de 2021, 7 de Mayo. "Cuando la tragedia sacudió a Cruz Azul: así fue el asesinato de una de sus figuras". infobae.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Leyenda de Cruz Azul Octavio Muciño "EL CENTAVO"". 20 December 2020.
  39. ^ "¿Cuál ha sido el mejor equipo de Cruz Azul en la historia?". ESPNdeportes.com. 26 March 2020.
  40. ^ "RESPECT: Los 15 goleadores históricos de Cruz Azul". 90min.com. 25 July 2016.
  41. ^ GUZMÁN, GEOVANNI. "¿Cuáles son los 5 mejores delanteros del Cruz Azul?". Mediotiempo. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  42. ^ "Tiene Museo Chivas Comex "Centavo de Oro"". www.chivasdecorazon.com.mx.
  43. ^ "Octavio Muciño » Partidos con la selección nacional". livefutbol.com.
  44. ^ "Octavio 'Centavo' Mucino Valdes". 11v11. 11v11. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  45. ^ a b "Honduras v Mexico, 04 December 1971". 11v11.com.
  46. ^ "Mexico v Peru, 05 April 1972". 11v11.com.

External links edit