Manuel Negrete

Lore & Background

Negrete became a professional football player in 1980 with Pumas. His style of play gave him instant recognition among Mexican soccer fans, with Negrete becoming a household name quickly. After the 1986 World Cup, Negrete continued playing in the Mexican Football League, and then reached the European soccer leagues by joining Sporting CP in Portugal and then moving to Sporting Gijón in Spain. At the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Negrete participated in five games and scored one goal in the round of 16 against Bulgaria in the 35th minute, the first of a 2–0 win.

The goal has been described as one of the most spectacular in World Cup history by many football fans and journalists which, in April 2018, voted it in FIFA's website as the World Cup's greatest goal. Negrete received a high ball outside the penalty area, controlled it, let the ball bounce once on the ground and combined with Javier Aguirre; the latter returned the ball on the first touch, while keeping it on the air, and Negrete shot it on a scissor kick into the bottom right corner of goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov.

Reader's Guide

Negrete has led a more quiet life in Mexico since he retired from playing. He worked as coach of the Pumas youth teams, and later went to Club León as an assistant coach. He became head coach after the firing/resignation of Mario Alberto Garcia.