Jorge Hernán Monge Mora (14 February 1938 – 28 November 2019) was a

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 ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player, considered in his country as one of the top

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 ...

ever to have played the game.

Club career

Better known as ''Cuty'', he debuted with

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 ...

at the young age of 15. 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 purple ...

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 f ...

n team to ever do such a trip. Cuty was the top goal scorer of

during the 50s and beginnings of the 60s. Cuty won a total of 6 Costa Rican national championships, and was the best goal scorer in several seasons. He still holds the Costa Rican record for most goals scored by a player in a single game, with 6, in 1958 against Club Sport La Libertad. His career was cut short in 1968, when injuries caused by a car accident forced him to retire. He was only 30 when he quit the fields. He played 136 league games, scoring 93 goals for Saprissa.

International career

During those years, he played the same role in Costa Rica's national squad, team where he played his first game being just 17 years old. In 27 matches, he scored 23 goals, and is still in the top 5 among the best scorers 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 fo ...

. He played in the qualifying rounds of the

1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place bet ...

and was part of the so-called ''Chaparritos de Oro'' team that ended 3rd in the 1956 Panamerican Championship.

Legacy

The football stadium in his hometown of Desamparados was named in his honour.Brujas no podrá usar el Cuty Monge
- Nación

References

1938 births 2019 deaths People from Desamparados (canton) Sportspeople from San José Province Men's association football forwards Liga FPD players Costa Rican men's footballers Costa Rica men's international footballers Deportivo Saprissa players {{CostaRica-footy-bio-stub