José Villegas (footballer, born 1934)

José Gerardo "Jamaicón" Villegas Tavares (20 June 1934 – 24 December 2021) was a Mexican footballer who played as a defender.

Villegas spent the majority of his professional career at Guadalajara. Together with Sabás Ponce, he holds the record for the most league titles won in Mexican football.^[3]

On the international stage, Villegas represented Mexico at the FIFA World Cup in 1958 and 1962.^[4]

Villegas, known as “El Jamaicón”, was born on June 20, 1934, in the community of La Experiencia, Zapopan, Jalisco. From an early age, he worked in local textile mills to help support his family, while also developing his passion for football. He began his career with Club Deportivo Imperio, where his defensive skills quickly drew attention. At just 15 years old, he was selected for the amateur Jalisco state team, and during a tournament was scouted by La Piedad. He signed with the club and played in the 1952–53 Primera División season. Following the team’s relegation and financial difficulties, he returned to Guadalajara.

In 1953, Villegas joined Guadalajara, making his debut in matchday 4 of the 1953–54 season. He remained with the club until the 1970–71 campaign, becoming a cornerstone of the defense during the celebrated Campeonísimo era. Alongside Sabás Ponce, he was one of only two players to participate in Guadalajara’s first eight league championships. Over the course of his career with the club, he won a total of 18 official titles.

Villegas also represented Mexico at the international level. He was part of the squad that competed in the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden and took part in several international friendlies, including a notable exhibition match against Brazil’s Botafogo, where he faced Garrincha.^[5]

Villegas died on 24 December 2021, at the age of 87.^[6]

While Mexico prepared to play in the World Cup at Chile in 1962 it was said that if Villegas had defeated Garrincha time and time again, surely there was enough defensive strength in the Mexico national team for the World Cup. The Mexican Football Federation went on a tour of trial games with Ignacio Trelles at the head and their first stop was London, England. Trelles decided to line up “Piolín” Mota, a second-string goalkeeper. Mota was quite concerned with the startup but Trelles told him he had nothing to worry about as Villegas would be there to defend the goal. Mexico lost 8–0 against England. As a reporter approached him to interview him on his disappointing performance, he said he missed his mother and days had gone by where he could not eat "birria" and that life was not worth it if he was not in his town.

Another interesting fact was that, even though he had defeated Garrincha in league games, he was so afraid of him during the 1962 World Cup he constantly asked where the attacker was.

A story also tells that one day he sneaked out of a dinner that was served to the Mexican team in Lisbon, prior to the Sweden World Cup of 1958. The trainer was made aware of this and found him in the Hotel garden, sitting under a tree hugging his legs and looking at the stars with melancholy. As he asked him if he had eaten dinner and everything was Ok, “Jamaicón” answered “How can I eat dinner if that was prepared for a bunch of presumptuous people? All I want are my “chalupas”, some “sopes” and not that trash that's not even Mexican”.

Ever since, the phenomenon of Mexicans missing Mexico when they are out of the country is known as “The Jamaicón Syndrome”.^[7][8]

Guadalajara

• Primera División de México: 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1969–70

• Calderón Cardoso, Carlos (2006). Anecdotario del futbol Mexicano. Ediciones del Futbolista. ISBN 9685382409.