José Miguel Marín Ocotto (15 March 1945 – 30 December 1991) was an Argentine

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 lea ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), 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 i ...

and as a football coach. He started his career in

Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield () is an Argentine sports club based in Liniers, Buenos Aires. Its football team plays in Argentine Primera División, Primera División, the highest level of the Argentine football league system, Argentine league ...

, and became champion with this Argentine team. He then became a Mexican football star with

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., commonly referred to as Cruz Azul, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system, Mexican footba ...

, where he won several championships and became an iconic player. He is widely regarded as one of the best international goalkeepers to play in Mexico.

Early life

Born on May 15, 1945, in

Río Tercero, Córdoba Río Tercero is a city in the center of Argentina, 96 km from Córdoba city, 35 km east of the city of Embalse, and 386 m above sea level. With a population of 53,166 people is the seventh biggest city in the province. ( Cordoba) The ...

, Marín was of a modest family. He grew up working in the greengrocery stores of his neighborhood. Marín would play in the pastures and use the frame of the trees as goals. This caught the attention of a boss at work who subsequently took him to Buenos Aires for a trial at

Vélez Sarsfield Velez may refer to: People * Vélez (name), a Spanish surname, including a list of people with the name Places * Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain * Vélez Sársfield (barrio), Buenos Aires, Argentina * Vélez-Blanco, Spain * Vélez-Málaga, Spain * Vé ...

. Despite conceding eight goals,

Victorio Spinetto Victorio Luis Spinetto (3 June 1911 – 28 August 1990) was an Argentine football player and manager. He played as a centre half, mostly for Vélez Sársfield in the Argentine Primera División, debuting with the club in 1932 and retiring in 19 ...

accepted him into the institution and was enrolled into the club's youth team at 14. Marín was notably disciplined. He devoted himself to train his physical and technical skills twice a day.

Career

Marín began his career with

. He joined

in 1971, making his league debut at Guadalajara on 26 December 1971. Marín played for Cruz Azul until he retired in 1980, appearing in 309

Mexican Primera División Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divi ...

matches. Marin won five league championships with Cruz Azul. Marín was selected in the

Argentina national football team The Argentina national football team (), nicknamed ''La Albiceleste'' (), represents Argentina in men's international Association football, football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, Asociación del Fútbol Argentino ( ...

for the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, but did not appear in any matches. He made two appearances for the senior side. After retiring from playing, Marín became a football coach. He was appointed manager of Cruz Azul during the 1982–83 season. Later, he managed

Deportivo Neza Deportivo Neza also known as Coyotes is a Mexican football team. The club was founded in 1978 when the city of Ciudad Neza bought the Club de Fútbol Laguna franchise. The club has played in various leagues in Mexico. The club played from 1978 ...

Nicknames

He was initially referred to by the nickname "El Gato" (The Cat). However, due to his spectacular saves, the label of "El Superman" was applied by the famed commentator and broadcaster Rugama Angel Fernandez. Marin's brilliant career would place him in a unique position in football statistics, with a minimum number of goals allowed, making him the most effective goalkeeper in the history of Mexican football.

Death

He was working as coach of the University of Querétaro, when he suffered a massive heart attack: on 30 December 1991 he was admitted to the Hospital of Santa Cruz de Querétaro. The news spread like wildfire, a sharp blow to Mexican football: "Superman" had died. The insurmountable "Miguel Marin." His rivals and colleagues came to say their last goodbyes. Marin became a legend who has endured over time, and is a giant in the history of Cruz Azul and Mexican football. His remains rest in the

La Chacarita Cemetery The La Chacarita Cemetery (, also known as "Cementerio del Oeste") is a cemetery located in the Chacarita neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Occupying an area of 95 hectare, it is the largest in the country.Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...

: 1968 Nacional Cruz Azul *

: 1971–72,

1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

, 1973–74, 1978–79, 1979–80 *

Campeón de Campeones Campeón de Campeones () is an association football competition in Mexico and the domestic super cup between the Liga MX champions of the ''Apertura'' and ''Clausura'' tournaments. It was initially a super cup match between the league and cup cha ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

; Argentina Youth *

CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament The CONMEBOL Preolímpico () is an international association football event in the South America region organized by CONMEBOL. It is the qualification tournament for the football at the Summer Olympics, football tournament at the Olympic Games. ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Individual *

Golden Ball: 1979–80

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marin, Jose Miguel Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's international footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Footballers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Argentina Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers Cruz Azul footballers Cruz Azul managers Argentine Primera División players Liga MX players Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery 1945 births 1991 deaths Men's association football goalkeepers Argentine football managers Footballers from Córdoba Province, Argentina 20th-century Argentine sportsmen