Fernando Espinosa (Chilean footballer)

Fernando Espinosa
Personal information
Full name Fernando Ernesto Espinosa Moreira
Date of birth (1949-02-01)1 February 1949
Place of birth Independencia, Santiago, Chile
Date of death 16 May 2023(2023-05-16) (aged 74)
Place of death Santiago, Chile
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Población Alessandri
Santiago Wanderers
Universidad Técnica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968 Universidad Técnica
1969–1972 Magallanes 82 (56)
1973–1974 Palestino 32 (12)
1974–1975 Magallanes 59 (29)
1976–1977 Santiago Wanderers 44 (11)
1978 Tipografía Nacional
1979 Deportes Linares
1980 Naval
International career
1972–1973 Chile 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fernando Ernesto Espinosa Moreira (1 February 1949 – 16 May 2023), frequently and wrongly named as Fernando Espinoza,[2][3] was a Chilean footballer who played as a forward for clubs in Chile and Guatemala.

Club career

At the youth level, Espinosa played with Población Alessandri from Estación Central, Santiago Wanderers and Universidad Técnica.[1]

He made his senior debut with Universidad Técnica in the 1968 Segunda División. In that division, he also played for Deportes Linares in 1979.[1]

In the Chilean Primera División, he played for Magallanes,[4] Palestino,[5] Santiago Wanderers[6][7] and Naval, his last club in 1980.[8] He stood out as a player for Magallanes, becoming the league's top goalscorer in the 1972 season with 25 goals.[9]

Abroad, he played for Guatemalan Liga Nacional side Tipografía Nacional in 1978.[1]

International career

Espinosa made four appearances for the Chile national team during 1972 in A-class matches against Mexico twice, Republic of Ireland and Iran.[3] He also played in the unofficial match against Tahiti on 14 February 1973, scoring five goals in the 10–1 win.[10]

Personal life

He was nicknamed Polilla (Moth), an inherited nickname from his older brother, Hernán.[1]

He died on 22 May 2023.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Salviat, Julio (18 January 2023). "Yo lo viví: Las travesuras del "Polilla"". Diario El Ágora (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Fernando ESPINOSA". Memoria Wanderers (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Fernando Espinosa". Partidos de La Roja (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Los 105 años del carabelero - LA PRIMERA CASA". www.geocities.ws (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  5. ^ Santa Cruz, Eduardo (June 1991). "Las Vicisitudes de una Historia". CRÓNICA DE UN ENCUENTRO: FÚTBOL Y CULTURA POPULAR (PDF) (in Spanish) (1 ed.). Santiago, Chile: Ediciones Instituto Profesional Arcos. p. 124. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. ^ Campos, Carlos (16 April 2021). "Cuando 'Chamaco' Valdés se puso la verde de Santiago Wanderers". ASIFUCH (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Wanderers en Campeonato de Primera División 1976". Memoria Wanderers (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b "¡Luto en el fútbol chileno! Falleció Fernando 'Polilla' Espinoza a los 74 años". Deportes13 (in Spanish). Canal 13. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ "GOLEADORES CAMPEONATO NACIONAL 1972". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  10. ^ Rodríguez Cáceres, Jorge (29 April 2020). "¿Qué jugadores han marcado 5 goles por "La Roja" en un solo partido? No sólo Zamorano". Guioteca.com (in Spanish). El Mercurio. Retrieved 27 January 2024.