Mario Cordero Brenes (7 April 1930 – 10 July 2002) was a Costa Rican football player and coach; he is still considered in his country as one of the top

defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: *Defense (military) *Defense (sports) **Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...

to have played the game.

Club career

Better known as ''Catato'' or ''Piernas de Oro'', he was part of the

Deportivo Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purpl ...

team that went on a World Tour in 1959, becoming the first

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

n team to ever do such a trip. Catato was the leader and captain of Deportivo Saprissa during the 1950s and early 1960s. He had one season in the Mexican league, with Atletico Marte. He retired after a game against Argentinian side Banfield on 25 December 1964. Catato is remembered as a player, for his chivalry in and out of the field, as well as his great positioning in the field, his great shoot and security as a defender.

International career

During those years, he played the same role in the

Costa Rica national football team The Costa Rica national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de Costa Rica) represents Costa Rica in men's international football. The national team is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body ...

, making 41 appearances.

Managerial career

As coach, Catato guided Saprissa to four national titles in the 1960s, adding up to the four he had won previously as a player. He also managed Costa Rica's national team.

Death

He died of

respiratory arrest Respiratory arrest is a sickness caused by apnea (cessation of breathing) or respiratory dysfunction severe enough it will not sustain the body (such as agonal breathing). Prolonged apnea refers to a patient who has stopped breathing for a long pe ...

on 10 July 2002 in the Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia Hospital in San José.

References

External links

* 1930 births 2002 deaths Footballers from San José, Costa Rica Costa Rican men's footballers Costa Rica men's international footballers Deportivo Saprissa players Costa Rican expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Costa Rican football managers Deportivo Saprissa managers Deportivo Saprissa non-playing staff Costa Rica national football team managers Men's association football defenders {{CostaRica-footy-bio-stub