Martín Alarcón

Alarcón in the jersey of America FC, 1955
Commemorative stamp of Paraguay featuring a side of 1952 or 1953. Alarcón is third from left in the front row.[1]

Martín Carlos Alarcón, in Brazil often just Alarcón, born 25 December 1928 in Formosa, Argentina, was an association football player.

It is reported, that the short, skillful and very speedy attacker commenced his career in 1945 at the lowly Club Sportivo Patria in his hometown. Several years later the Paraguayan national team coach Manuel Fleitas Solich helped him to a contracted with Club Libertad in the capital Asunción.

In 1951, he returned to Argentina to play for the top club CA River Plate in Buenos Aires, where he had little success competing with players like Angel Labruna, Felix Loustau and Walter Gomez for an attacker position.[2] Thus, in 1952 he took the opportunity to play again for Libertad. After competing without much success in the Copa Rio of 1952 Libertad went on to become runner-up in the national championship. In 1953 Libertad became again runner up in the championship, and players from the club made up the majority of the Paraguayan national team that in the same year won for the first time the South American Championship.[1]

In 1954 Martín Alarcón moved to Brazil, where he joined America FC in Rio de Janeiro, coached by Martim Francisco, who is credited with introducing the 4-2-4-system. Alongside players like Leônidas da Silva, the ageing top scorer of the 1938 World Cup, and Canário, who would later win titles with Real Madrid, he reached in 1954 and 1955 the second place in the Championship of Rio de Janeiro, on both occasions behind CR Flamengo. In the best of three series for the title 1955 America lost the first match to Flamengo 0–1 and won the second one 5–1. In the decisive match on 6 April 1956 in the Maracanã Stadium in front of almost 140,000 spectators – record crowd to a match with America – Alarcón had to leave the field injured early in the first halftime after an attack by Flamengo defender Tomires. Substitutions were not allowed then and the balance of the match swung to Flamengo, then coached by Fleitas Solich, which won eventually 4–1 and thus attained its third consecutive title.

Alarcón, who is sometimes considered the top player of this era of America FC, had two more good years with the club in 1956 and 1957, in the latter year scoring 14 goals in the Rio-Championship, his highest tally ever. However, America had to make do with the 5th and 6th places. From mid-1958 forward Alarcón only received little if any playing time. Eventually, early 1960, the year when America would win its seventh and hitherto last Rio-Championship, Alarcón left the club.

In January 1960 he joined CD Los Millonarios in the Colombian capital Bogotá. With the club he won under the legendary coach Gabriel Ochoa Uribe the championships on 1961 and 1962.[3][4]

Career summary

Clubs
Honours

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 The image on the stamp does not actually depict the championship winning team of 1955, but rather a side of Libertad from 1952 or 1953, which was runner up in the championship. The image depicts standing: Víctor Vega (coach), Marcelino Vargas, Manuel Gavilán, Florentino Arrúa, Ireneo Hermosilla, Robustiano Maciel, Higinio Benítez Pavetti, "Papi" Corrales (manager ?). Front: unknown person, Máximo "Chimo" Rolón, Martín Alarcón, Eulogio "Kokito" Martínez, Salvador Villalba, Rogelio Bedoya. (per Libertad, El grito sagrado (7): Campeón 1955, ABC Color, 9 August 2005.)
  2. ↑ Plantel de River - 1951, El feo Labruna (per 2 April 2014).
  3. ↑ Formalizado Traspaso de Pizarro para Millos, El Tiempo, Bogotá, 16 January 1960, p. 12.
  4. ↑ Frank Ballesteros: Colombia - Championship Winning Teams 1948-2000, Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, 16 February 2001.
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