Bernabé Ferreyra
Bernabé Ferreyra (12 February 1909 – 22 May 1972) was an Argentine association football forward. He was one of the first professional players in Argentine football to reach great popularity, to the point that he had a movie biography. Ferreyra ranks 6th. among the all-time Primera División top scorers, with an average of almost 1 goal per match (233/234). At the end of his active career in 1939, Ferryra had achieved a record of having more goals than matches played.
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A young Ferreyra c. 1924 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 February 1909 | ||
| Place of birth | Rufino, Argentina | ||
| Date of death | 22 May 1972 (aged 63) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1927–1932 | Tigre | 43 | (45) |
| 1930–1931 | → Vélez Sársfield (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1932–1939 | River Plate | 185 | (187) |
| International career | |||
| 1930–1937 | Argentina | 4 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Throughout his career he was known as "El Mortero de Rufino" ("the mortar of Rufino" referring to the tremendous potency of his shot), due to his capacity as a striker and his strong kick. He was also known as La Fiera (the fierce). It is said that this nickname was born when Hugo Marini (a journalist for Crítica) overheard a conversation between an old man and a boy, in which the old man said "He's not a man. He's a beast" while referring to Ferreyra.
With his 1932 transfer to River Plate, he became the first association football player in history to be transferred for more than £1 million in modern money terms (£23 000 GBP or £1,328,431.76 in 2023)