Guillermo Guardia Morales (born 27 February 1960) is considered one of the best

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

strikers Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

during the 1980s.

Club career

Nicknamed ''Nica'', Guardia played the greatest years of his career for

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 purple ...

, where he became the best goal scorer of the Costa Rica's first division during 1981, year when

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 purple ...

finished being the champion. Later he played for

Alajuelense Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA, ), commonly known as Alajuelense and nicknamed La Liga (), is a Costa Rican multisport club based in the borough of El Llano, Alajuela, Alajuela province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Al ...

and San Carlos among others, totalling 7 different clubs. He is especially remembered for saving an Alajuelense penalty kick when Turrialba goalkeeper Miguel Segura was sent off in a league game and Guardia replaced him in goal on 31 May 1992. Guardia's great scoring talents and quickness, helped him and teammate

Evaristo Coronado Evaristo Coronado Salas (born 13 September 1960) is considered the best Costa Rican football striker during the 1980s. Club career Born in Ciudad Cortés, Coronado is one of the most recognized sports figures in his country. He played his e ...

form a lethal duo in the early 80s in

. He scored a total of 149 league goals.

International career

He played with 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 fo ...

as well, and was part of Costa Rican squad that played at the 1984 Olympic Games held in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Managerial career

After retiring, he began his coaching career, and has managed several teams in Costa Rica's first division, such as Pérez Zeledón,

Municipal Liberia Asociación Deportiva Municipal Liberia is a Costa Rican football team playing in the Liga FPD. The team is based in Liberia, Guanacaste. Their home stadium is the Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño. History Founded on 7 June 1977, four years ...

and San Carlos.Guardia dirige a San Carlos
- Nación

References

1960 births Living people Footballers from San José, Costa Rica Men's association football forwards Costa Rican men's footballers Costa Rica men's international footballers Olympic footballers for Costa Rica Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Deportivo Saprissa players A.D. San Carlos footballers Liga Deportiva Alajuelense footballers A.D. Municipal Pérez Zeledón footballers Costa Rican football managers Liga FPD players {{CostaRica-footy-bio-stub