Sergio Goycochea Explained

Sergio Goycochea
Fullname:	Sergio Javier Goycochea
Birth Date:	17 October 1963
Height:	1.85 m
Birth Place:	Zárate, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Position:	Goalkeeper
Years1:	1979–1982
Years2:	1982–1988
Years3:	1988–1990
Years4:	1990–1991
Years5:	1991
Years6:	1992
Years7:	1992–1993
Years8:	1993–1994
Years9:	1994–1995
Years10:	1995–1996
Years11:	1996–1997
Years12:	1997–1998
Clubs1:	Defensores Unidos
Clubs2:	River Plate
Clubs3:	Millonarios
Clubs4:	Racing Club
Clubs5:	Brest
Clubs6:	Cerro Porteño
Clubs7:	Olimpia
Clubs8:	River Plate
Clubs9:	Mandiyú
Clubs10:	Internacional
Clubs11:	Vélez Sársfield
Clubs12:	Newell's Old Boys
Caps2:	58
Caps3:	39
Caps4:	35
Caps5:	11
Caps8:	16
Caps9:	30
Caps10:	22
Caps11:	2
Caps12:	13
Goals2:	0
Goals3:	0
Goals4:	0
Goals5:	0
Goals8:	0
Goals9:	0
Goals10:	0
Goals11:	0
Goals12:	0
Totalcaps:	226
Totalgoals:	0
Nationalyears1:	1981
Nationalteam1:	Argentina U20
Nationalcaps1:	3
Nationalgoals1:	0
Nationalyears2:	1987–1994
Nationalteam2:	Argentina
Nationalcaps2:	44
Nationalgoals2:	0

Sergio Javier Goycochea (pronounced as /es/; born 17 October 1963) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for helping his country reach the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final with his penalty kick saves.^[1]

Career

Goycochea was the substitute for Nery Pumpido both in River Plate and in the Argentina national team, and got his big break in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. When Pumpido broke his leg in Argentina's second group game against the Soviet Union, Goycochea stepped in and remained the team's starting goalkeeper for the remainder of the tournament. In the knockout stage, Goycochea effectively played a huge part in keeping Argentina in the tournament; he kept a clean sheet in the 1–0 Second Round victory over Brazil and saved penalties in the quarter-final and semi-final penalty shootout victories against Yugoslavia and Italy. He was also close to saving the game-winning penalty kick from Andreas Brehme at the 1990 World Cup final against Germany, which Argentina lost 1–0.^[2] He was chosen as the goalkeeper of the Cup's All-Star Team. Reflecting on the 1990 tournament, Goycochea told FIFA.com “To my mind, it was as if we were world champions again anyway”. ^[3]

El Goyco also played a few months in 1991 for the team Stade Brestois 29 from Brest in the region of Brittany, which was then named Brest Armorique, and was in the French second division and included players David Ginola, Corentin Martins and Stéphane Guivarc'h. Nonetheless, the team went bankrupt in November of that year, and was moved to the third division and lost its professional-team status.

With the national team, Goycochea also won the 1991 Copa América, 1992 FIFA Confederations Cup, 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup, and 1993 Copa América. On the occasion of that 1993 Copa América tournament, Goycochea appeared on TV commercials for a Pepsi promotion by PepsiCo's division in Guayaquil. He also was on TV commercials for Adidas soccer apparel some years later.

His last name, Goycochea, spelled without e, but which other people of the same genealogy spell as Goycoechea, is derived from the Basque surname Goikoetxea meaning topmost house (from goiko "of the top" and etxe "house"). Sergio is frequently nicknamed thus El Vasco, but also El Goyco.