Enrique Díaz

Enrique Alberto Díaz Harvey (born 23 February 1959) is a retired Costa Rican footballer. He is considered one of the best Costa Rican wingers of the 1980s, and is one of the most recognized sports figures in his country.

For the Puerto Rican Olympic sailor, see Enrique Díaz (sailor).
Enrique Díaz
Personal information
Full name Enrique Alberto Díaz Harvey
Date of birth (1959-02-23) February 23, 1959
Place of birth Limón, Costa Rica
Position(s) Left Winger
Youth career
Deportivo Güilo
Deportivo Cavallini
Saprissa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1979 Limonense
1979–1980 Ramonense
1980–1982 Herediano
1983–1996 Saprissa 444
Total 676 (88)
National team
1979–1992 Costa Rica 52 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Díaz and the second or maternal family name is Harvey.

Club career

A speedy leftsided winger, Díaz made his debut in the Costa Rican Primera División for his native Limonense on 17 April 1977 against Puntarenas,[1] then played a year for Ramonense before joining Herediano in 1980, where he won the 1981 league title.[2] He played most of his professional career for Saprissa, amassing 444 league games[3] and helped them to win four national titles during the 1980s and 1990s, as well one CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1993.

He was known as El Zancudo (The Mosquito) on account of his very long legs. He played a total of 676 official games, scoring 88 goals.[1] A testimonial game against Chilean side Universidad Católica to honor his retirement was suspended after the Chilean side's defender Raimundo Tupper committed suicide a few days before the game in San José.[4]

International career

Díaz made 52 appearances for the senior Costa Rica national football team from 1979 to 1992.[5] He was part of the team that beat then 1982 FIFA World Cup champions Italy in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.[6][7] He also played with Costa Rica in 8 of the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers,[6] but was dropped by coach Bora Milutinovic from the team that played in the World Cup,[8] alongside Evaristo Coronado and Álvaro Solano despite a national cry for his inclusion.

His final international was a December 1992 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Honduras.

Retirement

Since his retirement in 1996, Enrique has worked with Saprissa's minor league system.[9]

Personal life

Díaz is divorced, has three children, and lives in Desamparados.[2] His son, Junior Díaz,[10] currently plays for Club Sport Herediano and Costa Rica's national squad.

Despite playing for both of their antagonists, Díaz has confessed that he is a LD Alajuelense supporter and that he always wished to play for the manudos during the 80s, however he also criticized then-club president Roberto Chacón as being a cheapskate who did not allow him to fulfill his dream.

References
  1. La huella de Enrique - Nación (in Spanish)
  2. El travieso de la banda izquierda Figuras del ayer: Enrique Díaz Harvey - Nación (in Spanish)
  3. Coronado y Cordero en los records morados Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine - UNAFUT
  4. La Católica suspende gira - Nación (in Spanish)
  5. "Costa Rica - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  6. Enrique Diaz – FIFA competition record
  7. "Enrique Diaz Harvey". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
  8. Enrique Díaz: ‘Fue una injusticia’ - Al Día (in Spanish)
  9. Vivito y picando “El zancudo” Díaz es uno de los visores de liga menor del Saprissa - Al Día (in Spanish)
  10. Montenegro, Milton (2004-03-08). "Firmeza florense". Al Día. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2009-03-29.
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