Magico Gonzalez - the one that got away

‘The wizard’s’ career spanned the years 1975-1996, nine of which he spent playing in Spain mostly for Cadiz, with one year spent at Valladolid. His ball control and technical skill is only rivalled by Maradona, he relished a free role where he would pick the ball up deep and nonchalantly glide pass players. He didn’t have the searing pace of a Ronaldo, but the truth is he simply didn’t need it. Magico had a tremendous ability to shoot from anywhere, and shoot early, before the keeper expected it. He was the epitome of the consummate trequartista, roaming in the opposition half and terrorising cumbersome defenders. His goal scoring record for El Salvador is remarkable with 41 goals in 48 games and almost single handedly fired them to the 1982 World cup in Spain. He scored 57 in 183 league games for Cadiz which is an admirable record for a forward in a struggling side.

It was a great shame for football and his posterity that El Magico did not play for one of Europe’s biggest clubs and make the most of his talent. But Gonzalez was a social animal, partying many nights of the week and missing training and games as a result. His major flaw was a lack of professionalism, which still plagues some Central and South American stars today, and this ultimately cost him his chance to be a footballing great.

Thanks to YouTube however, (as with the link below) football fans everywhere can enjoy glimpses of Gonzalez’s performances and be wowed by the step overs and jinking runs of this gifted player. Without his move to the big stage Gonzalez falls into the same category as a Stan Bowles rather than a Pele, a mercurial talent who was a great player but not amongst the footballing Gods. So all I ask here is that the next time you have that pub argument over the best players, give El Magico a mention – it’s the least he deserves.

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