View source for Oreste Corbatta

{{short description|Argentine footballer}}
{{family name hatnote|Corbatta|Fernández|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
 | name = Oreste Corbatta
 | image = Orestes_Omar_Corbatta_(Racing)_-_El_Gr%C3%A1fico_1932.jpg
 | image_size = 250px
 | caption = Corbatta on the cover of ''[[El Gráfico (Argentina)|El Gráfico]]'', 1955
 | fullname = Oreste Osmar Corbatta Fernández
 | birth_date = {{birth date|1936|3|11|df=yes}}
 | birth_place = [[Daireaux]], [[Argentina]]
 | death_date = {{death date and age|1991|12|5|1936|3|11|df=yes}}
 | death_place = [[La Plata]], Argentina
 | height = {{convert|1.65|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}
 | position = [[Forward (association football)#Winger|Winger]]
 | clubnumber =
 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = [[Estudiantes de La Plata|Estudiantes LP]]
 | youthyears2 = 1953–1955 | youthclubs2 = Juverlandia
 | years1 = 1955–1962 | clubs1 = [[Racing Club de Avellaneda|Racing Club]] | caps1 = 177 | goals1 = 72
 | years2 = 1962–1965 | clubs2 = [[Boca Juniors]] | caps2 = 18 | goals2 = 7
 | years3 = 1965–1968 | clubs3 = [[Independiente Medellín]] | caps3 = 145 | goals3 = 34
 | years4 = 1970 | clubs4 = [[Club Atlético San Telmo|San Telmo]] | caps4 = 33 | goals4 = 10
 | years5 = 1971 | clubs5 = Italia Unidos | caps5 = | goals5 = 
 | years6 = 1973–1974 | clubs6 = [[Tiro Federal]] | caps6 = | goals6 =
 | totalcaps = | totalgoals = 
 | nationalyears1 = 1956–1962 | nationalteam1 = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] | nationalcaps1 = 43 | nationalgoals1 = 18
}}

'''Oreste Osmar Corbatta Fernández''' (11 March 1936 – 5 December 1991) was an Argentine [[association football|footballer]] who played as [[forward (association football)#Winger|right winger]]. Corbatta is regarded as the greatest idol in the history of Racing Club.<ref name=canio/>

Dubbed ''[[Harlequin|Arlequín]]''<ref name="SOLO">[http://www.lagaceta.com.ar/nota/303666/deportes/que_fue_solo.html El que se fue solo (The departed alone)]; ''[[La Gaceta (Tucumán)|La Gaceta]]'', 5 December 2008</ref> and ''El dueño de la raya'' (The chairman of the sideline), he played for five clubs in his country –six in total– mainly [[Racing Club de Avellaneda|Racing Club]] and [[Boca Juniors]], winning four major titles and scoring 86 official goals with both teams combined.

An accomplished [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty kick]] taker and widely regarded as the best Argentine right winger of all time, Corbatta earned more than 40 [[Cap (sport)|caps]] for [[Argentina national football team|the national side]] in the 50s/60s, and represented the country at the [[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958 World Cup]].

==Club career==
Born in [[Daireaux]], [[Buenos Aires Province]] to an Italian immigrant from [[Recanati]] and an Argentine mother,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCTaDAAAQBAJ&dq=corbatta+recanati&pg=PT15|title=Corbatta: El wing|trans-title=Corbatta: The wing|publisher=Aguilar|author=Alejandro Wall|language=es|date=2016|isbn=9789877351439}}</ref> Corbatta gave his first steps in football playing for [[Estudiantes de La Plata]] at 14 years old. In 1953 he joined Club Juverlandia of [[Chascomús]] to play the Liga Platense regional championship. His performances on the field called the attention of [[Racing Club de Avellaneda]], who hired him on loan for one year.<ref name=factory>{{Cite web |url=http://futbolfactory.futbolweb.net/index.php?ff=historicos&f2=00001&idjugador=417 |title=Futbol Factory biography |access-date=26 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020025332/http://futbolfactory.futbolweb.net/index.php?ff=historicos&f2=00001&idjugador=417 |archive-date=20 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Corbatta started his professional career on 30 April 1955, making his debut in [[Argentine Primera División]] in a 0–1 loss against [[Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata|Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata]]. Corbatta was one of the ''La Academía'' key players that helped the team to win the [[1958 Argentine Primera División|1958]] and [[1961 Argentine Primera División|1961]] league titles.<ref name=RACING>{{cite web|url=https://www.racingclub.com.ar/idolos/oreste-corbatta/|title=Oreste Corbatta|publisher=Racing Club|language=es|date=17 December 1991|access-date=8 September 2017}}</ref>

In 1963, Corbatta joined [[Boca Juniors]] for 12 million [[Argentine peso|pesos]], with which Racing was able to improve the conditions in its stadium and build new sporting facilities. On 19 May 1963, he scored all the goals in a 3–0 home win against [[Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield|Vélez Sarsfield]], and also featured in [[1963 Copa Libertadores|that year]]'s [[Copa Libertadores]] final loss against [[Pelé]]'s [[Santos FC]]; in his final two years in ''[[La Bombonera]]'', he added a further two national championships.

Corbatta joined [[Independiente Medellín]] in 1965, remaining in [[Colombia]] for three years. He returned to his country for spells with lower league sides [[Club Atlético San Telmo|San Telmo]], Italia Unidos and [[Tiro Federal]], retiring from football at the age of 38.<ref name=RACING/> During his professional career, he only missed four of 68 [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalties]].<ref name="SOLO"/>

==International career==
Corbatta played a total of 43 games for [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] in which he scored 18 goals, at one time ranking in joint-13th place with [[Domingo Tarasconi]].<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/arg-recintlp.html Argentina – Record International Players]; at [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF]]</ref> He was part of the [[Copa América|South American Championship]]-winning team in [[1957 South American Championship|1957]], when he formed a legendary attacking line with [[Humberto Maschio]], [[Antonio Angelillo]], [[Omar Sívori]] and [[Osvaldo Héctor Cruz]]. They were nicknamed the ''Carasucias'', and that was the first Argentine achievement with a great repercussion on the media.<ref name=mediat>[https://www.espn.com.ar/futbol/copa-america/nota/_/id/2668817/la-primera-delantera-mediatica-de-argentina La primera delantera mediática] by Roberto Martínez on ESPN, 7 May 2016</ref> Because of his great performance in the tournament, a Chilean journalist defined Corbatta as "the animated cartoon player".<ref name=factory/> With Corbatta in the team, Argentina would repeat the feat in [[1959 South American Championship (Argentina)|1959]].

Corbatta also appeared in the [[1958 FIFA World Cup]] in Sweden, contributing with three goals in three games in an eventual group stage exit.<ref>{{FIFA|47957}}</ref>

==Personal life / Tribute==
Corbatta struggled heavily with [[alcoholism]], playing several games in a state of full inebriation. [[Literacy|Illiterate]], he never learned to read.<ref name="SOLO"/><ref>[http://www.notasdefutbol.com/personajes/de-noches-alcohol-y-omar-orestes-corbatta#c114559 De noches, alcohol y Omar Orestes Corbatta (Nights out, booze and Omar Orestes Corbatta)]; Notas de Fútbol, 28 March 2008 {{in lang|es}}</ref>

Poor and alone – he married and divorced four times – Corbatta died of [[Laryngeal cancer|larynx cancer]] in [[La Plata]] in 1991, aged 55.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE8D6FF2B2ADCC&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Just for kicks|publisher=Newsbank|date=17 December 1991|access-date=11 August 2009}}</ref> In 2006, to mark the 15th anniversary of his death, he was inaugurated into the Racing Club Hall of Fame, and a bronze statue by Daniel Zimermann was unveiled. The Avellaneda municipality renamed the stadium's backstreet to "Pasaje Corbatta" in his honor.<ref name=RACING/>

"Don't pass me the ball because I can't see it", from Corbatta to teammate Raúl Belén before a Racing v [[Estudiantes de La Plata]] match. Corbatta had arrived in [[El Cilindro|Racing Club Stadium]] so heavily drunk that he needed to be reanimated by club employees. Although he could not be completely recovered, he jumped to the field and scored two goals.<ref name=canio>[http://revistauncanio.com.ar/los-siete-locos/el-dueno-de-la-raya/ El dueño de la raya] by Damián Didonato on ''Un Caño''</ref>

{{cquote|Do you know why (my rivals) could not take me the ball away? Because "she"{{refn|Corbatta referred the ball using the feminine form, as it's usual in some South American countries to express love for the game.|group=note|name=femen}} didn't want to abandon me. Other things were indeed taken away from me, but not the ball.|author= Corbatta in an interview, remembering his skills with the ball and his back luck with women <ref=canio/>}}

{{cquote|Corbatta was a phenomenal player. He did imposible things. He was crazy, but about football. When he dribbled it seemed that rivals could never take the ball away from him. He became an idol of ''Limeños'' (people from [[Lima]]). After the 3–0 win over Brazil, he was acclaimed by the whole attendance, giving his shirt to them as retribution.<ref name=mediat/>|author=Humberto Maschio, Corbatta's teammate in Racing Club and Argentina national team}}

==Honours==
===Club===
'''Racing'''
* [[Argentine Primera División|Primera División]]: [[1958 Argentine Primera División|1958]], [[1961 Argentine Primera División|1961]]

'''Boca Juniors'''
* [[Argentine Primera División|Primera División]]: [[1964 Argentine Primera División|1964]], [[1965 Argentine Primera División|1965]]
* [[Copa Libertadores]] runner-up: [[1963 Copa Libertadores|1963]]

===International===
'''Argentina'''
* [[Copa América|South American Championship]]: [[1957 South American Championship|1957]], [[1959 South American Championship (Argentina)|1959]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Oreste Corbatta}}
*{{NFT|18620}}

{{Argentina squad 1957 South American Championship}}
{{Argentina squad 1958 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Argentina squad 1959 South American Championship (Argentina)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbatta, Omar Oreste}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Buenos Aires Province]]
[[Category:Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Argentine men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football wingers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Argentine Primera División players]]
[[Category:Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers]]
[[Category:Boca Juniors footballers]]
[[Category:Tiro Federal footballers]]
[[Category:Categoría Primera A players]]
[[Category:Independiente Medellín footballers]]
[[Category:Argentina men's international footballers]]
[[Category:1958 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Copa América–winning players]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Colombia]]
[[Category:20th-century Argentine sportsmen]]
[[Category:People of Marchesan descent]]