Alfredo Rojas (Argentine footballer)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rojas and the second or maternal family name is Delinge.

Alfredo Rojas
Rojas during his tenure on Boca Juniors, c. 1964-68
Personal information
Full name Alfredo Hugo Rojas Delinge
Date of birth (1937-02-20)20 February 1937
Place of birth Lanús, Argentina
Date of death 16 June 2023(2023-06-16) (aged 86)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1956–1958 Lanús 58 (41)
1958–1959 Celta Vigo 7 (1)
1959–1961 Real Betis 47 (18)
1961 River Plate 3 (2)
1962–1964 Gimnasia de La Plata 81 (35)
1964–1968 Boca Juniors 102 (46)
1969 Peñarol
1970–1971 O'Higgins 43 (15)
1972 Universidad Católica 14 (4)
International career
1958–1966 Argentina 15 (1)
Managerial career
1977 Santiago Wanderers
1979 Portuguesa
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alfredo Hugo Rojas Delinge, nicknamed El Tanque[1] (20 February 1937 – 16 June 2023) was an Argentine professional footballer who played as a striker.

Career

Rojas was born in Lanús, Buenos Aires Province. He started playing with Club Atlético Lanús in 1958, but his participation in the 1958 FIFA World Cup opened a door to Europe for him. He joined Celta de Vigo in mid-1959, but the club was relegated, Rojas moved on to play for Real Betis in 1959.

Rojas returned to Argentina after signing for River Plate, but he spent most of the time sitting on the bench. It was not until 1962, when he moved to Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, that El Tanque gained some importance in the Argentine football, scoring 17 goals. After another season with the team from La Plata, Rojas was transferred to Boca Juniors.

Nicknamed El Tanque ("the tank")[1] Rojas played four seasons with Boca Juniors, winning the 1965 Argentine Championship, and becoming one of the most important and beloved Boca players of the 1960s.[2] From 1964 to 1968 he played 102 league matches, scoring 46 goals.

In 1968 Boca Juniors released Rojas. After a stint with Uruguayan club Peñarol, he ended his career playing for O'Higgins (1970–1971)[3][4] and Universidad Católica (1972)[5] in Chile.

With the Argentina national team, Rojas played in the 1958 and 1966 FIFA World Cup, and won the 1964 Taça das Nações (Nations Cup).

Death

Rojas died from a heart attack on 16 June 2023, at the age of 86.[6]

Honours

Boca Juniors

Argentina

References

  1. ^ a b "Informe Xeneize article {{in lang|es}}". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2005.
  2. ^ El Tanque Rojas, en primera persona, El Gráfico, 29 September 2009
  3. ^ "O'Higgins 1970 - Campeonato Nacional". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  4. ^ "O'Higgins 1971 - Campeonato Nacional". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Universidad Catolica 1972 - Campeonato Nacional". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  6. ^ "Alfredo Rojas, exfigura de Boca Juniors, murió a los 86 años". ESPN. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.