In memory of Alberto Onofre, may he rest in peace. | OneFootball

Club Deportivo Guadalajara deeply regrets the death of Alberto Onofre, who passed away this Thursday morning, January 9 in the Perla Tapatía. Fans, players, directors and staff join his family and friends at this time.

To speak of Alberto Onofre is to speak of a player who was destined to be one of the greatest in the history of our football. His enviable physique and his eye for goal attracted the attention of Javier de la Torre, who, at just 19 years of age, brought him into the Chivas First Team in the absence of several of the Rojiblanca stars, who had been called up to the Mexican National Team that participated in the 1966 World Cup.

Alberto made his debut in the top flight on June 5, 1966 against Tampico, but before that he had shown signs of his tremendous individual quality in some friendlies. He quickly established himself as the new promise of the Rebaño and in the 1969-70 season, at the age of 22, he showed soccer intelligence and tenacity, accompanied by great ball skills and an outstanding individual ability that allowed him to dribble with speed and naturalness, but above all, a love for the Rojiblanca jersey.

He was one of the key players in the historic treble of 1970, in which Guadalajara won the Cup, the League and automatically the Champion of Champions, which was recorded in the book "Corazón Chiva: Cien Años" as follows:

"By his hand, Guadalajara won its eighth championship of the professional era. The penultimate matchday was played and Atlante, tough and effective, did not want to serve as a stepping stone. When love for the jersey is paired with quality, it is possible to foresee some wonders. An instant after Jara sent a cross into the box, Onofre pushed forward and beat Rafael Puente to the ball. I went to the center of the area knowing Jara's touch and when he put his foot to the ball I took off and jumped. I beat Puente, who in my opinion came out to cut the ball badly, and I managed to head the ball. Everything went as I thought it would before I scored. From the moment I made contact I knew it would be a goal, and it was. The fabulous trilogy of soccer: anticipation, opportunity and resolution. The front page of the newspaper Esto freezes the instant in which Onofre, with the number 6 on his jersey, hovers in the air, his legs in harmony, his arms in front of him, his eyes fixed on the ball, all this as a proof of the existence of beauty in soccer. For a few seconds the known world showed its two faces: on one side, the stands boiled over, consumed by the certainty of victory; on the other side Alberto Onofre stood frozen, incredulous, covering his face with his hands, unable to move a muscle, unable to run out and shout the goal at the top of his lungs. The whole team pulled him out of his marasmus, the whole team went over him and wrapped him in an embrace that was the embrace of millions of Chivas from the heart. It is a pity that those ecstatic seconds could not have been kept in a glass case". (Corazón Chiva: Cien Años (2006), pages 121 and 121).

His meteoric rise and professional career were cut short just before his first World Cup participation in Mexico 1970, as Onofre fractured his tibia and fibula just a few days before his debut against the Soviet Union, in an action in which he slipped and had a strong collision with defender Juan Manuel Alejándrez 10 minutes before the end of the National Team's training session.

Although he recovered from the injury and managed to return to the fields a couple of years later, Alberto was never able to regain his level and confidence and decided to hang up his boots for good in 1978.

Rest in Peace, Alberto Onofre.