Pablo Larios: The 1986 World Cup Keeper Who Lost It All

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The name Pablo Larios Iwasaki refers to one of the best goalkeepers in Mexican soccer. He started playing because he lived across the street from the Agustín “Coruco” Díaz stadium, where he began training as a child.

Years later, he boasted that his strength came from carrying construction materials since his family was dedicated to selling these materials, and he helped in some of the tasks.

Pablo is remembered for his courage, skill, determination in the game, and spectacular saves. He could become the hero of the match, but he could also be the target of criticism for coming out of his area in situations where others in his position would not have done so.

Former player Salvador Reyes described for Marca that Pablo was ahead of his time because of his ability to play with his feet. “The difference is that he was an outstanding penalty area player, he came out quite well, and that was his plus, and he was also a goalkeeper. He was a complete goalkeeper”.

The player was known by the nickname of “Arquero de la Selva” (Goalkeeper of the Jungle) because he was originally from Zacatepec, Morelos. He made his debut as a player in 1980 with Club Zacatepec. In almost two decades as a professional, he was part of the following teams: Cruz Azul, Puebla, and Toros Neza.

He was one of Puebla’s most beloved players because among his achievements is the championship of the 1989 season. Also, he was runner-up with Cruz Azul in the 1986-1987 and 1988-1989 campaigns and the summer of 1997 with Toros Neza.

Pablo’s first call-up to the national team occurred when he was still playing in the second division, and at the time, he was called up by Bora Milutinovic. He was part of the Mexican National Team that participated in the 1986 World Cup, which reached the quarterfinals after losing to Germany. He was the goalkeeper who conceded the fewest goals in a World Cup.

In an interview with Zabalive, former goalkeeper Jorge Campos described Pablo Larios as one of the best players in Mexico’s history. “He had everything, he was complete, I used to tell him sometimes that he was perfect […] He had fine details that not everyone has.”

He referred that Larios always advised him and told him what details he had to improve, which served him to improve.

The “Goalkeeper of the Jungle” revealed that he could migrate to Italy with the Napoli team. The team showed interest in integrating the Mexican, but an injury prevented him from being hired.

One of the most complex stages that Pablo Larios went through was when he decided to retire because his father died, two months later, his wife died, three years later, he lost his son. His mother and one of his sisters died, these last two losses happened with a difference of approximately three years.

During this period, he began to use cocaine, which resulted from family and personal problems. He consumed drugs for between three and four years.

The former national team goalkeeper was detected with a virus that damaged his nasal septum and part of his cheekbone, a situation that meant he had to undergo at least 20 surgeries -the first operation he underwent was poorly performed-. His nose and left cheekbone were reconstructed.

“At the end of the day, I had a slight incrustation from drugs, cocaine, and that’s where I got the virus. When I retired, all this happened to me, and the truth is tough (loss of family members). Then I got into drugs,” he said in an interview for Univision in 2016.

The loss of his son who tried to cross to the U.S.

Pablo Larios Garza, son of goalkeeper Pablo Larios, lost his life when he tried to enter the United States illegally in 2009 because he would attend a concert at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

The former goalkeeper said in 2016 that he was only notified that his son was missing. “He crossed into the United States, he was going to a concert, but his visa had expired, he crossed with two kids,” he told Univision.

The disappearance was reported on September 4, 2009 and the young man’s body was found 4 days later 200 meters from the Bravo River in the town of Granjeno. At the time, the authorities indicated that his death was the result of extreme weather conditions.

The 19-year-old did not tell his parents that he would be crossing the border. “They told us he was on the other side, and they never heard from him again. He died there, we don’t know what happened,” he added. It is a pain, he said, tough to overcome.

Once he overcame his drug addiction, he dedicated his time to giving talks to young people to avoid making the same mistakes he did.

Farewell to Pablo Larios

On January 30th, 2019, Larios Iwasaki had an emergency hospitalization due to intestinal paralysis, which caused him to go into respiratory arrest.

He underwent emergency surgery, but his situation was reported as serious. On January 31st, his death was reported at the age of 58.

After the unfortunate news, Jorge Campos dedicated the following message to him: “The best of all times is gone, even though many people may regret it, especially those who do not know the goal […] I think I was his masterpiece, for all that he trained me. Thank you, idol.”

In an interview with Milenio in 2018, Larios described, “I reached the pinnacle of success and then fell into the world of drugs.”

Source: Infobae