Lolo Fernandez: A Footballing Genius - A Biography

Lolo Fernandez: one in all Latin the us's maximum famous Footballers

in the course of his 12-year profession with the Peruvian aspect, among 1935 and 1947, Lolo Fernández turned into now not a international Cup player including Obdulio Varela of Uruguay and Brazil's Leonidas da Silva. in spite of all this, he's nevertheless an inspirational chief within the records of Peru's soccer. On the sphere, he did a lot to stimulate the men's soccer in all the u . s . a ., one of the most soccer-crazed locations in the world. He became very famous within the outback of Peru, from Trujillo and Ica to Puno and Cajamarca. His passion for his fatherland changed into meditated in all facets of his existence.

He commenced to play football earlier than it became a professional recreation on Peruvian soil. football --- the sector's most famous sport--- changed into imported by using Britain's expatriates inside the 2d 1/2 of the nineteenth century and is referred to as Peru's countrywide activity.

The oldest and most effective of 3 soccer-playing Fernández brothers, he --- regarded affectionately as "Lolo"--- is considered as one of the country's greatest athletes of all time, at the side of Edwin Vásquez Cam (Olympic gold medalist at the 1948 London summer season games), Cecilia Tait Villacorta (many of the world's pinnacle volleyball gamers within the beyond century), Juan Carlos "Johnny" Bello (winner of 12 Bolivarian titles within the early Nineteen Seventies), and Gabriela "Gaby" Pérez del solar (silver medal in women's volleyball on the 1988 South Korea games).

during Fernández's tenure with the countrywide aspect, the Andean republic gained one South American Cup (1939) and one Bolivarian Championship (1938). on the club stage, he earned the Peruvian League Cup --- nationwide opposition--- six instances together with his membership Universitario de Deportes, having scored a membership-document of 157 dreams --- a report that remains specific. also, he changed into the top purpose-scorer within the country's pinnacle department of football teams in 1932 (11 goals), 1933 (9), 1934 (9), 1939 (15), 1940 (15), 1942 (11), and 1945 (sixteen). moreover, he's considered one of satisfactory-acknowledged Peruvians Olympians of all time. He holds the distinction of being the first (and simplest) pinnacle participant from that kingdom to compete within the modern-day Olympiad.

Peru's First real top-elegance Athlete

since then, the apex of his profession got here inside the past due Thirties when he become the hero of Peru's South American football Confederation Cup win, placing the Peruvian flag at the carrying map and making him one of the most interesting gamers in the sport. A Lolo Fernández-inspired Peru defeated Uruguay within the gold-medal match, a wonder to most fans and sportswriters on the american mainland (Campomar, 2014, Penguin). He were called up via England's instruct Jack Greenwell. before the championship, Peru's sportsmen had in no way received a continental trophy (equivalent of the european Cup). previously, this Cañete-born footballer was a member of the 1936 Peruvian Olympic soccer team, which competed inside the Berlin Olympics. interestingly, Western Europe was the primary continent to apprehend Fernández's expertise. despite the fact that his native land's squad succumbed in a debatable recreation in opposition to Austria (a fit they have to have gained) at some stage in the guys's Olympic video games soccer match--- the unofficial world cup of soccer at that point--- he become appeared as one of the South america's most celebrated sportsmen (Hilton, 2011).

returned in Peru, he led his own "football revolution" in Universitario de Deportes, winning many top division cups, setting off a wave of explosive emotion in Lima, the state's capital. In fact, he turned into one of the first superstars of that membership. The national squad and his membership were his first loves. He ought to have performed abroad, however decided to play for the Peruvian side and the Limean membership, one of the country's most desirable clubs (Newton, 2011).

In fact, Lolo Fernández was Peru's first genuine pinnacle-class sportsman inside the global of sports activities in a time when some Spanish-speaking republics started to supply international-famous competition. Already, in 1928, Argentina's fighter Victorio Avendaño had caught the general public's attention with his Olympic gold medal in the games of the IX Olympiad in Holland's capital city of Amsterdam (Grasso, 2013). two years later, the soccer international Cup turned into received through the host usa Uruguay--- called the Celeste. meanwhile, the guys's capturing contingent of Brazil picked up a complete of three medals at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics in tiny Belgium (Almanaque Mundial, 1976). then again, on March 19, 1938, four Ecuadorans --- Ricardo Planas, Carlos Luis Gilbert, Luis Alcivar Elizalde and Abel Gilbert--- swept the gold medals on the Swimming South American match (Almanaque Guayaquil, 2003).

The life and times of Lolo Fernández

Teodoro Oswaldo Fernández Meyzán was born on may additionally 20, 1913 in San Vicente, Cañete, close to Lima, Peru's capital. He was the seventh of 8 youngsters born to Tomas Fernández Cisneros, a farm administrator, and his spouse, the former Raymunda Meyzan.

Cañete covers an area of four,577 km2 --- the size of the U.S. country of Connectiuncomplicated. It lies around 140 km from Lima. This Connecticlear-cut-size territory is blessed with a fertile land and is well-identified for its African-Peruvian tradition, cuisine, fruits and birthplace of ="hide">notable="tipsBox"> people together with Héctor Chumpitaz (footballer), Caitro Soto (musician), Enrique Verastegui (creator), and Rolando Campos (singer).

Fernández spent his early early life on a farm in Cañete. Like many Peruvian children, he have become enthusiastic about the sport of football at an early age. but no longer every person applauded that passion, among them his father.

He invested his existence in this sport due to the fact that he performed for his homeland club Huracán of Hualcará in the early Twenties. The then little-recognized player was the primary to reach to the stadium and the final to go away. In his land, he educated with a variety of depth. The workout and fresh air made him sense higher.

throughout his first appearance, he led his membership to a victory over Alianza San Vicente in a neighborhood occasion in his local Cañete. His debut couldn't were higher: he scored the winning aim. The date changed into August 30, 1923. On that occasion, his play (with out being paid a income) inspired his group-mates early on. He turned into celebrated throughout Cañete, whose human beings are addicted to soccer and different Olympic sports as canoeing, boxing, and music-and-area.

towards the quit of the Nineteen Twenties, he was allowed to depart his domestic and went to Lima to stay together with his elder brother, Arturo Fernández, who had played for Universitario de Deportes after being a member of Ciclista Lima. in this context, Lolo, as he was extra regularly recognised, changed into introduced to Universitario by way of Arturo.

in the Peruvian region, his personal lifestyles underwent some enormous modifications. Unanimously elected participant by the club's chairman Placido Galindo, Fernández signed a contract for one hundred twenty soles a month. relations among he and his new club have been ="hide">excellent="tipsBox"> and friendly because that day.

He kicked off his profession with the Lima-based membership when he made his authentic debut on November 29, 1931 during a friendly in shape against Deportes Magallanes of Chile. a few young athletes could have been intimidated in such state of affairs, but not Lolo. The Lima-based club, with a young side, changed into the winner. The Peruvian victory changed into due largely to Fernández's management. He scored the winner towards Magallanes in a 1-0 win. step by step, his skills become identified through professionals, coaches, and sportswriters in his fatherland usa. As a participant, he turned into without peer in his generation.

An Athlete In  times

Like many Latino champions together with Alberto Spencer of Ecuador (football),Mateo Flores of Guatemala (music-and-discipline) and Chino Meléndez of Nicaragua (baseball), Lolo Fernández lived in a rustic plagued through political violence, poverty, and economic problems. in spite of those hurdles, he emerged as one of Latin the usa's top athletes inside the first half of the 20 th century.

in the 1930s, his local u . s . had a document of brief-lived governments and eight conservative rulers. by 1933, Peru's army warlord Luis Sánchez Cerro turned into killed. on the identical time, competition-led demonstrations broke out in Lima in reaction to an electoral defeat (Loveman, 1999).

for the duration of the global economic crisis, the economic system fell into chaos, which become prone due to the nation's dependence on minerals and agricultural merchandise.

due to these and different motives, the u . s . a .'s sport activities have been all but disregarded by means of the governments. beneath this ecosystem, Peru became one of the ultimate countries to make its international debut inside the football South American Championship (referred to as the Copa america later), having competed for the first within the XI Cup in 1927.similarly, their athletes could not attend the summer time Olympics between 1900 and 1932. however that wasn't all. Upon competing in ="hide">great="tipsBox"> Britain in 1948, this Spanish-speakme republic did not have Olympic illustration until 1956, no matter having Pan American gold medalists ---amongst them Julia Sánchez Deza and Edwin Vásquez--- and continental champs.

Western Europe: From Spain to ="hide">great="tipsBox"> Britain

As visitors of honor, Fernández and different players from Universitario played for Alianza Lima during a excursion of Chile in 1933, collecting wins over Colo Colo, Audax Italiano, Magallanes, and Wanderers. Lolo also performed as a unique guest for a few overseas clubs such Racing membership,club Atlético Banfield, and Colo Colo.

among 1933 and 1934, Fernández went as a member of a Peruvian-Chilean contingent ---composed of sportsmen from Alianza Lima, Colo Colo, Atlético Chalaco and Universitario-- to Western Europe, where he played 33 men's soccer fits (compiling eleven wins, eleven draws and 11 losses) towards 7339ff1fc90882f8f31ca1efdd2ac191 squads from Spain, Germany and the UK, along with Bayern Munich, Newcastle and Barcelona--- his first time outside of Latin the usa (Witzig, 2006). right here, he earned the honour of fans and competitors. Lolo's performance on the european excursion changed into dazzling: notwithstanding his loss of global experience, he amassed a report of forty eight desires!

Berlin: 1936 summer Olympics

After many barriers, the Peruvian Olympic team, that blanketed future South American champion Lolo, made a quick however ancient experience to Germany to wait the 1936 summer season games. It turned into the first time in Olympic history that Peru had sent an athletic contingent to the summer time video games. The nation's sports officials brought an all-male crew to Berlin, with Peruvians competing in aquatics, athletics, diving, basketball, biking, fencing, current pentathlon, capturing, and soccer.

There were 22 football players and they were Juan Valdivieso Padilla, Alejandro Villanueva, José Morales, Adelfo Magallanes, Víctor Lavalle, Enrique Landa, Eulogio García, Carlos Tovar, Orestes Jordán, Teodoro Fernández, Arturo Fernández, Andrés Alvarez, Arturo Paredes, Segundo Castillo, Teodoro Alcalde, Jorge Alcalde, Miguel Pacheco, Carlos Portal, Raúl Chappel, Pedro Ibañez, Guillermo Pardo, and Víctor Marchena. those gamers made up the united states of america's largest delegation in Berlin.

The Lolo's squad was the primary Peruvian crew in the Olympic team sports records. Scoring five dreams in a 7-2 victory over the Nordic country of Finland, Fernández played considered one of his most memorable suits (Campomar, 2014). virtually, he become a genius on the sphere. ultimately, they beat Austria (it expected to complete within the pinnacle four in those games). but it wasn't a 665ffa919c35bfa66744e335c03b7855 victory for the Latin American republic (Witzig, 2006).

inside the 2nd time, Peru came lower back and gained its healthy 4-2 after dropping to Austria 2-0 within the first time in one of the most controversial games inside the history of soccer (Mandell, 1971). although, the Austrian delegation refused to apprehend this triumph (Risolo, 2010). They stated that Europe's footballers have been threatened by means of Peru's attackers at some stage in the Olympic in shape (Murray & Murray, 1998).

under strain from Austria, the international Federation of affiliation football (FIFA) pledged to maintain other match (Campomar, 2014).

however the Peruvian dictatorship didn't allow their countrymen to compete once more. In an try to try to benefit popularity inside Peru, the kingdom's strongman Oscar Raimundo Benavides compelled the Peruvian Olympic Committee to comply with withdraw its delegation from the 1936 Berlin games (Walters, 2012). despite everything, Fernández became the second pinnacle scorer inside the Olympic tournament with 5 goals, along Norway's sportsman Arne Brustad. A yr earlier, Lolo earned his first cap for Peru.

The tournament changed into gained by using Italy and was accompanied via Austria (silver medal), Poland (bronze), Norway (4th), ="hide">great="tipsBox"> Britain (fifth),Germany (6th), Peru (seventh), Japan (eighth), Sweden (9th), america (tenth), Taiwan (eleventh), Egypt (twelfth), Hungary (thirteenth), Turkey (14th), Finland (15th) and Luxembourg (ultimate).

whilst the Olympian delegation arrived back in Lima, they were declared "national heroes" (El Comercio, 2009). inside the next 12 months, he married Elvira Fernández Meyer and had  children: Marina and Teodoro.

Lolo and the primary Bolivarian video games

no matter missing the XI Olympiad in the German capital of Berlin, Fernández worked relentlessly to participate inside the Olympic-kind Bolivarian video games. the primary Bolivarian sports activities video games (one of the oldest multi-recreation video games of its kind) had been held in Colombia's capital of Bogota in 1938. At that year, all Limeans have been stressful to peer a countrywide victory. happily, there had been true news. Fernández captained the Bolivarian winners by way of capturing the gold medal, imparting a moment of enjoy for Peru's populace.

The 1938 guys's squad become the heavy gold medal favorite on Colombian soil. The victory turned into scored over squads from Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and the host state. This accomplishment became more than any formerly done with the aid of the country wide squads. Ecuador turned into bronze and Bolivia received the silver medal.

earlier than and after the occasion, Fernández ---his first global identify outdoor his very own land--- added his energy and ardour to the country wide team.

Peru kicked off its campaign at Bogota's Universitario Stadium,on August 8, when they beat Colombia 4-2 with desires of Pedro Ibañez (2), Lolo (1) and Teodoro Alcalde (1). In its 2d Bolivarian match, the Andean us of a slaughtered Ecuador nine-1 in a outstanding display of soccer--- largest margin of victory within the history of Peru's soccer crew. The high-quality player became Alcalde (four dreams). On August 14, Peru blanked Bolivia 3-zero. Lolo changed into the pivot of that game with  goals. This ="hide">remarkable="tipsBox"> athlete knew what he needed to do to win the suit.

On August 17,Venezuela turned into removed from the games after dropping to Peru 2-1. earlier than the Peruvian delegation left the stadium, they acquired a status ovation.

Why one among Latin the united states's finest gamers in no way Play inside the FIFA international Cup?

amongst Latin the us's greatest gamers at some stage in the primary half of of the 20th century, Fernández become the best one by no means to have regarded in a international Cup. There are distinct reasons why he could not compete within the international sporting occasion in the late Nineteen Thirties and the Forties. In 1938, the III global Cup changed into overshadowed by way of an Argentina-led boycott that become accompanied by means of almost all South American republics ( Reyna & Woitalla,2004). officially, Peru did no longer take part inside the global boycott, but it declined to ship a delegation. SA boycotted that tumbler in reaction to "Eurocentric coverage" of FIFA. Europeans had hosted the closing event and the subsequent was scheduled to be held in France in that 12 months. inside the following decade, the arena of sports activities became tough hit by international battle II and the international events had been canceled.

Lima: 1939 South American Championship

The yr of 1939 saw a brand new hero in Latin the us's game. A son of Cañete attracted admiration whilst he led Peru to win the (XV) South American Championship for the first time following a win against Uruguay, one of the powerhouses in the international of soccer because the 1910s. 4 years in the past, the country wide facet didn't make the semis in the regional occasion at home. In 1937, Peru completed at the lowest of the six-crew match.

The 1939 national aspect claimed the primary area to defeat Uruguay 2-1 in the finals. It become a proud day for Peru. The us of a, under British educate Greenwell become a domestic grown champion (Campomar, 2014, Penguin). On paper, Uruguay's historical past made it a sturdy opponent ---3 global Championships from 1924 to 1930, which include two golds inside the contemporary Olympics.

It become pleasurable to look the progress that had made the country wide aspect, who had been underdogs from the begin. thanks to this win, Peru have become the 4 nation within the continent to win that occasion (after Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina), nicely in advance of Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

Fernández turned into the hero within the Continental Cup on his domestic soil--- his 2nd foremost international trophy. as well as prevailing the most precious player trophy, the Cañete-born striker become the pinnacle scorer.

The continental winners were Juan Humberto Valdivieso, Jorge Alcalde, Carlos Tovar, Teodoro Alcalde, César Socarraz, Alberto Baldovino, Pedro Reyes, Víctor Bielich, Juan Quispe, Segundo Castillo, Enrique Perales, Raúl Chapel, Pablo Pasache, Lolo Fernández, Adolfo Magallanes, Jorge Parró, Juan Honores, Pedro Ibañez, Arturo Fernández, Arturo Paredes, Rafael León and Feder Larios.

South American Championships

back within the Forties, Fernández, who become nicknamed "the Cannoneer" by the neighborhood media because of his aggressive fashion of play, turned into member of Peru's countrywide squad that competed in three South American championships. however he changed into much less a success in those competitions.

among February 2 and March four, 1941, the Peruvian contingent participated within the international competition in Santiago (Chile). It turned into recognized as the unofficial SA Cup. Peru's 22-guy roster covered: Gerardo Arce, Manuel Vallejos, Vicente Arce, César Socarraz, Teodoro Fernández, Juan Quispe, Alejandro González, Leopoldo Quiñones, Juan Honores, Carlos Portal, Marcial Hurtado, Enrique Perales, Guillermo Janneau, Roberto Morales, Orestes Jordán, Pedro magazineán, Adolfo Magallanes, Máximo Lobatón, and Pedro Luna.

The guys's soccer match was marked by using the presence of top-class athletes together with Lolo of Peru, Obdulio Varela of Uruguay, Sergio Livingstone from Chile, and Juan Andrés Marvezzi of Argentina.

The Bolivarian champions failed to convey home any medals, however Fernández scored 3 goals and was ranked 2nd to Marvezzi as the match's maximum prolific scorer (sharing the honor with José Manuel Moreno from Argentina). His place of origin's squad positioned fourth within the usual category, beforehand of Ecuador,inside the five-group event, an occasion backed by way of the Chilean rule.

On February nine, the Peruvians have been defeated through the host country with the aid of a narrow margin (1-zero). shortly thereafter, Argentina won its healthy towards Peru 2-1. The Argentine group was a powerful squad within the Americas and had won two awards in 1937: The soccer Pan American Cup in Dallas, Texas (U.S) and SA match (as a host united states). On February 23, the squad's big name striker Lolo eliminated Ecuador 4-zero and received their first points. Fernández scored three goals. three days later, his place of birth's group, however, could not win their final sport. Uruguay gained 2-zero.The win helped avenge Uruguay's 1939 loss to Peru.

by using 1942, Fernández departed for Uruguay to wait the Latin American event (among January 10 and February 7), a yr wherein Brazil was offered the 1942 world Cup, however the occasion was cancelled. The men's soccer of Peru located a disappointing 5th on Uruguayan soil. The country wide aspect turned into represented through 22 players: Juan Quispe, Antonio Zegarra, Diego Agurto, Juan Soriano, Antonio Biffi, Leopoldo Quiñones, Alberto Delgado, Carlos Portal, Lolo Fernández, Enrique Perales, Luis Guzmán, Pablo Pasache, Teobaldo Guzmán, Tulio Obando, Juan Honores, Roberto Morales, Marcial Hurtado, Pedro magazineán, Orestes Jordán, Adolfo Magallanes, Máximo Lobatón, and Pedro Luna.

Following an opening draw with Paraguay (1-1) at the XVIII South American Cup on January 18, Peru suffered defeats in opposition to Brazil (2-1) and Argentina (three-1).Over that time, the Brazilian side became a sturdy rival with a bronze medal within the 1938 worldwide event after his worldwide celebrity Leonidas da Silva (known as the "Black Diamond") led Brazil to its first wins in a international Cup.

On January 28, the Peruvians dispatched Ecuador 2-1 at Montevideo's Centenario Stadium, that's the kingdom's image of sport. inside the next days, that they had drawn 0-zero with Chile after a three-zero loss to Uruguay inside the 65,000-seater Centenario Stadium, one of the most well-known of all football stadiums around the world. The Celeste ---Spanish for sky blue due to the shade of squad's blouse--- changed into all but unbeatable and it was seven-time winner of the SA Cup (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926 & 1935) (Guevara & Chaname, 1998).

Lolo and his fellow sportsmen did not go back to the regional championships till 1947. The Andean republic ignored the following two worldwide competitions (1945 & 1946).

In 1947, the Peruvian soccer Federation sent a Lolo Fernández-led team to Guayaquil (Ecuador) to take part within the international meet. He and his fellow countrymen had drawn with Paraguay (2-2) and Ecuador (0-zero), but there had been  losses to Chile (2-1) and Argentina (3-2).

In front of over 20,000 folks, on December 20, 1947, Fernández played his last match on foreign soil at Guayaquil's George Capwell whilst Peru made a tie of zero-zero with the host country. He became on Peru's South American Cup roster on the age of 34. in a while, Colombia ---gold in men's football at the 1946 significant American and Caribbean games--- became outbested with the aid of a Peruvian facet without its famous person Lolo (5-1).

inside the eight-crew match, the guys's aspect ranked 5th, behind Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay,and Chile. The country's roster included 22 athletes: Guillermo Valdivieso, Rafael Asca, Carlos Torres, Guillermo Barbadillo, Luis Suárez, Félix Castillo, René Rosasco, Juan Castillo, Marín Reyna, Andrés da Silva, Domingo Raffo, Lolo Fernández, Enrique Perales, Carlos Gómez Sánchez, Lorenzo Pacheco, Máximo Mosquera, Alejandro González, Ernesto Morales, Luis Guzmán, Eliseo Morales, Cornelio Heredia, and Valeriano López.

within the wake of collaborating on Ecuadoran soil, Fernández now not competed in the continental events.

Six country wide Championships From 1934 to 1949

earlier than embarking on a seven-month excursion of Europe, Fernández become the most ="hide">outstanding="tipsBox"> player within the 1932 countrywide Cup with 11 desires. but that wasn't sufficient to win the occasion. a complete of 8 clubs despatched delegations: Alianza Lima, sports activities Tabaco, Ciclista Lima, Sportive Union, game Progreso, Tarapacá Ferrocarril, Circolo Sportivo Italiano and Universitario.

football became a countrywide level whilst the domestic tournament started inside the 1920s, making it one of the oldest events within the history of Peruvian sport.

with the aid of 1933, Universitario's newbie facet again made the final, but become runner-up and their big name changed into pinnacle scorer for the second time in a row. in spite of the loss, he had captured the eye of the spectators as no other sportsman when he produced 9 goals inside the men's soccer country wide league.

After winning revel in in ecu countries, Fernández and his fellow Peruvian athletes moved again to Lima to attend the 1934 domestic league. The youthful Universitario side reached the rostrum within the united states of america's top soccer division (Almanaque Mundial, 1977). Alianza Lima turned into ="hide">extraordinary="tipsBox"> beaten by the Limean squad, starting one in all South america's greatest derbies. AL and Lolo's club are arch competitors and matches between  clubs are called "El Clásico" (Newton, 2011). throughout that year, Fernández started to make a call for himself within the history of Peru's football as he become the tournament's top scorer.

The 1935 occasion was an event with five soccer golf equipment. It produced a marvel winner: sport Boys. Fernández's squad positioned third.

by 1938, Universitario received the bronze medal. within the subsequent 12 months, the Limean side have become one of the first golf equipment of Peru to appoint a overseas supervisor: Jack Greenwell of the UK. under Geenwel's steerage, Fernández and his fellow buddies earned the national football league name with nine wins, 3 attracts and two losses ---enhancing on their third location end in the past cup (Almanaque Mundial, 1977). ="hide">extraordinary="tipsBox">, the Cañete-born athlete changed into the tournament's dominant participant in 1939 (Witzig, 2006).

within the wake of Fernández's participation in the South American Cup, Universitario got here close to a second successive tournament in 1940.

In 1941, the Lima-based club acquired the Peruvian trophy, after a chain of home-and-domestic soccer matches. The Limean squad showed why it become one of the maximum effective clubs on home soil. inside the finals, there had been wins over Atlético Chalaco (1-0) and Alianza Lima (three-1). The championship have been postponed for a while due to Peru's participation in the South American Cup.

inside the mid-Forties, Universitario got here the eye once they gained returned-to-again national championships (Witzig, 2006). After breaking his personal private document of 15 goals in 1939, Lolo picked up a total of sixteen dreams in 1945. curiously, these titles may be attributed to the Fernández family: Arturo, Eduardo and Lolo have been participants of that crew.

Assembling one of the most effective teams in the history of Peru's soccer, Lima's membership earned the trophy in 1946. the important thing to the Peruvian membership turned into the trio of Victor Espinoza, Eduardo and Lolo Fernández. under a new system of qualifying fits, the Limean aspect acquired eleven wins.

closer to the quit of his career, Lolo and his club recaptured the trophy: it defeated Atlético Chalaco four-3 to claim the first region in the Peruvian Championship in 1949 (Almanaque Mundial, 1977). In that yr, the membership celebrated its 25th anniversary.

A Universitario Icon

In assessment to players from other elements of the world, Fernández was no longer an international participant, being one of the few footballers who had stayed with one club (Universitario) his complete athletic career no matter numerous offers from pinnacle clubs (including Racing club of Argentina, Peñarol of Uruguay and Colo Colo of Chile). He refused, citing his strong connections to Universitario. This membership is one of the most-supported squads in Peru. apparently, Lolo remains Universitario's all-time goalscorer with 157 goals.

Fernández, on the age of forty, retired from the world of football in the early Nineteen Fifties for the duration of a series of exhibition fits in a stadium constructed by using the us of a's head of state Manuel Odría. On August, 30, 1953, his crew had a sensational victory over his conventional rival Alianza Lima (4-2). right here, Lolo scored a hat-trick, most of the most ="hide">notable="tipsBox"> of his extra than 157 dreams at some point of his career with the Lima-primarily based membership.

before an target audience of some 30,000 spectators, Fernández played most effective six minutes with Universitario during a sport in opposition to Centro Iqueño, the darkest day for Peru's soccer. His presence become symbolic in a memorable event at Lima's country wide stadium. He left the country wide stadium to a roaring ovation.

After retiring from soccer, he worked more often than not with pinnacle junior soccer groups from Universitario.

After a war with Alzheimer, on September 17, 1996, Lolo Fernández died in a Lima health facility at the age of eighty three. It was a ="hide">great="tipsBox"> loss to South the us's game.

Rivaled handiest by means of Teófilo Cubillas, he has been the recipient of severa honors and awards each within and outside Peru, consisting of a museum. The country's legendary Olympian changed into immortalized via Lorenzo Humberto Soto Mayor, who wrote a music entitle "Lolo Fernández", a tribute to the Peruvian footballer. On October 27, 1952, the u . s . a .'s ruler Odría conferred him the sports Laurels, the very best sports award of Peru. inside the early 1950s, the Universitario stadium become renamed in his honor (Witzig, 2006). inside Latin the usa, numerous sports activities-orientated magazines and Spanish-language newspapers have dedicated many pages to Lolo.

Lolo Fernández died within the mid-1990s, but the legacy of this Olympic contains on. He changed into so advanced for his time and place. a man that always labored with love for his hometown u . s . of Peru and a personal hero of mine.