Alberto García Aspe

Alberto García Aspe Mena (born 11 May 1967) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Recognized for his character, discipline, and leadership, Aspe is regarded as one of the greatest Mexican footballers of all time. He is best remembered for his tenure with Pumas UNAM and later with Necaxa, during which the club experienced a remarkable era of success.

On the international stage, Aspe made 109 appearances for Mexico over a fourteen-year period, scoring 21 goals. He represented the national team at the FIFA World Cup in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Club career Aspe made his professional debut in 1984 with Pumas UNAM in a match against Puebla. He won the 1990–91 league title, with Pumas defeating Club América in the final.

In 1991, Aspe was transferred to Necaxa, where he enjoyed the most successful period of his career, winning two consecutive league titles, the Copa México, the Campeón de Campeones and the CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup.

In 1995, Aspe had a short-lived loan spell with River Plate in Argentina. He left the club without making a significant impact.

Aspe joined Club América in 1997. He occasionally served as team captain, but the club experienced limited success during his tenure.

He concluded his professional career with Puebla in 2002.

International career García Aspe's international debut came on February 21, 1989, in an impressive 2–1 victory against Guatemala. He participated in 109 matches, scoring a total of 21 goals. In addition, he played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments: 1994, 1998 and 2002. He scored once in 1994 against Bulgaria and once in 1998 against Belgium, both from penalty kicks. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, García Aspe only appeared in one game, playing twelve minutes in the Round of 16 defeat to the United States.

After retirement García Aspe was an executive of Pumas UNAM and is currently a commentator for Fox in Mexico.

Honours Pumas UNAM Mexican Primera División: 1990–91 CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1989

Necaxa Mexican Primera División: 1994–95, 1995–96 Copa México: 1994–95 Campeón de Campeones: 1995 CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup: 1994

Mexico FIFA Confederations Cup: 1999 CONCACAF Gold Cup: 1996

Career statistics International goals Scores and results list Mexico's goal tally first. Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. April 26, 1988 Estadio Marte R. Gómez, Ciudad Victoria, Mexico 3–0 4–1 Friendly 2. April 4, 1993 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador 1–0 1–2 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. April 25, 1993 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico 4–0 4–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification 4. May 2, 1993 Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras 1–0 4–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification 5. June 10, 1993 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico 2–0 3–1 Friendly 6. June 27, 1993 Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, Ecuador 1–0 4–2 1993 Copa América 7. 3–0 8. August 8, 1993 Estádio Rei Pelé, Maceió, Brazil 1–1 1–1 Friendly 9. February 2, 1994 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, United States 1–1 1–4 Friendly 10. July 5, 1994 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States 1–1 1–1 (p.s.o.) 1994 FIFA World Cup 11. June 24, 1995 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, United States 1–1 2–1 1995 U.S. Cup 12. May 18, 1996 Soldier Field, Chicago, United States 1–0 5–2 Friendly 13. 3–1 14. January 19, 1997 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States 2–0 2–0 1997 U.S. Cup 15. October 15, 1997 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico 2–0 5–0 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification 16. February 24, 1998 Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States 2–3 2–3 Friendly 17. May 9, 1998 Stadio Enzo Mazotti, Montecatini Terme, Italy 1–0 6–0 Friendly 18. May 31, 1998 Stade olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland 2–1 2–1 Friendly 19. June 20, 1998 Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux, France 1–2 2–2 1998 FIFA World Cup 20. July 25, 2001 Estadio Hernán Ramírez Villegas, Pereira, Colombia 2–1 2–1 2001 Copa América 21. September 5, 2001 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico 1–0 3–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification