José Velásquez (footballer, born 1952)

José Velásquez
	Velásquez playing for Alianza Lima
Personal information
Full name	José Manuel Velásquez Castillo
Date of birth	4 June 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Lima, Peru
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Defensive Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team
1971–1978	Alianza Lima
1979	Independiente Medellín
1980–1981	Toronto Blizzard
1982	Independiente Medellín
1982–1984	Alianza Lima
1984–1985	Hércules
1986–1987	Deportes Iquique
1987	Alianza Lima
International career
1972–1985	Peru
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Peru
Copa América
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 2008

José Manuel Velásquez Castillo (born 4 June 1952 in Lima) is a retired Peruvian footballer who played as a midfielder. Nicknamed "El Patrón", he stood out for his elegance, presence, courage and technical play, being recognized as one of the players with the most personality that Peruvian football has given and the best defensive midfielder in the history of his country.^[1] He was nominated for the Global Ballon d'Or by FIFA in 1977.^[2]

Famed for his elegance, leadership and technical game, along with Víctor Benítez he is recognised as one of Peru's most important defensive midfielders ever.

"El Patrón" was probably the best midfielder defensive player in South America between the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a containment midfielder with an enormous defensive display, great passing game and strong personality that combined his dominant physical presence with a very technical and elegant game. He formed with Alianza Lima debuting in 1971 at the age of 17 as a central defender, although he was soon positioned in the midfield and became one of the greatest "blue and white" leaders, winning the Peruvian Primera División and integrating one of the best teams in the club's history during the two-time championship in 1977 and 1978. In 1979 he emigrated to Colombia to join Independiente Medellín, in which he coincided with his compatriot Hugo Sotil, and then he also went through the Toronto Blizzard and Hercules of the Spanish First Division.

He was a member of the Peruvian team that won the 1975 Copa América and participated in the World Cup in Argentina 1978, where he reached the quarterfinals of final and Spain 1982 where it was important in the qualifiers to eliminate Uruguay and Colombia.

Club career

At club level he played for Alianza Lima in Peru, where he was part of three league championship winning campaigns (1975, 1977 & 1978). He also played for Independiente Medellín of Colombia, Hércules CF of Spain and Deportes Iquique of Chile.

International career

Nicknamed "El Patrón", he played for the Peru national football team that won the Copa América in 1975^[3] and competed at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cup, wearing the number six jersey. He played a total of 82 games for Peru between 1972 and 1985, scoring 12 goals.^[4]

International goals

Scores and results table. Peru's goal tally first:^[5]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	09.02.77	Lima, Peru	Hungary	1–0	3–2	Friendly
2.	09.02.77	Lima, Peru	Hungary	3–1	3–2	Friendly
3.	12.03.77	Lima, Peru	Ecuador	2–1	2–1	World Cup Qualifier
4.	29.05.77	Port-au-Prince, Haiti	Haiti	6–0	6–0	Friendly
5.	17.07.77	Cali, Colombia	Bolivia	1–0	5–0	World Cup Qualifier
6.	17.07.77	Cali, Colombia	Bolivia	3–0	5–0	World Cup Qualifier
7.	11.06.78	Córdoba, Argentina	Iran	1–0	4–1	1978 FIFA World Cup
8.	17.05.82	Lima, Peru	Romania	1–0	2–0	Friendly
9.	24.02.85	Santiago, Chile	Chile	1–1	2–1	Friendly
10.	27.02.85	Montevideo, Uruguay	Uruguay	2–1	2–2	Friendly
11.	23.04.85	Lima, Peru	Uruguay	1–0	2–1	Friendly
12.	30.06.85	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Argentina	1–1	2–2	World Cup Qualifier