Carlos Santana (footballer)

Carlos Santana

Personal information
Full name	Carlos Santana Morales
Date of birth	12 June 1953
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1972-1984	Saprissa	419
National team
	Costa Rica
Teams managed
	CS Uruguay
1996–1997	Belén
1999	Saprissa
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Carlos Santana Morales (born 12 June 1953) is considered one of the best Costa Rican football midfielders during the 1970s and 1980s.

Club career

He played his entire career for Deportivo Saprissa, and was the team's captain for several seasons. Santana was a very quick, and talented player, with awesome shooting and passing skills. He played in 419 league games for the club.^[1]

Santana helped Saprissa win 7 national titles^[2] during the 1970s and 1980s, and was part of the legendary Saprissa team that won 6 national championships in a row during the 1970s.

International career

He played with Costa Rica's national team as well, and was the captain of the team that beat then 1982 FIFA World Cup champions Italy in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.^[3][4]

Managerial career

After his retirement, Santana briefly coached Saprissa, but was dismissed after 4 months in September 1999^[5] and has worked with both Saprissa's minor league system, as well coaching several Costa Rican U-17 and U-20 national teams. He also managed second division Uruguay and Belén.^[6]

Personal life

Santana's son Ariel is also a professional football player..^[7]

References

1. Tras los pasos de Coronado - UNAFUT (Spanish)
2. Víctor Cordero: 10 títulos Líder morado se acerca al multicampeón - Nación (Spanish)
3. Carlos Santana – FIFA competition record
4. "Carlos Santana". Sports Reference. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
5. La Junta Directiva del Deportivo Saprissa cesó esta tarde al técnico Carlos Santana - Nación (Spanish)
6. La oportunidad de Santana - Nación (Spanish)
7. Ariel Santana jugará con Puntarenas - La Nación (Spanish)