Luis de la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente y Hoyos (17 January 1914 – 28 May 1972) was a Mexican professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Nicknamed "The Pirate", de la Fuente is considered one of the best Mexican—and North American—midfielders of all time, having being named to the IFFHS World Team for CONCACAF in 2021.

Early life Born in Veracruz in 1914, de la Fuente was the first of four children of a father from Asturias and a mother from Santander Province, Spain. Shortly after he was born, de la Fuente's parents fled Veracruz after the United States seized the port city. The family would return to Veracruz but de la Fuente's father died when he was still young. His mother sent him to live with relatives in Santander for his primary education, but at age 10 he returned to his mother who sent him to study in Tacubaya, Mexico City where he would first play organized football.

The director of local side C.F. Aurrerá noticed de la Fuente's emerging football talent and eventually he dropped out of school to sign with the club.

Career At the age of 15, de la Fuente made his competitive debut for Aurrerá in a 1929 cup match against Club Necaxa. He played for the club in the Primera Fuerza for two seasons, then joined Real Club España for the 1932–33 season. The following season, De la Fuente helped España win the championship.

De la Fuente's performances earned him a place on the Mexico national team at the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds. The team was eliminated after losing to the United States in the last round of qualifiers, after which it embarked on a European tour where de la Fuente started in a set of club friendlies. He played for Atlético Corrales for over a year and then signed for Vélez Sarsfield from Argentina before returning to Mexico to play for Marte.

Finally, in 1943, he signed with his native state team Tiburones Rojos of CD Veracruz. At CD Veracruz he was part of the team that won two Primera División de México championships in 1945 and 1949. De la Fuente was the first Mexican-born person to play in four countries (Mexico, Spain, Paraguay and Argentina).

De La Fuente retired on June 13, 1954.

Personal life and death

De la Fuente died in 1972 of a heart attack and is buried in Veracruz, facing the Estadio Luis "Pirata" Fuente which carries his name.

Career statistics

International No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 10 February 1938 Panama City, Panama 2–1 3–1 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games 2. 18 February 1938 Panama City, Panama 1–0 6–01938 Central American and Caribbean Games 3. 20 February 1938 Panama City, Panama 1–0 2–21938 Central American and Caribbean Games 4. 4 September 1946 Mexico City, Mexico 3–0 6–0 1950 FIFA World Cup qualification 5. 4–0 6. 5–0 7. 18 September 1946 Mexico City, Mexico 4–0 5–21950 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Individual IFFHS CONCACAF Men's Team of All Time: 2021 IFFHS Men's All Time Mexico Dream Team