Antonio Carbajal

1948/50 Club España (MEX) 45 matches

1950/66 FC León (MEX) 364 matches

With the National Team :

48 caps

(Friendly matches: 14 caps)

(World Cup qualifiers: 22 caps)

(World Cup: 11 caps)

1st cap: June 24, 1950 against Brazil (0-4)

Last cap: July 19, 1966 against Uruguay (0-0)

unofficial: 26 caps

Antonio Félix Carbajal Rodriguez

Born June 7, 1929 in Mexico City (MEX)

Died May 9, 2023 in Guanajuato (MEX)

Mexico.png Mexican, goalkeeper, 1m80

Nicknames: La Tota, "El Cincocopas"

The best goalkeeper in the history of CONCACAF could have never played football. The reason? A father who forbade him from playing football when he was little because the young boy's older brother died when he was hit by a car while he was playing in the street.

However, Antonio Carbajal would not give up his desire to play football, a sport he had fallen in love with. He played the sport in secret and it was finally after years of training and tenacity that he joined Club España at the age of 19. It was a real shock for his father who wanted his son to study.

Renowned for his flexibility, the goalkeeper went straight to the 1948 Olympic Games with Mexico, he remained on the bench but already participated at 19 in his first international tournament, the first of a long series.

Very gifted in his hand and foot game, he was a complete goalkeeper who wore the Mexico jersey for more than 16 years. Becoming a first-rate goalkeeper within the country, he obtained fourth place in the Mexican championship in a club accustomed to the middle/bottom of the table of a 14-team championship.

Carbajal was thus called to play in the 1950 World Cup which took place in Brazil, it was then that he played his first match as a starter with Mexico on June 24, 1950 at the Maracanã. The goalkeeper could not prevent his country from losing 4-0 against Brazil of Ademir and Zizinho. In a team that was much inferior to his opponents, he conceded 10 goals in 3 games, and was therefore eliminated, 3 defeats in 3 games.

Back in Mexico, he signed with FC Leon after the disappearance of Club España by General Franco who demanded the dislocation of teams of Iberian origin playing in Mexico. At FC Leon, he would stay until the end of his career in 1966, or 16 years at the club. With his new club, he won 2 Mexican championships, 1 Mexican Cup and the 1 time the Campeón de Campeones. A record that is far from the level of the player.

The player struggled to convince in the World Cup, not being helped by the general level of his team of which he was surely the best player. In total, he played 11 World Cup matches, for 1 victory, 2 draws and 8 defeats. The player who played without gloves will still remain a legend of his country and his continent, with 5 World Cups in which he participated, a record! In total, he will have conceded 25 goals.

As a little anecdote, he played his penultimate World Cup match on July 20, 1966 in the shoes of a football legend. And the substitute goalkeeper of England will offer him before the start of the match his pair of gloves in a burst of camaraderie, on his first touch of the ball, Carbajal stumbles and prefers to remove the gloves.

During Mexico's third group match at this 1966 World Cup, the player could qualify his country for the second round of the tournament for the first time in history in the event of victory, the goalkeeper plays a very good match, managing to get his first and last clean sheet in the competition. The one nicknamed "El Cincocopas" will be congratulated by the Uruguayan goalkeeper and football legend: Ladislao Mazurkiewicz.

This last match will have been the 48th selection of the legendary Mexican goalkeeper of 1m80. Voted best goalkeeper of CONCACAF in the 20th century, he was also voted best player of CONCACAF 4 times in 1953, 1956, 1957 and 1961 and he received the Order of Merit by FIFA in 2004.

- Voted CONCACAF's best goalkeeper of the 20th century

- Voted CONCACAF player of the year in 1953, 1956, 1957 and 1961

- Received the Order of Merit by FIFA in 2004

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