From designing his own erratic football kits to switching from playing in goal to up front in the middle of a match Jorge Campos was a maverick in football. Playing 445 times and scoring 35 goals throughout his 16 year career. He won the Mexican Primera Division twice, the CONCACF Champion's Cup, the MLS Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup, the CONCACAF Gold Cup twice and the Mexican Primera Golden Glove five times. Not bad for a 5"6' keeper.
Campos started his career with Mexican club UNAM (Pumas) as a goalkeeper but with Adolfo Rios preferred in goal he asked to be used as a striker. He scored 14 goals that season and became first choice goalkeeper after that. He played over 200 times for Pumas scoring 28 goals, not bad for a keeper, and transferred to Atlante again in Mexico were he played 39 times and scored once which was a bicycle kick.
He moved to America in 1996 and played in the first three seasons of the MLS, first for LA Galaxy for two seasons and then for Chicago Fire. As the MLS works differently he played for Atlante and then Cruz Azul back in Mexico between the spells in America. He was the first major star attracted to the newly formed MLS and he as mist successful with Chicago Fire winning the MLS Cup and the Larry Hunt US Open Cup. He played 43 games for LA Galaxy in his two seasons there.
He returned to Mexico permanently with Pumas, Tigres, Atlante, Pumas again and finally Puebla, calling it a day in 2004 at 38 years old. He played solely as a goalkeeper for the later parts of his career. Campos has a successful spell as the main goalkeeper in the Mexican National Team making 130 appearances across 13 years winning the FIFA Federations Cup 1999 and CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1993 and 1996. Becoming the 6th most capped player for Mexico and one of their best ever players. He never did score for his country though.
Despite his 5 foot 6 inch frame Campos was regraded as one of the best keepers of his generation due to his very modern style of goalkeeping. He would play as a sweeper-keeper made fashionable now in the modern game. He would come charging out of his box, playing with his feet and taking on strikers with risky dribbles. Campos made up for his height with showing fantastic acrobatic ability and speed, which converted well to his early days as playing as a striker. He was known for designing and wearing his own goalkeeping kits which displayed bright colours which he said were used to put off opposing strikers. When UNAM needed a goal he would go up front and the back up keeper would be brought on, a tactic very, very rarely used elsewhere in the game.
The 90s were a strange and wonderful time, especially when it came to football and Campos was the epitome of that. We may never see another goalkeeper quite like him again.
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