Mario Cordero

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]

Mario Cordero
Personal information
Full name Mario Cordero Brenes
Date of birth (1930-04-07)April 7, 1930
Place of birth San José, Costa Rica
Date of death July 10, 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
National team
1950–1963 Costa Rica 41 (7)
Teams managed
1964–1967 Saprissa
1965 Costa Rica
1968–1970 Saprissa
1980 Saprissa
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cordero and the second or maternal family name is Brenes.

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. 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.


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