Leonel Sanchezscorer of the World Cup in Chile, in 1962, and protagonist of the historic ‘Battle of Santiago’ against Italy in that World Cup, He died at dawn this Saturday in the capital of that country, at the age of 85.
The news was confirmed by the Professional Soccer Players Union of Chile, through a press release, after collecting the information provided by his family.
Through our union, the Sánchez Encina family reports the sensitive death of Don Leonel Sánchez Lineros.
The guild expresses its deepest condolences to all family members. Our tribute to one of the greatest in history @The Red 🙏– Sifup Chile (@sifup) April 2, 2022
Sánchez had been admitted to the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile in February for a pulmonary thrombosis, but had left there last Tuesday.
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Leonel Sánchez was the top scorer in the 1962 World Cup
Sánchez was one of the historical players of the Chilean National Team. He scored four goals in the 1962 Cup, to become one of the top scorers in that tournament, along with the Brazilians Garrincha and Vavá, the Yugoslavian Dragan jerkovic, the Hungarian Florian Albert and the Soviet Valentin Ivanov.
In that tournament, Chile reached third place, in a tournament that was very hard in its development. The match against Italy, in the first phase, was one of the most violent in World Cup history. They called it ‘The Battle of Santiago’.
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The game had heated up in the previous one, when the English media mocked the supposed delay of the Chileans. The notes were reproduced by the local press and that generated a very heated atmosphere.
Two Italian players were sent off, including Mario David, who gave Sánchez a flying kick. Before that, after a strong tackle, David kicked the Chilean on the ground and he got up and punched him. Neither of them was expelled at the time. Curiously, Sánchez later signed for Milan and became friends with David.
⚽️ Leonel Sanchez was a great footballer. We suspect he would have made a great boxer like his father from him 🥊
🇨🇱 @The Red ace KO’d one Italian & broke another’s nose in the infamous ‘Battle of Santiago’ at the 1962 #WorldCup 💤👃
Have a knockout 84th birthday, El Gran Leonel! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/607sHn7TFs
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) April 25, 2020
The ‘battle of Santiago’ inspired the creation of the cards
The referee of that match, the Englishman Ken Aston, was inspired by him to later create something that is now the rule in football, cards. Being at a traffic light driving his car, he was guided by its lights to invent them. They premiered at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
Sánchez played 85 games with the Chilean National Team, between 1955 and 1968, and scored 24 goals. He was part of the squad that was runner-up in the Copa América in 1956. He was an idol of Universidad de Chile, with whom he won six titles, and then got another with Colo Colo.
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With information from El Mercurio (Chile, GDA)
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