Mexico CityFormer Mexican footballer Jorge Rodríguez died on Thursday at the age of 56 after spending several days hospitalized and in poor health, the Toluca club reported on its social networks.
“The board of directors, coaching staff, players and administrative staff of Deportivo Toluca Futbol Club deeply regret the sensitive death of Jorge Rodríguez Esquivel, former player who won the Cup in 1989 with our institution,” the team from the State of Mexico posted on its official X account.
Nicknamed “Mudo,” he retired from professional football in 1997 after being diagnosed with Fisher Evans syndrome, a disease in which the immune system attacks brain tissue.
Rodríguez Esquivel made his debut in the First Division of Mexican soccer at the end of the eighties with the Diablos Rojos del Toluca, and later played for Santos Laguna, the team with which he was crowned champion in 1996.
Likewise, “El Mudo” participated with the Mexican national team in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where he missed a penalty against Bulgaria in the round of 16, and in the 1993 Gold Cup, where El Tri won its fourth international trophy.
Several players and former players lamented the death of Rodríguez Esquivel on their social networks.
“Rest in peace Jorge Rodríguez. My deepest condolences to the entire family at this time. What a great pain, a great player but an even better person has passed away,” former footballer Carlos Hermosillo posted.
A few days ago, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) mistakenly announced the death of Rodríguez Esquivel, for which he had to publicly apologize.
“We made an internal error by not corroborating the information. We offer an apology to the Rodríguez Esquivel family and to Club Toluca. We send our most sincere support,” the organization wrote on its social networks after deleting a post where they sent condolences to the family of the former footballer.
