Miguel Ángel Loayza Ríos (21 June 1940 – 19 October 2017) was a football

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

from

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. He played for several clubs, notably Argentine clubs Huracán, Boca Juniors and River Plate as well as Colombian club Deportivo Cali. He was famous for his short passing, creativity and excellent dribbling ability, nicknamed "El Maestrito" (''The little Master") in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and "El Mago" (''The magician'') in Colombia.

Playing career

Born in Loreto, he made his debut for

Ciclista Lima Ciclista Lima Association is a Peruvian football club, playing in the city of Lima. It is the second oldest club in Peru. The club was founded 1896 and plays in the Copa Perú, which is the third division of the Peruvian league. History The cl ...

in June 1957 and quickly demonstrated his talent. He participated with Peru in the Copa América 1959 making a strong performance with 5 goals in 6 matches. On May 17, 1959 Loayza was part of the Peru national team which demolished to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

4-1 in Lima. After a successful career in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

he left his homeland at 19 years of age, to play for Spanish club

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

, he would not return to play in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

. He was not able to adapt to European football and Loayza moved on to

to play with Boca Juniors, where he played 3 seasons. He won an Argentine League in 1962. Loayza also played for a number of other clubs in Argentina including

Club Atlético Huracán Club Atlético Huracán () is an Argentine sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is notable for its football team, that currently plays in the Primera División, the top level of the Argentine football ...

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central () is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on December 24, 1889, by a group of railway workers, taking its name from the English- ...

and Boca Juniors fiercest rivals River Plate. In 1969, he joined Deportivo Cali where he was part of the team that won 2

Mustang Cup The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...

(1969, 1970) and remains one of their most iconic players.Deportivo Cali, unforgettable players
He died on 19 October 2017 in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

at the age of 77.

Honors

References

External links

Los años 60 de HuracánLoayza con Deportivo Cali en Copa LibertadoresTan real como curioso
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loayza, Miguel Angel 1940 births 2017 deaths Footballers from Lima Men's association football midfielders Peruvian men's footballers Peru men's international footballers Ciclista Lima Association footballers FC Barcelona players Boca Juniors footballers Rosario Central footballers Club Atlético Huracán footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers Deportivo Cali footballers Peruvian expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Argentine Primera División players Categoría Primera A players La Liga players Peruvian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia