Carlos Humberto Caszely Garrido (born 5 July 1950 in Santiago, Chile) is a Chilean former footballer, nicknamed "Rey del metro cuadrado" (English: King of the square meter, Portuguese: O Rei do Metro Quadrado), who played as a forward.
Regarded as one of Chile's most important players, between 1969 and 1985, Caszely won 48 caps and scored 29 goals for the Chile national team, including participations in the 1974 and 1982World Cups.
Caszely played for several football teams in his career, including Colo-Colo (1968–1973), Levante UD (1973–1975), RCD Espanyol (1975–1978), finally returning to Colo-Colo (1978–1985). He ended his career with Barcelona SC in 1986.
International career
During the opening 1974 FIFA World Cup match against West Germany, Caszely was given a red card by the match referee, Doğan Babacan, becoming the first player to be sent off in this manner. Red and yellow cards had already been introduced in the past World Cup (1970). In the 1982 World Cup he missed a penalty against Austria. In June 1976, Caszely played for the national team of Catalonia in a friendly against the Soviet Union, providing an assist to Johan Neeskens.[1]
Personal life
His grandson, Franco Garrido Caszely, is a youth player from the Colo-Colo youth system.[2]
Political views
He was revered by many Chileans as a supporter of the left under the Pinochet dictatorship and as one of the few leading Chilean footballers to declare his opposition to the regime.[3][4]
Today he works as a host for several sport related TV shows on Canal 13, a Chilean-based TV station and plays football at amateur level for a team called "Colo-Colo 1973", composed of former Colo-Colo players.
