Alberto Spencer
Encyclopedia
Alberto Pedro Spencer Herrera (December 6, 1937 – November 3, 2006) was an Ecuador
ian football (soccer)
player, regarded as the best of his country. He is probably best known for his still-standing record for scoring the most goal
s in the Copa Libertadores, the most important club tournament in South America. He was elected the 20th best South American footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2004. He was known as "" (Spanish for magic head).
, Ecuador
, Spencer was the son of a Jamaican of British origin.
He was an ambidextrous
striker with lethal pace, off-the-ball movement, heading and balance skills, and excellent finishing, that tore defences to shreds for over a decade. After his retirement in 1973, he lived in Montevideo
, Uruguay
. In 1982, he was appointed consul
of Ecuador in Uruguay.
Spencer suffered a heart attack on September 14, 2006 during a routine checkup with his cardiologist. He died on November 3, 2006 in the Cleveland Clinic
in Cleveland, Ohio
, United States. His line survives through his Chilean wife María Teresa, his children Alberto, Walter, Jacqueline and his grandchildren.
, but ultimately Peñarol's board would not sell him.
On the international front, Spencer holds the unique distinction of being the only goalscorer, capped by two different countries simultaneously: Ecuador
, and Uruguay
. He 'switched' shirts no less than four times. He played for Uruguay against England (2-1) in a friendly match at the legendary Wembley Stadium and scored, making him the first Ecuadorian-born player to score in that stadium.
His name was omitted from FIFA
's, and Pelé
's list of 100 greatest living players
. This caused outrage among many South American journalist
s who despised the idea of forgetting some of the greats, like Spencer, in favour of commercialism
. David Mellor
of the Evening Standard
notbaly blasted FIFA in his reporting of the incident.
Although widely considered one of the best South American players of all time, he still remains largely an unknown figure in Europe. This is presumably due to his having never participated in a World Cup or playing in Europe. Similar fates awaited other greats such as Alfredo Di Stéfano
and George Best
, though both are far more known due to their domestic careers with Real Madrid
and Manchester United respectively.
He was elected the 20th South America Player of the Century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2004.
, and Peñarol (Uruguay). During that period, he walked away as winner of the competition three times (1960, 1961, 1966) and was winner of the Intercontinental Cup
twice, beating Eusebio's Benfica and Real Madrid
, and was runner-up once. In fact, his Intercontinental goal tally is only one goal behind the all-time record of his more famous contemporary, Pelé.
Spencer was also four times the leading scorer of Uruguay's League, helping them to win the Uruguayan championship eight times during his 12-year stay. Throughout his professional career, he scored a grand total of 450 goals, surpassing 500, if friendlies were taken into account.
Barcelona
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ian football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, regarded as the best of his country. He is probably best known for his still-standing record for scoring the most goal
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
s in the Copa Libertadores, the most important club tournament in South America. He was elected the 20th best South American footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2004. He was known as "" (Spanish for magic head).
Biography
Born in Ancón, GuayasGuayas Province
Guayas is a coastal province in Ecuador. It is bordered to the west by Manabí, Santa Elena, and the Pacific Ocean ; to the east by Los Ríos, Bolívar, Chimborazo, Cañar, and Azuay; to the north by Los Ríos and Bolívar; and to the south by El Oro and the Pacific Ocean.With a population of over 3...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Spencer was the son of a Jamaican of British origin.
He was an ambidextrous
Ambidexterity
Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both left and right appendages . It is one of the most famous varieties of cross-dominance. People that are naturally ambidextrous are rare, with only one out of one hundred people being naturally ambidextrous...
striker with lethal pace, off-the-ball movement, heading and balance skills, and excellent finishing, that tore defences to shreds for over a decade. After his retirement in 1973, he lived in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. In 1982, he was appointed consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
of Ecuador in Uruguay.
Spencer suffered a heart attack on September 14, 2006 during a routine checkup with his cardiologist. He died on November 3, 2006 in the Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, United States. His line survives through his Chilean wife María Teresa, his children Alberto, Walter, Jacqueline and his grandchildren.
Career
Alberto Spencer began his career at age 15 playing for Everest. He jumped to fame when he was scouted while playing on loan for Barcelona SC against Peñarol in July 1959. Peñarol's manager, Hugo Bagnulo, asked his scout 'Pibe' Ortega to attempt to sign him after the game was over. He was soon transferred to Peñarol where he amassed three Libertadores Cups and two Intercontinental Cups, as well as several Uruguayan league titles. After his second Intercontinental Cup, he was twice sought by Inter MilanF.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, but ultimately Peñarol's board would not sell him.
On the international front, Spencer holds the unique distinction of being the only goalscorer, capped by two different countries simultaneously: Ecuador
Ecuador national football team
The Ecuadorian national football team represents Ecuador in international football competitions and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. They generally play official home matches at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, but often play friendlies in other stadiums around the country...
, and Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
. He 'switched' shirts no less than four times. He played for Uruguay against England (2-1) in a friendly match at the legendary Wembley Stadium and scored, making him the first Ecuadorian-born player to score in that stadium.
His name was omitted from FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
's, and Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
's list of 100 greatest living players
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
. This caused outrage among many South American journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s who despised the idea of forgetting some of the greats, like Spencer, in favour of commercialism
Commercialism
Commercialism, in its original meaning, is the practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business. Today, however, it primarily refers to the tendency within open-market capitalism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit...
. David Mellor
David Mellor
David John Mellor, QC is a British politician, non-practising barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Secretary of State for National Heritage , before...
of the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
notbaly blasted FIFA in his reporting of the incident.
Although widely considered one of the best South American players of all time, he still remains largely an unknown figure in Europe. This is presumably due to his having never participated in a World Cup or playing in Europe. Similar fates awaited other greats such as Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
and George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
, though both are far more known due to their domestic careers with Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
and Manchester United respectively.
He was elected the 20th South America Player of the Century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2004.
Achievements
Spencer still maintains the South American club record in Copa Libertadores, with his tally of 54 goals between 1960 and 1972, playing for Everest of Guayaquil, Barcelona of GuayaquilGuayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, and Peñarol (Uruguay). During that period, he walked away as winner of the competition three times (1960, 1961, 1966) and was winner of the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup and FIFA Club World Championship statistics
Statistics for the Intercontinental Cup which ran from 1960 to 2004.-Finals:-By country:-By team:-By continent:-Man of the Match:Since 1980-See also:*Intercontinental Cup*Copa Libertadores*UEFA Champions League...
twice, beating Eusebio's Benfica and Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, and was runner-up once. In fact, his Intercontinental goal tally is only one goal behind the all-time record of his more famous contemporary, Pelé.
Spencer was also four times the leading scorer of Uruguay's League, helping them to win the Uruguayan championship eight times during his 12-year stay. Throughout his professional career, he scored a grand total of 450 goals, surpassing 500, if friendlies were taken into account.
Trivia
- In one of the exhibition tours that Peñarol did in Colombia, one of the MillonariosMillonariosMillonarios Fútbol Club is a Colombian football club based in Bogotá. As of 2011, Millonarios shares with rivals América de Cali the most Fútbol Profesional Colombiano championships, 13 in total, although Millonarios haven't won this tournament since 1988. They are also the third Colombian team to...
players, Flaco Néstor RossiNéstor RossiNéstor Raúl "Pipo" Rossi was an Argentine football midfielder.-Playing career:Nicknamed "Pipo", he started his career at River Plate, playing from 1945 to 1949, and then again from 1955 to 1958, winning a total of 5 Argentine leagues. In total, Rossi played 155 matches for River Plate scoring 7...
, launched a horror-tackle on Spencer that went unpunished. Soon afterward, one of Spencer's friends in Peñarol, Jose Pepe Sasía, ran after him, grabbed his neck and said:
- Pelé, interview with Pablo Forlan said:
- Spencer was red carded for the only time in his career at a league match defending Peñarol. Three days later the team had to travel for a Copa Libertadores match, but Spencer didn't go, saying that he was too ashamed because of his expulsion.
- His debut at Peñarol was in a friendly against Argentine team Atlanta (striped blue and yellow) where Peñarol wore for first and last time a plain red jersey (one of the colours of the long hated arch-rival Nacional). Peñarol won 6-2 with a Spencer hat-trick.
- Upon Spencer's death, the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol decided to change the name of the Estadio ModeloEstadio ModeloEstadio Modelo is a multi-purpose stadium in Guayaquil, Ecuador, owned by Fedeguayas. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Rocafuerte Fútbol Club, Club 9 de Octubre, Club Sport Patria, Club Deportivo Everest, Calvi Fútbol Club, Panamá Sporting Club and Club...
in GuayaquilGuayaquilGuayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
to Estadio Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera in his honour.
Club
PeñarolC.A. Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol also known as Carboneros, Aurinegros and familiarly as Manya, is an Uruguayan sports club based in the Peñarol barrio, Montevideo, best known for its professional football team. The team plays their home matches in Estadio Centenario, the largest stadium in the country, but...
- Copa Libertadores: 1960, 1961, 1966
- Primera División: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19611961 Intercontinental CupA play-off was needed due to the rules at the time that awarded 2 points for each victory and both teams having won one game each....
, 19661966 Intercontinental CupThe 1966 Intercontinental Cup was the seventh playing of the cup. It was held between the winners of the 1965-66 European Cup, Real Madrid, and Peñarol, winner of the 1966 Copa Libertadores....
Barcelona
Barcelona Sporting Club
Barcelona Sporting Club is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. They currently play in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of football in the country, and hold the distinction of being the only team to have never been relegated.With...
- Serie A: 1971
Individual
- Copa Libertadores top scorer (2): 1960, 1962.
- Primera División top scorer (4): 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968.
- RSSSF - Ecuador: Player of the century.
- IFFHS: 20th best South American player in the century.