Leopoldo Luque

Leopoldo Jacinto Luque (Spanish pronunciation: [leoˈpoldo xaˈsinto ˈluke]; (3 May 1949 – 15 February 2021)^[1][2] was an Argentine professional footballer who played as a striker.

Leopoldo Luque

Luque with Argentina at the 1978 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Leopoldo Jacinto Luque
Date of birth	3 May 1949
Place of birth	Santa Fe, Argentina
Date of death	15 February 2021(2021-02-15) (aged 71)
Place of death	Mendoza, Argentina
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1967–1969	Gimnasia de Jujuy
1969–1971	Central Norte
1971	Unión
1972	Rosario Central	4	(3)
1973–1975	Unión	35	(10)
1975–1980	River Plate	176	(75)
1980–1981	Unión	24	(10)
1981	Tampico	4	(2)
1982	Racing Club	11	(2)
1983	Santos	2	(0)
1983–1984	Chacarita Juniors	11	(0)
1984	Santos
1984–1985	Textil Mandiyú
International career
1975–1981	Argentina	44	(22)
Medal record Representing  Argentina FIFA World Cup Winner 1978 Argentina Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

In a career spanning from 1972 to 1984 he played for Unión de Santa Fe, Rosario Central, River Plate, Racing Club de Avellaneda and Chacarita Juniors.

On 22 February 1976, Luque scored all five goals in a game in which his team, River Plate, defeated San Lorenzo de Almagro 5–1.^[3]

International career

With Argentina he was 1978 World Champion, scoring four goals in the tournament, including a spectacular long distance volley against France during the first round. During that tournament, his younger brother Oscar died in a traffic accident on the day that Argentina played against France. He also seriously injured his left elbow in the match against France, the second game of that championship, forcing him to miss two matches. He was back for the last three matches of the tournament, including the final against the Netherlands.^[1]

Later life and death

Luque was sports secretary of Mendoza Province.

In February 2007, Luque suffered a heart attack from which he recovered. He died from COVID-19 on 15 February 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina.^[1]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by season and competition

League			Continental		Total
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Primera División	261	100	31	9	292	109

FIFA World Cup statistics

	Apps	Goals	Result
1978 FIFA World Cup	5	4	Champions

International goals

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Luque goal.^[4]

List of international goals scored by Leopoldo Luque

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	3 August 1975	Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela	Venezuela	1–0	5–1	1975 Copa América
2				3–1
3				4–1
4	10 August 1975	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Argentina	Venezuela	11–0	11–0	1975 Copa América
5	8 April 1976	José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Uruguay	2–0	4–1	1976 Copa del Atlántico
6	9 June 1976	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay	Uruguay	1–0	3–0	1976 Copa del Atlántico
7	27 February 1977	Estadio Boca Juniors, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Hungary	3–0	5–1	Friendly
8				5–0
9	29 May 1977	Estadio Boca Juniors, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Poland	2–1	3–1	Friendly
10	24 August 1977	Estadio Boca Juniors, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Paraguay	1–0	3–0	Copa Félix Bogado
11				2–0
12	23 March 1978	Estadio Nacional de Lima, Lima, Peru	Peru	1–0	3–1	1978 Copa Ramón Castilla
13	19 April 1978	Estadio Boca Juniors, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Republic of Ireland	3–?	3–1	Friendly
14	3 May 1978	Estadio Boca Juniors, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Uruguay	1–0	3–0	Friendly
5	2 June 1978	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Hungary	1–1	2–1	1978 FIFA World Cup
16	6 June 1978	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	France	2–1	2–1	1978 FIFA World Cup
17	21 June 1978	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Argentina	Peru	4–0	6–0	1978 FIFA World Cup
18				6–0
19	2 June 1979	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	1–0	3–1	Friendly
20				2–0
21	21 May 1980	Praterstadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	2–0	5–1	Friendly
22	16 December 1980	Estadio Olímpico de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina	Switzerland	2–0	5–0	Friendly

Honours

Club

River Plate

• Primera División: 1975 Nacional, 1977 Metropolitano, 1979 Metropolitano, 1979 Nacional, 1980 Metropolitano
• Copa Libertadores Runner-up: 1976

International

Argentina

• FIFA World Cup: 1978

Individual

• Copa América Top Scorer: 1975

References

1. Clarín.com (15 February 2021). "Murió Leopoldo Jacinto Luque, el goleador implacable de River y la Selección argentina campeona del mundo". www.clarin.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 February 2021.
2. "World Cup winner Luque dies of heart attack after contracting Covid". France 24. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
3. "Leopoldo Luque, el primer jugador que anotó cinco goles en un clásico". El Litoral. 31 January 2009.
4. "Luque, Leopoldo". National Football Teams. Retrieved 4 May 2017.

External links

• Leopoldo Luque – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Leopoldo Luque at National-Football-Teams.com
• Super Futbol profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-10-20) (in Spanish)
• Futbol Factory profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 20 October 2007) (in Spanish)
• Leopoldo Luque – Liga MX stats at MedioTiempo.com (archived) (in Spanish)