Legendary Mexican goalkeeper Antonio “Tota” Carbajal, the first footballer to play in five FIFA World Cups, died Tuesday at the age of 93.
“He fell ill last week… he was in the hospital and spent the weekend at home” before passing away on Tuesday, Antonio Moreno, director of the International Soccer Hall of Fame in central Mexico, told AFP.
“Antonio Carbajal is an icon of Mexican and world football because he was the first to appear at five World Cups and he was on the pitch in all of them,” added Moreno, who was in contact with the player and his family.
Carbajal played 47 games for the Mexican national team and appeared in World Cups in Brazil in 1950, Switzerland in 1954, Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962 and England in 1966.
His record was later equaled by Germany’s Lothar Matthaus, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and fellow Mexicans Rafael Marquez, Guillermo Ochoa and Andres Guardado.
