Full name Manuel Negrete Arias Name Manuel Arias Playing position Role Footballer | Years Team Position Midfielder 1979–1986 UNAM | |
 | ||
Date of birth (1959-03-11) March 11, 1959 (age 56) Place of birth Ciudad Altamirano, Mexico | ||
Entrevista Manu y Manuel Negrete
Manuel Negrete Arias (born March 11, 1959) is a Mexican former footballer and manager, who became famous for scoring one of the most spectacular goals of the 1986 World Cup.
Contents
Club career
Negrete became a professional football player in 1980 with Club Universidad Nacional of Mexico, also known as Pumas. His style of play gave him instant recognition among Mexican soccer fans, with Negrete becoming a household name quickly. After the 1986 World Cup, Negrete continued playing in the Mexican Football League, and then reached the European soccer leagues by joining Sporting Lisbon in Portugal and then moving to Sporting de Gijón in Spain.
International career
In the 1986 World Cup finals, Negrete participated in five games and scored one goal in the round of 16 against Bulgaria in the 35th minute, the first of a 2-0 win. The goal has been described as one of the most spectacular in World Cup history by many football fans and journalists. Negrete received a high ball outside the penalty area, controlled it, let the ball bounce once on the ground and combined with Javier Aguirre; the latter returned the ball on the first touch, while keeping it on the air, and Negrete shot it on a scissor kick into the bottom left corner of goalkeeper Borislav Mikhailov. Mexico repeated their best result at a World Cup during that tournament, reaching the quarterfinals for the second time (a feat they accomplished first at the 1970 World Cup, also hosted by Mexico).
Post-playing career
Negrete has led a more quiet life in Mexico since he retired from playing. He worked as coach of the UNAM Pumas youth teams, and later went to Club León as an assistant coach. He became head coach after the firing/resignation of Mario Alberto Garcia.