Jorge Monge

Jorge Hernán Monge Mora (14 February 1938 – 28 November 2019) ^[2] was a Costa Rican football player, considered in his country as one of the top strikers ever to have played the game.^[3]

Jorge Monge

Personal information
Full name	Jorge Hernán Monge Mora
Date of birth	(1938-02-14)February 14, 1938
Place of birth	Desamparados, Costa Rica
Date of death	November 28, 2019(2019-11-28) (aged 81)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1951–1953	Saprissa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1953–1967	Saprissa	136	(100)
International career
1955–1961	Costa Rica[1]	26	(21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Monge and the second or maternal family name is Mora.

Club career

Better known as Cuty, he debuted with Saprissa at the young age of 15. He was part of the Deportivo Saprissa team that went on a World Tour in 1959, becoming the first Latin American team to ever do such a trip. Cuty was the top goal scorer of Deportivo Saprissa during the 50s and beginnings of the 60s.

Cuty won a total of 6 Costa Rican national championships, and was the best goal scorer in several seasons. He still holds the Costa Rican record for most goals scored by a player in a single game, with 6, in 1958 against Club Sport La Libertad.^[3]

His career was cut short in 1968, when injuries caused by a car accident forced him to retire. He was only 30 when he quit the fields.^[3] He played 136 league games, scoring 93 goals for Saprissa.^[4]

International career

During those years, he played the same role in Costa Rica's national squad, team where he played his first game being just 17 years old. In 27 matches, he scored 23 goals, and is still in the top 5 among the best scorers in the Costa Rica national football team.^[5] He played in the qualifying rounds of the 1962 FIFA World Cup^[6] and was part of the so-called Chaparritos de Oro team that ended 3rd in the 1956 Panamerican Championship.^[7]

Legacy

The football stadium in his hometown of Desamparados was named in his honour.^[8]

References

1. Jorge Hernán "Cuty" Monge - Goals in International Matches
2. "Fallece el exdeportista Jorge Hernán "Cuty" Monge".
3. "JORGE HERNAN "CUTY" MONGE MORA". Salón de la Fama del Deporte Costarricense. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
4. A las puertas del club de los grandes goleadores Archived 2014-12-20 at the Wayback Machine - UNAFUT (in Spanish)
5. Mamrud, Roberto. "Costa Rica - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
6. Jorge Hernan Monge – FIFA competition record (archived)
7. Los Chaparritos de Oro en 1956 - Nación (in Spanish)
8. Brujas no podrá usar el Cuty Monge - Nación (in Spanish)