Mario Cordero
Personal information
Full name Mario Cordero Brenes
Date of birth (1930-04-07)7 April 1930
Place of birth San José, Costa Rica
Date of death 10 July 2002(2002-07-10) (aged 72)
Place of death San José, Costa Rica
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1949–1951 Saprissa
1951–1952 Marte
1952–1964 Saprissa
International career
1950–1963 Costa Rica 41 (7)
Managerial career
1964–1967 Saprissa
1965 Costa Rica
1968–1970 Saprissa
1980 Saprissa
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mario Cordero Brenes (7 April 1930 – 10 July 2002) was a Costa Rican football player and coach; he is still considered in his country as one of the top defenders to have played the game.[1]

Club career

Better known as Catato or Piernas de Oro,[2] he was part of the Deportivo Saprissa team that went on a World Tour in 1959, becoming the first Latin American team to ever do such a trip. Catato was the leader and captain of Deportivo Saprissa during the 1950s and early 1960s. He had one season in the Mexican league, with Atletico Marte. He retired after a game against Argentinian side Banfield on 25 December 1964.[2] Catato is remembered as a player, for his chivalry in and out of the field, as well as his great positioning in the field, his great shoot and security as a defender.

International career

During those years, he played the same role in the Costa Rica national football team, making 41 appearances.[3]

Managerial career

As coach, Catato guided Saprissa to four national titles in the 1960s, adding up to the four he had won previously as a player. He also managed Costa Rica's national team.[4]

Death

He died of respiratory arrest on 10 July 2002 in the Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia Hospital in San José.[2]

References

  1. ^ "MARIO CORDERO BRENES (CATATO)". Salón de la Fama del Deporte Costarricense. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Rodrigo Calvo C. (11 July 2002). ""Catato" murió ayer Mario a la eternidad (Obituary)". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  3. ^ Mamrud, Roberto. "Costa Rica - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  4. ^ Arnoldo Rivera Jiménez (23 May 1999). "Grandes figuras del deporte Nadie como Catato Mario Cordero, el mejor defensa central de todos los tiempos" [Great sports figures: Nobody is like Catato Mario Cordero, the best central defender of all time]. La Nación. Retrieved 15 March 2018.

External links

Costa Rica squads
Costa Rica national football team – managers
Categories