Óscar Enrique Sánchez
Encyclopedia
Oscar Enrique Sánchez Rivas (born July 15, 1955), popularly known as El Conejo (the rabbit) is a Guatemala
n football
coach
and former inside forward, who played the majority of his career for the club CSD Comunicaciones, and represented the Guatemala national football team
at the Olympic Games
and in three FIFA World Cup qualification
processes.
Sánchez is the second highest goalscorer of all time in the Guatemalan league
, and has been catalogued by journalists of the region as one of the best players in the history of the nation's football. In a 1999 poll by the IFFHS, he was voted the best Guatemalan footballer of the 20th Century and among the best 20 in CONCACAF
.
In 1977, Sánchez scored six goals in a 9-0 win for Comunicaciones against Antigua GFC
, tying the league's all-time record set in 1961. He also scored five goals in two other occasions, one that same year against Tipografía Nacional
and the other in 1985 against Xelajú MC while playing for Cobán Imperial
.
After his departure from Comunicaciones, Sánchez played for the clubs Municipal
, Aurora FC
, Galcasa, Tipografía Nacional, Cobán
, Izabal JC and Deportivo Escuintla. He retired in 1992, after having scored 320 goals in all competitions. From 1974 to 1992, he appeared in 609 league matches and scored 244 goals, what remained the league's all-time highest total until surpassed by Juan Carlos Plata
in 2006. Sánchez ranks among the world's 150 highest top division goalscorers of all-time, according to the IFFHS.
qualify to the 1976 Olympic Games
, and played two matches at the final tournament in Montreal
, where Guatemala was eliminated in the first round group.
His full international debut occurred on September 26, 1976 at a 1978 World Cup qualification
match against Panama
, where he scored a hat-trick
on a 7-0 win. He also played in the 1982 and 1990 World Cup qualifying campaigns, and overall he scored seven goals in 17 World Cup qualification matches.
, among others, in the top division, and a number of clubs in lower divisions.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n football
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...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former inside forward, who played the majority of his career for the club CSD Comunicaciones, and represented the Guatemala national football team
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and in three FIFA World Cup qualification
FIFA World Cup qualification
The FIFA World Cup qualification is the process that a national association football team goes through to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup is a global event, so qualification is required to reduce the large field of participants from about 200 to 32.Qualifying tournaments...
processes.
Sánchez is the second highest goalscorer of all time in the Guatemalan league
Liga Nacional de Guatemala
Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala , formerly known as Liga Mayor "A" is a professional football division in Guatemala, the highest one in the country. It is sanctioned by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala...
, and has been catalogued by journalists of the region as one of the best players in the history of the nation's football. In a 1999 poll by the IFFHS, he was voted the best Guatemalan footballer of the 20th Century and among the best 20 in CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
.
Club career
Sánchez' first top division club was Ases del Minar, making his debut in 1973. In 1974, he joined Comunicaciones. In 12 years with Comunicaciones, Sánchez helped the team win five league titles and was the league's top goalscorer in 4 different seasons. He holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season.In 1977, Sánchez scored six goals in a 9-0 win for Comunicaciones against Antigua GFC
Antigua GFC
Antigua Guatemala Fútbol Club is a Guatemalan professional football team based in Antigua Guatemala. They play their home games at the Estadio Pensativo which has a capacity of 9,000. They are nicknamed Los Antigueños , Los Panzas Verdes and Los Aguacateros .-History:The club was founded in 1958...
, tying the league's all-time record set in 1961. He also scored five goals in two other occasions, one that same year against Tipografía Nacional
Tipografía Nacional (football club)
Tipografía Nacional is a defunct football club that was based in Guatemala City, Guatemala.It was one of the most traditional teams in the country in the 20th Century, and it remains the fourth-most successful club in the history of Guatemalan football in terms of national titles...
and the other in 1985 against Xelajú MC while playing for Cobán Imperial
Cobán Imperial
Club Social y Deportivo Cobán Imperial, nicknamed Los Príncipes Azules , is a Guatemalan football club based in Cobán, Alta Verapaz. They play their home games in the Estadio Verapaz....
.
After his departure from Comunicaciones, Sánchez played for the clubs Municipal
CSD Municipal
Club Social y Deportivo Municipal, also known as Municipal or Los Rojos , are a Guatemalan professional football club based in Guatemala City...
, Aurora FC
Aurora FC
Aurora Fútbol Club are a Guatemalan professional football club. Once one of the most powerful teams in the country, the team has now been relegated to a lower division...
, Galcasa, Tipografía Nacional, Cobán
Cobán Imperial
Club Social y Deportivo Cobán Imperial, nicknamed Los Príncipes Azules , is a Guatemalan football club based in Cobán, Alta Verapaz. They play their home games in the Estadio Verapaz....
, Izabal JC and Deportivo Escuintla. He retired in 1992, after having scored 320 goals in all competitions. From 1974 to 1992, he appeared in 609 league matches and scored 244 goals, what remained the league's all-time highest total until surpassed by Juan Carlos Plata
Juan Carlos Plata
Juan Carlos Plata is a Guatemalan retired football striker. He is the highest-scoring player in the history of Guatemala's top division...
in 2006. Sánchez ranks among the world's 150 highest top division goalscorers of all-time, according to the IFFHS.
National team
Sánchez helped the Guatemala national football teamGuatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
qualify to the 1976 Olympic Games
Football at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Football competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics held in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Sherbrooke. Groups A, C and D had only three teams instead of four, as Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia national teams adhered to African-led boycott of the Games against the participation of New...
, and played two matches at the final tournament in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where Guatemala was eliminated in the first round group.
His full international debut occurred on September 26, 1976 at a 1978 World Cup qualification
1978 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 107 teams entered the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition....
match against Panama
Panama national football team
The Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
, where he scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
on a 7-0 win. He also played in the 1982 and 1990 World Cup qualifying campaigns, and overall he scored seven goals in 17 World Cup qualification matches.
Coaching
After his retirement from playing, he became a coach, and managed the clubs Comunicaciones and JalapaDeportivo Jalapa
Jalapa is a Guatemalan professional football club who play in the Liga Nacional, the top level division in the country. They are based in Jalapa and their home stadium is the Estadio Las Flores.-History:The team was founded on July 10, 1978....
, among others, in the top division, and a number of clubs in lower divisions.