José Pastor Fernández Beita (born 22 April 1963 in

Pérez Zeledón Canton Pérez, or Perez as most commonly written in English, is a Castilian Spanish surname. Perez (pronounced Peretz, see below) is also common in people of Sephardic Jewish descent and is the 4th most common surname in Israel, most common surname not o ...

) is a former

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 in the National League of Costa Rica during the 1980s.

Club career

Fernández started his career in 1983 at second division Pérez ZeledónPastor Fernández ¿Qué hay de su vida?: De goleador a maestro
- Nación and later played for Cartaginés,

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, Ala ...

and San Carlos. He retired from the game after 5 seasons in Costa Rica's Premier Division at the age of only 28.

International career

Moment of glory

He became a national sports hero during the 1990 World Cup qualification, when he headed in the winning goal against El Salvador; that victory qualified Costa Rica for its inaugural World Cup. During the previous games

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 ...

had been the hero of the Costa Rican squad with his goals, most of which were headers. For the final game, however, Coronado was injuredEl héroe del boleto a Italia 90 sin rencores
- Nación and Fernandez was picked as his replacement. Just as Coronado had been doing during the qualifying round, Fernandez headed in the winning goal.

From hero to zero

But he was not chosen by coach Velibor Milutinovic to go with the team to Italy, a decision he took very badly, feeling unappreciated by the Football Association as well.Pastor Fernández: Resentido con el futbol
- Nación In protest, he gave up the sport after two years at Alajuelense and one at San Carlos and disappeared from the football scene. Coronado was also dropped for the World Cup, but he did continue his career. This contrast highlighted Fernandez's decision as an impetuous one, and although many Costa Ricans remember his name and appreciate his goal, few can mention his other accomplishments.

International goals

:''Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first.''

Retirement

After retiring he went into American clothing and later in sportswear. He is currently working as a P.E teacher in a Costa Rican High School

Personal life

Born in

San Isidro de El General San Isidro de El General () is the first district of the canton of Pérez Zeledón, in the southern part of the province of San José in Costa Rica, as well as the name of said district's main city. San Isidro de El General is the most populou ...

, his parents are Aricelda Beita and Ezequías Fernández.El cabezazo de Pastor Fernández que nos puso en Italia 90
- AD Sagrada Familia His brother Freddy has also played for the Costa Rica national team. He is married and has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez, Pastor 1963 births Living people People from Pérez Zeledón (canton) Association football forwards Costa Rican footballers Costa Rica international footballers Municipal Pérez Zeledón footballers C.S. Cartaginés players L.D. Alajuelense footballers A.D. San Carlos footballers Liga FPD players CONCACAF Championship-winning players