Luis Ramírez Zapata


Luis Baltazar Ramírez Zapata is a retired Salvadoran footballer.

Club career

Nicknamed El Pelé, he spent nearly 20 years playing for Salvadoran club Águila. He started with Águila, after being recommended by Brazilian technical director Arnaldo Da Silva, under the legendary Juan Francisco Barraza before leaving to join other clubs and later in his career make a return to the San Miguel based club. He also would go on to play for Atlético Marte and Alianza in his homeland El Salvador and spent time abroad playing for Cartaginés in Costa Rica, scoring 11 goals, and Puebla in Mexico. In 1990, he played for the Washington Diplomats of the American Professional Soccer League.

International career

Ramírez represented El Salvador at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico. He also represented his country in 24 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and was a member of the El Salvador team at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. During the tournament, he scored their only goal in World Cup history. It came in the infamous 10–1 defeat to Hungary on 15 June 1982, which remains the single biggest loss for a team in the competition's history.
Ramírez Zapata scored 16 goals for the El Salvador national football team from 1971 to 1989.
His final international game was an August 1989 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Trinidad & Tobago.

International goals

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.15 September 1971Estadio Nacional Flor Blanca, San Salvador, El Salvador1–01–01971 CONCACAF Championship qualification
2.9 February 1976Estadio Nacional Flor Blanca, San Salvador, El Salvador1–?1–2Friendly
3.2 May 1976Estadio Revolución, Panama City, Panama1–01–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
4.1 August 1976Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvdor1–04–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
5.1 August 1976Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvdor2–04–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
6.1 August 1976Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvdor4–04–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
7.15 December 1976Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica1–11–11977 CONCACAF Championship qualification
8.8 October 1977Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico1–02–11977 CONCACAF Championship
9.8 October 1977Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey, Mexico2–02–11977 CONCACAF Championship
10.30 September 1980Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador2–13–2Friendly
11.15 June 1982Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain1–51–101982 FIFA World Cup
12.27 June 1984Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador3–13–1Friendly
13.5 August 1984Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico1–03–01985 CONCACAF Championship qualification
14.27 February 1985Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador2–03–01985 CONCACAF Championship
15.16 October 1988Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador4–05–01989 CONCACAF Championship qualification
16.16 October 1988Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador5–05–01989 CONCACAF Championship qualification

Managerial career and personal life

His first job as a manager was at Águila, where he replaced Panamanian coach Gary Stempel in 2007. After his own dismissal, he coached Atlético Balboa and Salvadoran second division side ADI F.C., before joining the Department of Culture and Sports of the San Miguel mayorship. He was sacked by the municipal council in October 2011.

Honours