José Sanfilippo

Lore & Background

Sanfilippo was born in Buenos Aires on 4 May 1935. He scored his first league goal for San Lorenzo on 21 November 1953 against Banfield, and went on to score 192 league goals for them up to 1962. In 1963, he moved to Boca Juniors, although in 1964 he was dismissed from the club following a disciplinary incident in a match against his former club, San Lorenzo. He joined Uruguayan side Nacional in 1964, after the first round of the Copa Libertadores. He scored against Colo Colo in the only Copa match he played for the club, before getting injured in a friendly match. As of 2026, Sanfilippo was the ninth-highest-scoring player in Argentine football.

In Their Own Story

The air at La Bombonera hung thick with anticipation, the concrete walls vibrating under a wall of blue-and-gold noise. Then came the chant: '¡San-fil-ip-po!' El Nene stood over the ball, head bowed, eyes locked on the goal he knew by heart. A defender lunged; Sanfilippo didn't panic. With a flicker of movement that left the opponent grasping at smoke, he unleashed a shot so precise it seemed to defy physics. The net rippled before the crowd even finished their roar, a singular moment where time froze and pure ecstasy flooded the stadium.

Reader's Guide

Sanfilippo played for the Argentina national team in the 1958 FIFA World Cup and the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He died on 4 June 2026, at the age of 91.

Did You Know?

• Sanfilippo scored 192 league goals for San Lorenzo between 1953 and 1962.
• He was dismissed from Boca Juniors in 1964 after a disciplinary incident against San Lorenzo.
• He scored in his only Copa Libertadores match for Nacional, against Colo Colo.
• Sanfilippo was the Argentine Primera División top scorer four times: 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1961.