Pablo Larios Iwasaki ( ja, パブロ・ラリオス・イワサキ, July 31, 1960 – January 31, 2019) was a Mexican professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. He was nicknamed "El Arquero de la Selva" (The Goalkeeper of the Jungle), both for being from Zacatepec, a town in the Mexican state of Morelos known for his humid and warm climate, and for starting his career with his hometown's football club.

Career

Larios was a goalkeeper for Zacatepec,

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

, Puebla and

Toros Neza Neza Fútbol Club, also known as ''Toros Neza'' is a Mexican football team based in the city of Nezahualcóyotl. They play in the Liga de Balompié Mexicano. The club returned for the Clausura 2011 Liga de Ascenso tournament, taking the place o ...

during his playing career. He played for the Mexico national football team at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, where Mexico reached the quarter-finals and

1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the first edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and the eleventh overall CONCACAF tournament. The last time the CONCACAF Championship was he ...

. He also participated in the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was the goalkeeper trainer in the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

working for

Ricardo Lavolpe Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico. As a coach, La Volpe was in ...

Personal life

He has Japanese ancestors on his maternal side. In early September 2008, Larios's 19-year-old son, Pablo Larios Garza, was reported missing. After an intense search, he was found dead by the border police near the area of Grajeno, approximately 600 feet away from Rio Grande. He attempted to illegally cross the border to visit his girlfriend, who lived in the USA, since he had lost his visa.

Death

On Thursday January 31, 2019 Larios was pronounced dead at a hospital in Puebla.

Honours

Zacatepec * Mexican Segunda División: 1983–84 Puebla * Mexican Primera División: 1989–90 *

Copa México The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican football cup competition that was established in 1907. After a lengthy hiatus that began in 1997, it was ...

: 1989–90 *

Campeón de Campeones ''Campeón de Campeones'' ( es, Champion of Champions) is an annual Mexican football competition established in 1942. In its current form, the winner of the Apertura season faces the winner of the Clausura season, for both Liga MX and Liga MX Feme ...

: 1989–90 * CONCACAF Champions' Cup:

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

References

External links