Mexican soccer was filled with mourning this Tuesday after the death of 93 of Antonio ‘La Tota’ Carbajal, one of the most iconic players in the country’s history and the only survivor of the Aztec team that took part in the 1950 World Cup.
The former Real España and Club León goalkeeper was hospitalized in Mexico due to severe blood pressure problems; despite the efforts of the medical team that attended to him to treat his delicate state of health, the former player died in the city of León in Guanajuato.
La Tota’ Carbajal is remembered for having become the first player to play in a total of five World Cups with the Mexican National Team, in addition to being the only surviving member of the team that played in the historic 1950 World Cup.
Carbajal, known as the “Cinco Copas” (Five Cups), began his career with Club Oviedo in 1942. He was later sold to Real España, where he made his professional debut in 1948.
The team he loved was precisely León, an institution he joined in 1950 and remained with until 1966; in that team, he not only earned the option of playing for the Mexican National Team but also became one of the most representative figures in the history of this institution.
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In addition to being in five World Cups, the goalkeeper was once in the sights of Real Madrid and was a friend of singer José Alfredo Jiménez, with whom he used to hang out in the streets of León, Guanajuato, in his youth.
The famous former goalkeeper from Leon, Guanajuato, learned that becoming a good human being is above everything else, and the ‘Cinco Copas’ is still focused on stopping, not the shots of a rival striker, but the problems and injustices that attack the children and youngsters of the Rehabilitation Center La Búsqueda, which he directed for more than two decades in his hometown.
One of them is Antonio ‘La Tota’ Carbajal, who was the first player to play in five World Cups and passed away on May 9.
His family is still planning where he will rest after his death on May 9, 2023, at 93.