Cándido García

Cándido García
Personal information
Date of birth	2 December 1895
Date of death	22 April 1971 (aged 75)
Position(s)	Centre-half
Senior career*
Years	Team
1913–1927	River Plate
International career
1915–1923	Argentina
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Cándido García (2 December 1895 – 22 April 1971) was an Argentine footballer who played as a centre-half. García spent his entire career at River Plate, where he played from 1913 to 1927,^[1] winning three titles.

García also played six matches for the Argentina national football team from 1915 to 1923.^[2] He was part of Argentina's squad for the 1916 South American Championship.^[3]

Nicknamed Cabeza de Oro ("golden head") due to his skills to head the ball,^[1] García is regarded for having scored the first official goal in the history of Superclásico v Boca Juniors on 24 August 1913 at Racing Stadium, which River won 2–1.^[1] According to journalists of his time, García's high accuracy in scoring goals by heading the ball in corner kicks forced rivals to avoid conceding corner kicks.^[4]

During his entire career at River, García played a total of 364 matches, scoring 42 goals.^[1]

Honours

River Plate

Copa de Competencia Jockey Club (1): 1914
Tie Cup (1): 1914
Primera División (1): 1920

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Cándido García, el primero". Pasion Monumental (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
^ "Cándido García". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
^ Tabeira, Martín (10 August 2007). "South American Championship 1916". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
^ "Cabeceadores: los pioneros". El Gráfico (in Spanish). 14 August 2018. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.