Teodoro Fernández is a former Peruvian forward who was active during the 1930's era. The Peruvian footballer played his entire club career at Universitario, where he spent 22 years from 1931 till 1953. He is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in both the Peruvian First Division and his club Universitario de Deportes.
His heroics extended to the international stage as well. Fernández is still remembered to this date for his legendary performance in the 1939 Copa América. Not only did he lead his nation to Copa América glory, but the Peruvian finished the tournament as both best player and top scorer.
Let us now look back at his legendary career.
Early years
It was during his primary school years that Fernández engaged in football, and he was soon selected by local club Huracán de Hualcará where he immediately stood out. By the time he was 16, the Peruvian youngster was sent by his parents to Lima for continue his studies.
Fernández stayed with his brother Arturo Fernandez, who was surprisingly the goalkeeper for Peru club Ciclista Lima. When his brother Arturo was transferred to first-division Universitario de Deportes, he brought Fernández along with him. It was at Universitario where he played a bit of football in training and was introduced to the club's president, former 1930 World Cup player Placido Galindo. The president was impressed after meeting him, and he was eventually signed by the club. It was the beginning of a beautiful chapter, one that lasted for 22 years.
A legend of the Peruvian league
The Peruvian forward made his professional debut against Club Deportivo Magallanes in a friendly match on 29th November 1931, scoring the game's only goal. This was the just an indication of great things to come.
In his first season with the club in 1932, Fernández became the Peruvian top scorer, while his team finished second. The following year, the same feat was repeated.
Universitario de Deportes finally achieved glory in 1934, as Fernández led the division in scoring, and won them the Primera División Peruana trophy for the second time in its history. He later managed to win the league title on 5 occasions with them, and he finished his career with 6 league triumphs (1934, 1939, 1941, 1945, 1946 and 1949).
Fernández was one of the finest forwards of his era, which saw numerous clubs from Chile, Argentina, and Europe make offers for him. However, he rejected all of them, including one that astonishingly offered him a blank cheque. Such was the quality of this player.
The legendary Peruvian played his final game for Universitario on 30th August 1953,at the age of 40. His final game was the Peruvian Super Classic between Universitario and Alianza Lima, where he scored one final hat-trick to help his team win 4-2.
Thus, he bowed out in the most memorable fashion. Fernández left the club with a commendable 161 goals scored in 180 games.
International legacy
Fernández was an integral member of the Peru national side as well, for whom he played between 1935 and 1947. He scored 24 goals in 32 appearances during this period, and is still the fourth top scorer in history for his country.
He took part in the 1936 Olympic Games with Peru, as he led them all the way till quarters after beating Finland and Austria. Fernández scored 6 goals in just 2 appearances. His Peru side also won gold in the 1938 Bolivarian Games.
His greatest success came in 1939, as Fernández and his Peru side stunned the world by defeating Uruguay 2-1 in the 1939 Copa América final. It was a legendary feat, as Uruguay were one of the finest teams in world football at the time. They had won gold in the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics and had won the first World Cup in 1930. Peru had done the impossible.
As for Fernández, he finished the tournament as top scorer with 7 goals and led them to glory.
He will forever be remembered in the history books of Peruvian football.
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