Mario Rodríguez (footballer, born 1937)

Mario Rodríguez Varela (20 October 1937 – 10 May 2015),[3] was an Argentine professional footballer. Nicknamed Mariulo, he was the topscorer of the 1964 Copa Libertadores with six goals.

Mario Rodríguez
Mario Rodriguez (right) with Raul Savoy in 1963
Personal information
Full name Mario Rodríguez Varela[1]
Date of birth (1937-10-20)20 October 1937
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina[2]
Date of death 10 May 2015(2015-05-10) (aged 77)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Estrella del Plata
Antártida Argentina
Ciclón de Villa Martelli
1954–1957 Chacarita Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1962 Chacarita Juniors 86 (43)
1963–1965 Independiente 68 (32)
1966–1967 Vélez Sarsfield 14 (6)
1968–1970 Colo-Colo 52 (28)
1971 Chacarita Juniors
International career
1962–1963 Argentina 10 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career edit

He was born in Palermo, Buenos Aires and grew in Barrio Norte; he played at youth level for Chacarita Juniors.[4] He then made his professional debut in 1957, playing in the Argentine second level; during the 1960 season he debuted in Primera División Argentina for Chacarita Juniors: thanks to his goalscoring skills, good physical strength and he managed to become one of the best forwards of the Argentine league.[2] In 1963 he and Raúl Savoy moved to Independiente: Rodríguez was one of the protagonists of the two wins in the 1964 and 1965 editions of the Copa Libertadores, scoring many goals.[2][4] He then left Independiente for Vélez Sarsfield, but he struggled to obtain opportunities to play, and eventually decide to leave Argentina for Chile. He then signed for Colo-Colo, where he played 2 seasons, scoring a total of 28 goals in 52 games.[5] He then moved back to Argentina in 1971.[6]

International career edit

Rodríguez played 10 international games for Argentina between 1962 and 1963. His first game was Argentina-Uruguay played on 13 March 1962.[2] He scored 5 of his 6 goals during the 1963 South American Championship, and scored the sixth one on 16 April 1963 against Brazil.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ (in Spanish) Rodríguez, Mario
  2. ^ a b c d e Julio Macías, Quién es quién el la Selección Argentina, Buenos Aires, Corregidor, 2011, pages 606–607.
  3. ^ Se nos fue un grande:Mario”Mariulo”Rodriguez Archived 18 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine(in Spanish)
  4. ^ a b (in Spanish) Efemérides de Octubre
  5. ^ Edgardo Marín; Julio Salviat, De David a "Chamaco". Medio siglo de goles, Santiago, Gabriela Mistral, 1975, page 228.
  6. ^ (in Spanish) Claudio Keblaitis. Editorial 103 – Recordando a Mario Rodríguez

External links edit