Legendary Mexican footballer Antonio Carbajal, who was the first player to appear in five FIFA World Cups, has passed away at the age of 93. Nicknamed “La Tota” and “El Cinco Copas” (The Five Cups), Carbajal played in the Brazil 1950, Switzerland 1954, Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and England 1966 tournaments. His record of five World Cup appearances stood for 32 years until it was equalled by Germany’s Lothar Matthaus in 1998. During his 18-year playing career, he won 48 caps for Mexico and made 409 appearances at club level, the majority of which were with Mexican side Club Leon where he played 364 games over a 16-year period.
Club Leon announced that they will open their stadium doors on Thursday to allow fans to pay their respects to Carbajal in the company of his family. They said “Don Antonio, legends never die. We will always follow your hand. It is an honour to be your team.” Five players have since matched Carbajal’s feat of playing in five World Cups, including two of his compatriots – Andres Guardado and Rafael Marquez.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his sadness at the news of Carbajal’s passing and sent his condolences to his family and all Mexican fans mourning his loss. He said: “It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Antonio Carbajal, the first player to star in five FIFA World Cups. I send our most sincere condolences to his family and to all the Mexican fans who mourn his loss.”