| World Cup Participations: 5 (1966, 1962, 1958, 1954, 1950) Few players have endured a World Cup debut like Antonio Carbajal's. The Mexican goalkeeper was 21 when he ran out to face Brazil in front of 80,000 at the Maracana stadium in the opening game of the 1950 tournament, and he ended up picking the ball out of the net four times as the host ran riot.
But 16 years later Carbajal made history in England by becoming the first player to have appeared in five tournaments, a record only equaled by Lothar Matthäus in 1998.
In that time Mexico would win just once, against Czechoslovakia in Chile in 1962, but in 11 games at the finals the tall and agile Carbajal earned respect for his safe hands and leadership qualities. |
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