The highest scorer in the history of the blue and claret team and one of the most recognized forwards in national football passed away this Thursday at the age of 91.
Argentine football said goodbye this Thursday to one of its most emblematic figures: José Francisco Sanfilippo died at the age of 91 in Buenos Aires. Undisputed idol of San Lorenzo, champion with the Argentine National Team and owner of a personality as impactful as his goal-scoring ability, the "Nene" became a reference that was impossible to ignore both on and off the pitch.
The news was confirmed by the Boedo club, which honored him with a message full of emotion: "At 91 years old, José Francisco Sanfilippo left this plane. An indelible legend of San Lorenzo and Argentine football who will forever rest in our hearts. Thank you for so much, Nene".
Born on May 4, 1935, in the Flores neighborhood, just a few blocks from where the blue-and-red headquarters would be built decades later, Sanfilippo built a career marked by goals. Coming up through the ranks of San Lorenzo, he debuted in the First Division in 1953 and quickly became one of the great figures of Argentine football.
His name is forever etched in the club's history: he scored 205 official goals wearing the blue-and-red jersey, a record that still keeps him as the top scorer in the team's history. Between 1958 and 1961, he was thetop scorer of the Argentine championship for four consecutive seasons and had his best year in 1960, when he scored 34 goals in 40 matches.
A perfectionist and obsessive about training, he sought to improve every aspect of his finishing. He even built a special structure in the back of his house to practice shooting and minimize errors in front of goal. That hungry mentality for glory made him one of the most feared forwards of his time.
In addition to his extensive career at San Lorenzo, he played for Boca, Nacional de Montevideo, Banfield, Bangu, and Bahia. With the Xeneize, he played in the final of the 1963 Copa Libertadores against Pele's Santos and finished as the top scorer of that edition. His career also included titles in Uruguay and Brazil before returning to the club he loved to retire in 1972 as a two-time champion.
Sanfilippo played in the final of the Copa Libertadores 1963 against Pelé's Santos.
Alongside his club performances, Sanfilippo had a notable stint with the Argentine National Team. He was part of the squad that won the 1957 South American Championship, participated in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden and the 1962 World Cup in Chile, and won the gold medal at the 1955 Pan American Games. With 21 goals in 29 matches, he ranks among the top historical scorers of the Albiceleste.
After retiring, he developed an extensive career as a commentator and panelist on various sports channels, such as Tiempo Nuevo and El Equipo de Primera. His straightforward, provocative, and unfiltered style turned him into a media personality as recognized as the scorer he had been inside the box. Over the years, he starred in memorable television clashes with figures like Sergio Goycochea, Carlos Bilardo, Oscar Ruggeri, and Héctor Veira, always true to a personality that never sought to please everyone.
With his death, one of the great scorers in the history of Argentine football departs, but an indelible mark remains. The forward who lived for goals, who made San Lorenzo his home, and who never stopped saying exactly what he thought.
