Ramón Ignacio Unzaga Asla (18 July 1892 – 31 August 1923) was a footballer who played as a left-half.[1] Born in Spain, he appeared for the Chile national team at international level.

Ramón Unzaga
Unzaga with medals
Personal information
Full name Ramón Ignacio Unzaga Asla
Date of birth (1892-07-18)18 July 1892
Place of birth Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
Date of death 31 August 1923(1923-08-31) (aged 31)
Place of death Cabrero, Chile
Position(s) Left-half
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1912–1913 Minas Lota
1914–1923 Estrella del Mar
International career
1916–1920 Chile 8 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Life edit

Born in Bilbao, Spain, he emigrated to Talcahuano, Chile, in 1906 at 14 years of age, with his parents. In 1912 the twenty-year-old Unzaga impressed the Talcahuano sports delegation with his football ability, so they signed him to the football club. He began his career and adopted the Chilean nationality. Unzaga is attributed as the first person to create the bicycle kick, devising the move playing for his club team in 1914 in El Morro stadium of Talcahuano. The kick is labeled the chorera in honor of the team he played for that was called the escuela chorera (chorera school) at the time. In the Copa America of 1916 and 1920 playing for the Chile national team, Unzaga repeated the kick on various occasions in which the Argentine press labels the kick as la chilena.[2]

Unzaga received many offers to play with international football clubs but always chose to stay with Club Atlético y de Fútbol Estrella de Mar of Talcahuano. On 15 May 2014, the municipality of Talcahuano inaugurated a monument of Ramon Unzaga in his honor.[3]

Since that Unzaga's move was born in the El Morro Stadium,[4] is in its honor that the stadium was renamed after him.

References edit

  1. ^ "Ramón Unzaga". National Football Teams. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. ^ "::: Euskonews & Media ::: Kosmopolita ::: La "chilena" es cosa de vascos". Euskonews.com. 27 January 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Los ilustres nombres de los estadios chilenos". emol.cl. 2 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.

External links edit