Róger Flores Solano (born 26 May 1959 in San José) is a retired Costa Rican football player, a manager and father of three. He was the captain of 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 f ...

during the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It was the country's first World Cup ever and the national squad accomplished the historic feat of qualifying for the second round against all odds, beating teams apparently much stronger such as

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and Sweden. He scored a goal against Sweden, even though he was a defender.

Club career

In Costa Rica, ''Il Capitano'' (''The Captain'' in Italian) started his career at

Sagrada Familia Sagrada is a Spanish word meaning "sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. T ...

and played for the two most popular teams,

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 Saprissa. He started out in Alajuela in the mid 80's, and was part of the team that won the

CONCACAF Champions Cup The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Americ ...

in 1986. He won two national titles with

as well. After his transfer to Saprissa, he reached the pinnacle of his career, becoming a star and the captain of the team as well of the national squad. With Saprissa, he won three more local tournaments, and another two

. He retired in 1996. As a player, he is remembered for his leadership and security on the field, and his excellent coverages of the opposing teams' strikers.

International career

Flores made his debut for Costa Rica in a March 1983

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and collected a total of 49 caps, scoring two goals. He represented his country in 18 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at the

1991 UNCAF Nations Cup The 1991 UNCAF Nations Cup was the inaugural UNCAF Nations Cup, the Central American championship for men's national association football teams. It was organized by the ''Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol'' or UNCAF, and it took place in Costa R ...

, winning that title, and the

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 ...

. His final international was a July

match against

International goals

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

Managerial career

After retiring, he went on to coach several teams in Costa Rica's First Division, as well as a minor national team. His first job was as coach of Goicoechea in 1996, where he was replaced by Didier Castro in March 1998. He was in charge at Santa Bárbara for only 4 weeks in 2000 and also managed

Herediano Club Sport Herediano (), commonly known as Herediano and nicknamed El Team, is a Costa Rican multisport club based in Heredia, Heredia province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Herediano is mostly known for its association ...

. In August 2009 Flores was appointed assistant at Liberia Mía.

Personal life

His son Andrés is a professional footballer who, like his father, plays as a defender.La paciencia premió a Andrés Flores con constancia
- Nación

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Roger 1959 births Living people Footballers from San José, Costa Rica Association football defenders Costa Rican footballers Costa Rica international footballers 1990 FIFA World Cup players 1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Copa Centroamericana-winning players A.D. San Carlos footballers L.D. Alajuelense footballers Deportivo Saprissa players Liga FPD players Costa Rican football managers C.S. Herediano managers Deportivo Saprissa non-playing staff CONCACAF Championship-winning players