José Milton Melgar

José Milton Melgar Soruco (born September 20, 1959) is a retired Bolivian football midfielder. In 2006, he was appointed by the Bolivian Government under President Evo Morales as Minister of Sports, but he resigned a year later. He currently runs his own youth football academy in his hometown.

Playing career

Club At the club level, Melgar played for Blooming, Bolívar, Oriente Petrolero and Real Santa Cruz in Bolivia, as well as Everton (VdM) and Cobreloa in Chile.

He also played in Argentina for the two giants and fierce rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate.

In addition, during his career, he also had 53 Copa Libertadores appearances with 2 goals scored.

International Melgar was capped 89 times and scored 6 international goals for Bolivia between 1980 and 1997. His tally of 89 caps was a national record until January 31, 2002, when it was broken by Marco Sandy who obtained his 90th cap in a friendly match against Brazil. Melgar played all three matches at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and his club at that time was The Strongest.

International Goals # Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 31 August 1983 Estadio El Campín, Bogotá, Colombia 2–1 2–2 Copa América 2. 20 August 1989 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 1–1 2–1 World Cup Qualifier 3. 8 August 1993 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 3–0 3–1 World Cup Qualifier 4. 22 August 1993 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 2–0 7–0 World Cup Qualifier 5. 22 August 1993 Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia 7–0 7–0 World Cup Qualifier 6. 14 May 1995 Estadio Félix Capriles, Cochabamba, Bolivia 1–1 1–1 Friendly

Managerial career

Following his retirement, Melgar pursued a managerial career. In 2000, he made his official debut as manager with Oriente Petrolero. Later in the year he also managed Blooming. In October 2002 he assumed his duties as the U-17 and U-20 national teams, but his stint was unsuccessful.

Honours