Javier Luciano Margas Loyola (born 10 May 1969) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Club career
Colo-Colo
Margas was born in
Santiago de Chile
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, who ...
. He experienced the most successful period in his career with his first club
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has pla ...
, where he was part of four league championship winning squads. He was also part of the club's first
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
win in 1991, and also won two other international tournaments.
Club América
In 1996 Margas joined Club América in Mexico but didn't settle, returning to Chile in 1997.
Universidad Católica
Margas then joined Universidad Católica, where he was part of the squad that won the 1997 Apertura.
West Ham United
Margas' last years as a player were spent with West Ham United. He scored once during his spell with West Ham, in a 5–0 win over Coventry City in April 2000. In 2001, Margas gained notoriety for disappearing from England without a trace and many weeks passed before he was found in his home country, having effectively retired from football.
International career
Margas played 63 times for the
Chile national team
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
. He played in Chile's four games at the
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for th ...
.
Personal life
Margas was famous for dyeing his hair in different colours and shapes (most notably with the Chilean flag colours).
Since retiring from football, Margas has worked as a youth coach at Colo-Colo, appeared on a reality TV show called ''Expedición Robinson'', ran his own business, and bought former dictator
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...
's armoured car.
His daughter, Catalina, was a Chile international footballer at under-17 level and took part in the
2008 South American U-17 Women's Championship
The 2008 South American Under-17 Women's Championship was the inaugural edition of the South American Under-17 Women's Championship. It was held from 12 to 30 January 2008 in Melipilla, Peñalolén and Villarrica, Chile.Santiago Wanderers youth system and was called up to the first team in May 2023 at the age of seventeen.
Career statistics
:''Scores and results list Chile's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Margas goal.''
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...
,
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
:
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...
*
Recopa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club football competition organized by CO ...
:
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...