The mention of ‘The Magician’ (El Magico) will spark a broad smile to anyone who hails from the vibrant coastal city of Cadiz, of course the one and only magician they are thinking of is El “Mágico González!”
Cádiz CF
Jorge Alberto González Barillas to give him his full name was and is the idol of the small Andalusian club on the Atlantic coast. In the era of super professional players and media training it is the tales of players like ‘El Magico’ that bring the most joy to fans. Of course this attitude to the game is only embraced through nostalgic eyes when said player is able to back up the non-footballing stories with equaling moments on the football field. There is a valid reason why Maradona and George Best are held in such regard while others like Michael Johnson go on to become an irrelevant footnote in history. The legend of Gonzalez is undoubtedly seen in similar light by his adoring Cádiz and El Salvadorr to that of Maradona and Best for his exploits during his golden years when he produced artistry on the pitch bringing joy to the relative minnows he represented.
Like many other mad genius’, the tale of El Magico and his exploits is enhanced by his love of extra-curricular activities away from the field. He once famously remarked to the press,
“I admit that I am not a saint, that I like the nightlife, and that not even my mother could drive me out. I know that I am irresponsible and not a good pro, and it may be that I throw away the opportunity of my life. I know it, but I just have that stupid attitude: I do not like to see football as a work. If I did, I would not be myself. I’m just playing for fun. “
The sprawling nightlife has an impact on Mágico’s performance In the first year in Cádiz, González scored 15 goals in 33 games and his team thus started to rise. In 1983/1984 it was in the Primera División then 14 goals in 31 games. In the third year, however, his prodigious nightlife became more and more noticeable. He only finished 11 games and only scored a paltry goal. He was then sold to Valladolid, where he was not at all happy. Mágico didn’t adapt to the cold or the style of life in the North nor did the traditionally more serious Northerners take to his lax attitude. Thus, he returned to his beloved Cádiz for the season 86/87, where they paid him only per game. He also had to pay penalties if he did not show up for training or came late to the games. Since money was not particularly important to him and he did not want to give up the nightlife, he almost got less money at the end of the month than his team colleagues.
The makings of The Magician
Jorge Alberto González Barillas was born in 1958 in San Salvador (El Salvador). In 1975, he made his debut in the Salvadorian League at the age of 17. For five years, he enchanted the fans in his home country, highlighting the qualification for the 1982 World Cup in Spain. The second and last time until today that no country could qualify for a world championship. In the decisive game against Mexico, González started an irresistible solo in his own half, his shot could only let Mexico’s goalkeeper bounce, Ever Hernández dusted off to the goal. El Salvador took part in the World Cup.
However, El Salvador were not lucky enough to be able to return home after the matches against Hungary, Belgium and Argentina (with 21-year-old Diego Armando Maradona) with zero points and a goal difference of 1:15. A thin 24-year-old boy however with black long and curled hair, who plays in his home town El Salvador at Club Deportivo FAS and who gave it the nickname “El Mago”, stands out. He surprises everyone with his incredible feats, fast hooks and his speed: it’s Mágico González. Despite the disastrous results of his team, he is elected to the World Cup. A few European clubs are attracted to him.Amongst others, Paris Saint-Germain, with whom a contract had already been negotiated and only the signature was missing. The governing body of the French club and a large number of photographers expected Mágico to sign a contract in a hotel in Paris. But he just could not. According to rumors, he slept, and had no desire to go to Paris. “What should I do in Paris? I can not speak the language, the city is huge. How can I live here? “Surprisingly, El Salvador’s 11th place went to the second Spanish league to Cádiz. Famed for sun, beaches and bars at the very tip of Spain was not suprising decision to those who have visited
Magic Anecdotes
Anecdote # 1 Few remember his debut at the end of August 1982 when “el submarino amarillo” took part in a preparatory game in the 7,000-inhabitant village of Trebujena. After the match there was a meal organized by the host club, the two teams sat together at the table. González was sitting with his direct opponent Rafael at the table, which he had previously played in the legs. The coach of Cádiz was the Yugoslav Dragoljub Milosevic. He wanted his players neither to eat too much nor to drink alcohol. So he instructed his assistant coach David Vidal to monitor the whole thing. Shortly after the meal started, Mágico, aware that Vidal did not let him out of his sight, asked his table neighbors
Rafael: M: “What are you drinking, amigo?
“R: “Coca-cola.”M: “No, you’re drinking wine!”
R: “Hey, what? No, I’m drinking Coca-cola, you see.
“M: “Yeah, of course. But from now on you order wine. You drink my Coca-cola and I drink your wine.”
That was Mágico González.
#2
There are many legends about Mágico. There is one that is particularly magical and mysterious. It is about a game in the semifinals around the “Trofeo Carranza”, a tournament that is held every summer in Cádiz. There, FC Barcelona was waiting for the Cádiz team. Mágico González – as so often – was visibly drunk and too late to play. He slept completely in the cabin, where he was finally woken up by the witness. 3: 0 was already there for the Catalans. The legend speaks of a stunning performance of Mágico González in the second half, his two goals and two goal scoring allowed Cádiz to turn the game and win 4: 3. Allegedly, this performance of Mágicos meant that FC Barcelona gave him a chance to participate in the preparations. There are no videos of this magical game, you also find the result in vain in the almanacs of Spanish football. But in Cádiz, they firmly claim that it took place. Imagination or just pure magic?
#3
Mágico went on tour with Barcelona in the summer of 1984 as a trial during the era of Diego Armando Maradona on the field and his compatriot César Luis Menotti on the bench for the club’s tour of the USA. The Salvadorian also played two games in front of the American crowd for the Catalans and showed himself at his best, even scoring two goals. Had it not been for a fire alarm, who knows how the career of Mágico would have gone. It is said that when a fire alarm sounded all the played went to the lobby, that is all but one as Gonzales remained in his room accompanied by a woman. Mágico. To the incident, he said, “If I start something, I’ll put it to an end.” This was the final straw for Menotti who subsequently decided not to offer the El Salvadorian a contract owing to his disciplinary issues.
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