Lolo Fernandez: Considered one of Latin America’s Most Common Footballers
All through his 12-year profession with the Peruvian facet, between 1935 and 1947, Lolo Fernández was not a World Cup participant corresponding to Obdulio Varela of Uruguay and Brazil’s Leonidas da Silva. Regardless of all this, he’s nonetheless an inspirational chief within the historical past of Peru’s soccer. On the sector, he did loads to stimulate the lads’s soccer in all the nation, some of the soccer-crazed locations on the planet. He was very fashionable within the outback of Peru, from Trujillo and Ica to Puno and Cajamarca. His ardour for his homeland was mirrored in all aspects of his life.
He started to play soccer earlier than it was an expert sport on Peruvian soil. Soccer — the world’s hottest sport— was imported by Britain’s expatriates within the second half of the 19th century and is named Peru’s nationwide pastime.
The oldest and strongest of three soccer-playing Fernández brothers, he — recognized affectionately as “Lolo”— is taken into account as one of many nation’s best athletes of all time, together with Edwin Vásquez Cam (Olympic gold medalist on the 1948 London Summer time Video games), Cecilia Tait Villacorta (among the many world’s high volleyball gamers previously century), Juan Carlos “Johnny” Bello (winner of 12 Bolivarian titles within the early 1970s), and Gabriela “Gaby” Pérez del Photo voltaic (silver medal in girls’s volleyball on the 1988 South Korea Video games).
Throughout Fernández’s tenure with the nationwide facet, the Andean republic gained one South American Cup (1939) and one Bolivarian Championship (1938). On the membership degree, he earned the Peruvian League Cup — nationwide competition— six occasions together with his membership Universitario de Deportes, having scored a club-record of 157 objectives — a document that is still distinctive. Additionally, he was the highest goal-scorer within the nation’s high division of soccer groups in 1932 (11 objectives), 1933 (9), 1934 (9), 1939 (15), 1940 (15), 1942 (11), and 1945 (16). Moreover, he’s one among best-known Peruvians Olympians of all time. He holds the excellence of being the primary (and solely) high participant from that nation to compete within the fashionable Olympiad.
Peru’s First Real Prime-Class Athlete
Since then, the apex of his profession got here within the late 1930s when he was the hero of Peru’s South American Soccer Confederation Cup win, placing the Peruvian flag on the sporting map and making him some of the thrilling gamers within the recreation. A Lolo Fernández-inspired Peru defeated Uruguay within the gold-medal match, a shock to most followers and sportswriters on the American mainland (Campomar, 2014, Penguin). He had been known as up by England’s coach Jack Greenwell. Earlier than the championship, Peru’s sportsmen had by no means gained a continental trophy (equal of the European Cup). Beforehand, this Cañete-born footballer was a member of the 1936 Peruvian Olympic soccer workforce, which competed within the Berlin Olympics. Curiously, Western Europe was the primary continent to acknowledge Fernández’s expertise. Though his homeland’s squad succumbed in a controversial recreation in opposition to Austria (a match they need to have gained) throughout the Males’s Olympic Video games Soccer Match— the unofficial world cup of soccer at that time— he was thought to be one of many South America’s most celebrated sportsmen (Hilton, 2011).
Again in Peru, he led his personal “soccer revolution” in Universitario de Deportes, successful many high division cups, setting off a wave of explosive emotion in Lima, the nation’s capital. In truth, he was one of many first superstars of that membership. The nationwide squad and his membership had been his first loves. He might have performed overseas, however determined to play for the Peruvian facet and the Limean membership, one of many nation’s premier golf equipment (Newton, 2011).
In truth, Lolo Fernández was Peru’s first real top-class sportsman on the earth of sports activities in a time when some Spanish-speaking republics started to supply world-famous rivals. Already, in 1928, Argentina’s fighter Victorio Avendaño had caught the general public’s consideration together with his Olympic gold medal within the Video games of the IX Olympiad in Holland’s capital metropolis of Amsterdam (Grasso, 2013). Two years later, the Soccer World Cup was gained by the host nation Uruguay— known as the Celeste. In the meantime, the lads’s capturing contingent of Brazil picked up a complete of three medals on the 1920 Antwerp Olympics in tiny Belgium (Almanaque Mundial, 1976). Alternatively, on March 19, 1938, 4 Ecuadorans — Ricardo Planas, Carlos Luis Gilbert, Luis Alcivar Elizalde and Abel Gilbert— swept the gold medals on the Swimming South American Match (Almanaque Guayaquil, 2003).
The Life and Occasions of Lolo Fernández
Teodoro Oswaldo Fernández Meyzán was born on Could 20, 1913 in San Vicente, Cañete, close to Lima, Peru’s capital. He was the seventh of eight youngsters born to Tomas Fernández Cisneros, a farm administrator, and his spouse, the previous Raymunda Meyzan.
Cañete covers an space of Four,577 km2 — the dimensions of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It lies round 140 km from Lima. This Connecticut-size territory is blessed with a fertile land and is well-recognized for its African-Peruvian tradition, delicacies, fruits and birthplace of notable individuals corresponding to Héctor Chumpitaz (footballer), Caitro Soto (musician), Enrique Verastegui (author), and Rolando Campos (singer).
Fernández spent his early childhood on a farm in Cañete. Like many Peruvian youngsters, he turned fascinated with the sport of soccer at an early age. However not everybody applauded that keenness, amongst them his father.
He invested his life on this sport since he performed for his hometown membership Huracán of Hualcará within the early 1920s. The then little-known participant was the primary to reach to the stadium and the final to go away. In his land, he skilled with a number of depth. The train and contemporary air made him really feel higher.
Throughout his first look, ข่าวสด he led his membership to a victory over Alianza San Vicente in a neighborhood occasion in his native Cañete. His debut couldn’t have been higher: he scored the successful aim. The date was August 30, 1923. On that event, his play (with out being paid a wage) impressed his team-mates early on. He was celebrated all through Cañete, whose persons are hooked on soccer and different Olympic sports activities as canoeing, boxing, and track-and-field.
Towards the top of the 1920s, he was allowed to go away his dwelling and went to Lima to stay together with his elder brother, Arturo Fernández, who had performed for Universitario de Deportes after being a member of Ciclista Lima. On this context, Lolo, as he was extra typically recognized, was launched to Universitario by Arturo.
Within the Peruvian place, his private life underwent some important modifications. Unanimously elected participant by the membership’s chairman Placido Galindo, Fernández signed a contract for 120 soles a month. Relations between he and his new membership had been glorious and pleasant since that day.
He kicked off his profession with the Lima-based membership when he made his official debut on November 29, 1931 throughout a pleasant match in opposition to Deportes Magallanes of Chile. Some younger athletes would have been intimidated in such scenario, however not Lolo. The Lima-based membership, with a younger facet, was the winner. The Peruvian victory was due largely to Fernández’s management. He scored the winner in opposition to Magallanes in a 1-Zero win. Step by step, his expertise was acknowledged by consultants, coaches, and sportswriters in his homeland nation. As a participant, he was with out peer in his technology.
An Athlete In Troubled Occasions
Like many Latino champions corresponding to Alberto Spencer of Ecuador (soccer),Mateo Flores of Guatemala (track-and-field) and Chino Meléndez of Nicaragua (baseball), Lolo Fernández lived in a rustic stricken by political violence, poverty, and financial difficulties. Regardless of these hurdles, he emerged as one among Latin America’s high athletes within the first half of the 20th century.
Within the 1930s, his native nation had a document of short-lived governments and eight conservative rulers. By 1933, Peru’s army warlord Luis Sánchez Cerro was killed. On the similar time, opposition-led demonstrations broke out in Lima in response to an electoral defeat (Loveman, 1999).
Throughout the world monetary disaster, the economic system fell into chaos, which was susceptible because of the nation’s dependence on minerals and agricultural merchandise.
Because of these and different causes, the nation’s sport actions had been all however ignored by the governments. Below this ambiance, Peru was one of many final international locations to make its worldwide debut within the Soccer South American Championship (referred to as the Copa America later), having competed for the primary within the XI Cup in 1927.Equally, their athletes couldn’t attend the Summer time Olympics between 1900 and 1932. However that wasn’t all. Upon competing in Nice Britain in 1948, this Spanish-speaking republic didn’t have Olympic illustration till 1956, regardless of having Pan American gold medalists —among them Julia Sánchez Deza and Edwin Vásquez— and continental champs.
Western Europe: From Spain to Nice Britain
As friends of honor, Fernández and different gamers from Universitario performed for Alianza Lima throughout a tour of Chile in 1933, accumulating wins over Colo Colo, Audax Italiano, Magallanes, and Wanderers. Lolo additionally performed as a particular visitor for some international golf equipment such Racing Membership,Membership Atlético Banfield, and Colo Colo.
Between 1933 and 1934, Fernández went as a member of a Peruvian-Chilean contingent —composed of sportsmen from Alianza Lima, Colo Colo, Atlético Chalaco and Universitario– to Western Europe, the place he performed 33 males’s soccer matches (compiling 11 wins, 11 attracts and 11 losses) in opposition to first-class squads from Spain, Germany and the UK, together with Bayern Munich, Newcastle and Barcelona— his first time exterior of Latin America (Witzig, 2006). Right here, he earned the respect of followers and rivals. Lolo’s efficiency on the European tour was spectacular: regardless of his lack of worldwide expertise, he accrued a document of 48 objectives!
Berlin: 1936 Summer time Olympics
After many obstacles, the Peruvian Olympic workforce, that included future South American champion Lolo, made a short however historic journey to Germany to attend the 1936 Summer time Video games. It was the primary time in Olympic historical past that Peru had despatched an athletic contingent to the Summer time Video games. The nation’s sports activities officers introduced an all-male workforce to Berlin, with Peruvians competing in aquatics, athletics, diving, basketball, biking, fencing, fashionable pentathlon, capturing, and soccer.
There have been 22 soccer gamers and so they had been Juan Valdivieso Padilla, Alejandro Villanueva, José Morales, Adelfo Magallanes, Víctor Lavalle, Enrique Landa, Eulogio García, Carlos Tovar, Orestes Jordán, Teodoro Fernández, Arturo Fernández, Andrés Alvarez, Arturo Paredes, Segundo Castillo, Teodoro Alcalde, Jorge Alcalde, Miguel Pacheco, Carlos Portal, Raúl Chappel, Pedro Ibañez, Guillermo Pardo, and Víctor Marchena. These gamers made up the nation’s largest delegation in Berlin.
The Lolo’s squad was the primary Peruvian workforce within the Olympic workforce sports activities historical past. Scoring 5 objectives in a 7-2 victory over the Nordic nation of Finland, Fernández performed one among his most memorable matches (Campomar, 2014). Definitely, he was a genius on the sector. Subsequently, they beat Austria (it anticipated to complete within the high 4 in these Video games). Nevertheless it wasn’t a clear-cut victory for the Latin American republic (Witzig, 2006).
Within the second time, Peru got here again and gained its match Four-2 after dropping to Austria 2-Zero within the first time in some of the controversial video games within the historical past of soccer (Mandell, 1971). Nonetheless, the Austrian delegation refused to acknowledge this triumph (Risolo, 2010). They stated that Europe’s footballers had been threatened by Peru’s attackers throughout the Olympic match (Murray & Murray, 1998).
Below stress from Austria, the Worldwide Federation of Affiliation Soccer (FIFA) pledged to carry different match (Campomar, 2014).
However the Peruvian dictatorship did not enable their countrymen to compete once more. In an try to attempt to acquire recognition inside Peru, the nation’s strongman Oscar Raimundo Benavides pressured the Peruvian Olympic Committee to comply with withdraw its delegation from the 1936 Berlin Video games (Walters, 2012). Regardless of all the things, Fernández was the second high scorer within the Olympic match with 5 objectives, alongside Norway’s sportsman Arne Brustad. A yr earlier, Lolo earned his first cap for Peru.
The match was gained by Italy and was adopted by Austria (silver medal), Poland (bronze), Norway (4th), Nice Britain (fifth),Germany (sixth), Peru (seventh), Japan (eighth), Sweden (ninth), USA (10th), Taiwan (11th), Egypt (12th), Hungary (13th), Turkey (14th), Finland (15th) and Luxembourg (final).
When the Olympian delegation arrived again in Lima, they had been declared “nationwide heroes” (El Comercio, 2009). Within the subsequent yr, he married Elvira Fernández Meyer and had two youngsters: Marina and Teodoro.
Lolo and the First Bolivarian Video games
Regardless of lacking the XI Olympiad within the German capital of Berlin, Fernández labored relentlessly to participate within the Olympic-type Bolivarian Video games. The First Bolivarian Sports activities Video games (one of many oldest multi-sport video games of its sort) had been held in Colombia’s capital of Bogota in 1938. At that yr, all Limeans had been anxious to see a nationwide victory. Fortuitously, there have been excellent news. Fernández captained the Bolivarian winners by capturing the gold medal, offering a second of take pleasure in for Peru’s inhabitants.
The 1938 males’s squad was the heavy gold medal favourite on Colombian soil. The victory was scored over squads from Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and the host nation. This accomplishment was better than any beforehand achieved by the nationwide squads. Ecuador was bronze and Bolivia gained the silver medal.
Earlier than and after the occasion, Fernández —his first worldwide title exterior his personal land— introduced his vitality and fervour to the nationwide workforce.
Peru kicked off its marketing campaign at Bogota’s Universitario Stadium,on August Eight, once they beat Colombia Four-2 with objectives of Pedro Ibañez (2), Lolo (1) and Teodoro Alcalde (1). In its second Bolivarian match, the Andean nation slaughtered Ecuador 9-1 in a spectacular present of football— largest margin of victory within the historical past of Peru’s soccer workforce. The very best participant was Alcalde (Four objectives). On August 14, Peru blanked Bolivia Three-Zero. Lolo was the pivot of that recreation with two objectives. This outstanding athlete knew what he wanted to do to win the match.
On August 17,Venezuela was eradicated from the Video games after dropping to Peru 2-1. Earlier than the Peruvian delegation left the stadium, they obtained a standing ovation.
Why one among Latin America’s Best Gamers By no means Play within the FIFA World Cup?
Amongst Latin America’s best gamers throughout the first half of the 20th century, Fernández was the one one by no means to have appeared in a World Cup. There are completely different the explanation why he couldn’t compete within the world sporting occasion within the late 1930s and the 1940s. In 1938, the III World Cup was overshadowed by an Argentina-led boycott that was adopted by nearly all South American republics ( Reyna & Woitalla,2004). Formally, Peru didn’t take part within the worldwide boycott, but it surely declined to ship a delegation. SA boycotted that Cup in response to “Eurocentric coverage” of FIFA. Europeans had hosted the final occasion and the following was scheduled to be held in France in that yr. Within the following decade, the world of sports activities was arduous hit by World Conflict II and the worldwide occasions had been canceled.
Lima: 1939 South American Championship
The yr of 1939 noticed a brand new hero in Latin America’s sport. A son of Cañete attracted admiration when he led Peru to win the (XV) South American Championship for the primary time following a win in opposition to Uruguay, one of many powerhouses on the earth of soccer because the 1910s. 4 years in the past, the nationwide facet didn’t make the semis within the regional occasion at dwelling. In 1937, Peru completed on the backside of the six-team match.
The 1939 nationwide facet claimed the primary place to defeat Uruguay 2-1 within the finals. It was a proud day for Peru. The nation, underneath British coach Greenwell was a house grown champion (Campomar, 2014, Penguin). On paper, Uruguay’s background made it a robust opponent —three World Championships from 1924 to 1930, together with two golds within the fashionable Olympics.
It was gratifying to see the progress that had made the nationwide facet, who had been underdogs from the beginning. Due to this win, Peru turned the 4 nation within the continent to win that occasion (after Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina), nicely forward of Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay.
Fernández was the hero within the Continental Cup on his dwelling soil— his second main worldwide trophy. In addition to successful the Most Worthwhile Participant trophy, the Cañete-born striker was the highest scorer.
The continental winners had been Juan Humberto Valdivieso, Jorge Alcalde, Carlos Tovar, Teodoro Alcalde, César Socarraz, Alberto Baldovino, Pedro Reyes, Víctor Bielich, Juan Quispe, Segundo Castillo, Enrique Perales, Raúl Chapel, Pablo Pasache, Lolo Fernández, Adolfo Magallanes, Jorge Parró, Juan Honores, Pedro Ibañez, Arturo Fernández, Arturo Paredes, Rafael León and Feder Larios.
South American Championships
Again within the 1940s, Fernández, who was nicknamed “the Cannoneer” by the native media as a result of his aggressive model of play, was member of Peru’s nationwide squad that competed in three South American championships. However he was much less profitable in these competitions.
Between February 2 and March Four, 1941, the Peruvian contingent participated within the worldwide competitors in Santiago (Chile). It was acknowledged because the unofficial SA Cup. Peru’s 22-man roster included: Gerardo Arce, Manuel Vallejos, Vicente Arce, César Socarraz, Teodoro Fernández, Juan Quispe, Alejandro González, Leopoldo Quiñones, Juan Honores, Carlos Portal, Marcial Hurtado, Enrique Perales, Guillermo Janneau, Roberto Morales, Orestes Jordán, Pedro Magán, Adolfo Magallanes, Máximo Lobatón, and Pedro Luna.
The boys’s soccer match was marked by the presence of top-class athletes corresponding to Lolo of Peru, Obdulio Varela of Uruguay, Sergio Livingstone from Chile, and Juan Andrés Marvezzi of Argentina.
The Bolivarian champions did not deliver dwelling any medals, however Fernández scored three objectives and was ranked second to Marvezzi because the match’s most prolific scorer (sharing the consideration with José Manuel Moreno from Argentina). His homeland’s squad positioned fourth within the total classification, forward of Ecuador,within the five-team match, an occasion sponsored by the Chilean rule.
On February 9, the Peruvians had been defeated by the host nation by a slim margin (1-Zero). Shortly thereafter, Argentina gained its match in opposition to Peru 2-1. The Argentine workforce was a strong squad within the Americas and had gained two awards in 1937: The Soccer Pan American Cup in Dallas, Texas (U.S) and SA match (as a number nation). On February 23, the squad’s star striker Lolo eradicated Ecuador Four-Zero and obtained their first factors. Fernández scored three objectives. Three days later, his homeland’s workforce, nonetheless, couldn’t win their final recreation. Uruguay gained 2-Zero.The win helped avenge Uruguay’s 1939 loss to Peru.
By 1942, Fernández departed for Uruguay to attend the Latin American match (between January 10 and February 7), a yr the place Brazil was awarded the 1942 World Cup, however the occasion was cancelled. The boys’s soccer of Peru positioned a disappointing fifth on Uruguayan soil. The nationwide facet was represented by 22 gamers: Juan Quispe, Antonio Zegarra, Diego Agurto, Juan Soriano, Antonio Biffi, Leopoldo Quiñones, Alberto Delgado, Carlos Portal, Lolo Fernández, Enrique Perales, Luis Guzmán, Pablo Pasache, Teobaldo Guzmán, Tulio Obando, Juan Honores, Roberto Morales, Marcial Hurtado, Pedro Magán, Orestes Jordán, Adolfo Magallanes, Máximo Lobatón, and Pedro Luna.
Following a gap draw with Paraguay (1-1) on the XVIII South American Cup on January 18, Peru suffered defeats in opposition to Brazil (2-1) and Argentina (Three-1).Over that point, the Brazilian facet was a robust rival with a bronze medal within the 1938 world occasion after his worldwide star Leonidas da Silva (referred to as the “Black Diamond”) led Brazil to its first wins in a World Cup.
On January 28, the Peruvians dispatched Ecuador 2-1 at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium, which is the nation’s image of sport. Within the subsequent days, they’d drawn Zero-Zero with Chile after a Three-Zero loss to Uruguay within the 65,000-seater Centenario Stadium, some of the well-known of all soccer stadiums across the globe. The Celeste —Spanish for sky blue because of the colour of squad’s shirt— was all however unbeatable and it was seven-time winner of the SA Cup (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926 & 1935) (Guevara & Chaname, 1998).
Lolo and his fellow sportsmen didn’t return to the regional championships till 1947. The Andean republic missed the following two worldwide competitions (1945 & 1946).
In 1947, the Peruvian Soccer Federation despatched a Lolo Fernández-led workforce to Guayaquil (Ecuador) to take part within the worldwide meet. He and his fellow countrymen had drawn with Paraguay (2-2) and Ecuador (Zero-Zero), however there have been two losses to Chile (2-1) and Argentina (Three-2).
In entrance of over 20,000 individuals, on December 20, 1947, Fernández performed his final match on international soil at Guayaquil’s George Capwell when Peru made a tie of Zero-Zero with the host nation. He was on Peru’s South American Cup roster on the age of 34. In a while, Colombia —gold in males’s soccer on the 1946 Central American and Caribbean Video games— was outclassed by a Peruvian facet with out its star Lolo (5-1).
Within the Eight-team match, the lads’s facet ranked fifth, behind Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay,and Chile. The nation’s roster included 22 athletes: Guillermo Valdivieso, Rafael Asca, Carlos Torres, Guillermo Barbadillo, Luis Suárez, Félix Castillo, René Rosasco, Juan Castillo, Marín Reyna, Andrés da Silva, Domingo Raffo, Lolo Fernández, Enrique Perales, Carlos Gómez Sánchez, Lorenzo Pacheco, Máximo Mosquera, Alejandro González, Ernesto Morales, Luis Guzmán, Eliseo Morales, Cornelio Heredia, and Valeriano López.
Within the wake of taking part on Ecuadoran soil, Fernández not competed within the continental occasions.
Six Nationwide Championships From 1934 to 1949
Earlier than embarking on a seven-month tour of Europe, Fernández was probably the most excellent participant within the 1932 Nationwide Cup with 11 objectives. However that wasn’t sufficient to win the occasion. A complete of eight golf equipment despatched delegations: Alianza Lima, Sports activities Tabaco, Ciclista Lima, Sportive Union, Sport Progreso, Tarapacá Ferrocarril, Circolo Sportivo Italiano and Universitario.
Soccer turned a nationwide degree when the home match started within the 1920s, making it one of many oldest occasions within the historical past of Peruvian sport.
By 1933, Universitario’s newbie facet once more made the ultimate, however was runner-up and their star was high scorer for the second time in a row. Regardless of the loss, he had captured the eye of the spectators as no different sportsman when he produced 9 objectives within the males’s soccer nationwide league.
After successful expertise in European international locations, Fernández and his fellow Peruvian athletes moved again to Lima to attend the 1934 home league. The youthful Universitario facet reached the rostrum within the nation’s high soccer division (Almanaque Mundial, 1977). Alianza Lima was extraordinary crushed by the Limean squad, starting one among South America’s best derbies. AL and Lolo’s membership are arch rivals and matches between two golf equipment are known as “El Clásico” (Newton, 2011). Throughout that yr, Fernández started to make a reputation for himself within the historical past of Peru’s soccer as he was the match’s high scorer.
The 1935 occasion was an occasion with 5 soccer golf equipment. It produced a shock winner: Sport Boys. Fernández’s squad positioned third.
By 1938, Universitario gained the bronze medal. Within the subsequent yr, the Limean facet turned one of many first golf equipment of Peru to nominate a international supervisor: Jack Greenwell of the UK. Below Geenwel’s steerage, Fernández and his fellow mates earned the nationwide soccer league title with 9 wins, three attracts and two losses —improving on their third place end previously cup (Almanaque Mundial, 1977). Extraordinary, the Cañete-born athlete was the match’s dominant participant in 1939 (Witzig, 2006).
Within the wake of Fernández’s participation within the South American Cup, Universitario got here near a second successive match in 1940.
In 1941, the Lima-based membership obtained the Peruvian trophy, after a sequence of home-and-home soccer matches. The Limean squad confirmed why it was some of the highly effective golf equipment on dwelling soil. Within the finals, there have been wins over Atlético Chalaco (1-Zero) and Alianza Lima (Three-1). The championship had been postponed for some time due to Peru’s participation within the South American Cup.
Within the mid-1940s, Universitario got here the eye once they gained back-to-back nationwide championships (Witzig, 2006). After breaking his personal private document of 15 objectives in 1939, Lolo picked up a complete of 16 objectives in 1945. Curiously, these titles will be attributed to the Fernández household: Arturo, Eduardo and Lolo had been members of that workforce.
Assembling some of the highly effective groups within the historical past of Peru’s soccer, Lima’s membership earned the trophy in 1946. The important thing to the Peruvian membership was the trio of Victor Espinoza, Eduardo and Lolo Fernández. Below a brand new system of qualifying matches, the Limean facet obtained 11 wins.
Towards the top of his profession, Lolo and his membership recaptured the trophy: it defeated Atlético Chalaco Four-Three to assert the primary place within the Peruvian Championship in 1949 (Almanaque Mundial, 1977). In that yr, the membership celebrated its 25th anniversary.
A Universitario Icon
In distinction to gamers from different components of the world, Fernández was not a global participant, being one of many few footballers who had stayed with one membership (Universitario) his total athletic profession regardless of a number of affords from high golf equipment (together with Racing membership of Argentina, Peñarol of Uruguay and Colo Colo of Chile). He refused, citing his sturdy connections to Universitario. This membership is among the most-supported squads in Peru. Curiously, Lolo stays Universitario’s all-time goalscorer with 157 objectives.
Fernández, on the age of 40, retired from the world of soccer within the early 1950s throughout a sequence of exhibition matches in a stadium constructed by the nation’s head of state Manuel Odría. On August, 30, 1953, his workforce had a sensational victory over his conventional rival Alianza Lima (Four-2). Right here, Lolo scored a hat-trick, among the many most notable of his greater than 157 objectives throughout his profession with the Lima-based membership.
Earlier than an viewers of some 30,000 spectators, Fernández performed solely six minutes with Universitario throughout a recreation in opposition to Centro Iqueño, the darkest day for Peru’s soccer. His presence was symbolic in a memorable occasion at Lima’s nationwide stadium. He left the nationwide stadium to a roaring ovation.
After retiring from soccer, he labored principally with high junior soccer groups from Universitario.
After a battle with Alzheimer, on September 17, 1996, Lolo Fernández died in a Lima hospital on the age of 83. It was an incredible loss to South America’s sport.
Rivaled solely by Teófilo Cubillas, he has been the recipient of quite a few honors and awards each inside and outdoors Peru, together with a museum. The nation’s legendary Olympian was immortalized by Lorenzo Humberto Soto Mayor, who wrote a tune entitle “Lolo Fernández”, a tribute to the Peruvian footballer. On October 27, 1952, the nation’s ruler Odría conferred him the Sports activities Laurels, the very best sports activities award of Peru. Within the early 1950s, the Universitario stadium was renamed in his honor (Witzig, 2006). Inside Latin America, a number of sports-oriented magazines and Spanish-language newspapers have devoted many pages to Lolo.
Lolo Fernández died within the mid-1990s, however the legacy of this Olympic carries on. He was so superior for his time and place. A person that all the time labored with love for his homeland nation of Peru and a private hero of mine.