The legacy of
impressive Mexican strikers, born out of
Hugo Sanchez' foot, had its torch picked up by another resonating name
in
Mexico's soccer history: Jared Borgetti. Borgetti is one of the most
efficient
strikers Mexico ever produced and despite the fact that he's still
playing
soccer at the highest level, he is already legendary in his country.
Not only did he manage to become Mexico's all time top
scorer with 43 goals, he's also one of the most successful
goal scorers
in the
history of the Mexican league, with approximately 240 goals in 420
matches. The
Mexican's career was tainted with silverware and awards and I'm
planning to
cover it all in the following Jared Borgetti biography.
Full
name
Rafael
Marquez Alvarez
Date
of birth
August
14, 1973
Place
of birth
Culiacancito,
Sinaloa, Mexico
Height
6.0FT
- 1.83M
Playing
position
Striker
Jared
Borgetti Biography – Early Career
Born in a small town near Culiacan, Borgetti started
playing soccer at an early age and was spotted by one of the major
clubs in
Guadalajara, CF Atlas. Admittedly, Atlas isn't the best club in town,
with only
one league championship in its trophy room.
However, it's always been known as
trampoline for great Mexican soccer players, being the launching pad of
names
such as Rafael Marquez, Daniel Osorno, Pavel Pardo or Dario Franco.
In 1994, finally being offered a contract as a professional
soccer player, Jared Borgetti debuted without too much
thunder, in
a 1-3 loss against league contenders America. Despite winning a place
in the
first team at Atlas, this wasn't a club that could clench a talented
and
ambitious young player's thirst for trophies. So in 1996, after two
seasons
with Atlas, he moved to Santos Laguna.
Jared Borgetti Biography
– Santos Laguna
His move to Santos Laguna proved to be one of the most
important moments in the Mexican striker's career, as he was now
playing for a
team that could battle for the league trophy and at the same time
offering him
the chance to be taken on to the Mexican national side.
Season
Club
Games
Goals
1994-1996
CF
Atlas
63
21
1997-2004
Santos
Laguna
295
189
2004
Dorados
de Sinaloa
14
8
2005
Pachuca
15
8
2005-2006
Bolton
Wanderers
19
2
2006
Al-Ittihad
15
10
2007
Cruz
Azul
19
5
Last
Update - Sep 21, 2007
Domestic League Only
His first international cap came in 1997 in a match
against Ecuador, but despite the fact that he will soon become a
prolific
striker for Santos Laguna in the Mexican league, Jared Borgetti will
find it
difficult to gain a regular first team spot in the national side until
3 years
later.
But getting back to Santos Laguna, Borgetti managed to
adapt quickly and soon became firing up the fans with his performances.
During
the 7 seasons he spent at Santos Laguna, the striker scored no less
than 189
goals in 295 matches, becoming top league goal scorer three
times.
He managed
to win the league title
twice with Santos and had his best year in
2000, a year
in which he was named Mexican Footballer of the Year. He would also
consolidate a place in the first team of his
national side around that time, as the Mexican team started the
qualifying
campaign for the 2002 World Cup.
Jared
Borgetti Biography – Wandering the World
In 2004, aged 31, Jared Borgetti was a footballer that had
most of his dreams fulfilled with Santos Laguna, so he decided to move
to his
hometown team, Dorados de Sinaloa. After one season, he moved to
another
Mexican team, Pachuca, before finally getting his big break: the move
to
Europe.
Playing in Europe is the dream of every South and Central
American soccer player, Jared Borgetti being no different. Despite
already
being past his peak, the offer from Premiership side Bolton Wanderers
seemed
like a new start. He was the first Mexican footballer to play in the
Premiership and despite the fact that his stay at Bolton was short, he
made
some impact.
Years
National
Team
Games
Goals
1997-
Mexico
87
43
Last
Update - Sep 21, 2007
His career with the English side was short lived though
and in 2006, in a cup match, Borgetti was replaced by goalkeeper Sam
Ashton, as
part of a "late Christmas gift" for the young keeper from the team's
coach.
That was the final drop for Borgetti, who wandered half the globe for a
new
team, finding an open position with Al-Ittihad.
Fifteen matches later, the cultural change proved to be
too difficult and Borgetti decided to move back to the Mexican
league, to
Cruz Azul, where he hopes to end his career. Although officially
retiring from
the Mexican national squad after the 2006 World Cup, Borgetti said that
he
would love to play
in one more tournament with "El Tricolor", hopefully
in the
Confederations Cup.
