Antonio Carbajal

Born in Mexico City, Carbajal became a professional footballer with the local Club España in 1948, after having been in the squad that participated at the Olympic tournament in 1948. After the disappearance of España in 1950, he joined Club León, where he would remain until the end of his career.

Carbajal made his international debut with the Mexico national team in the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 24 June 1950, against World Cup hosts Brazil. He was the youngest goalkeeper to play in that tournament, at the age of 21. He appeared in one match at the 1954 World Cup, against France, and in three at the 1958 tournament; at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, he became the first footballer ever to appear in four World Cups, also helping his team win its first-ever World Cup match when they defeated Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the first round. Four years later Carbajal, aged 37, established another landmark with his fifth World Cup appearance, being chosen as the starting keeper for his team's final group stage appearance, a 0–0 draw against Uruguay, to honor the occasion. In total, Carbajal appeared in 48 international matches for Mexico. In 11 World Cup matches from 1950 to 1966, he conceded 25 goals, a record that was tied by Saudi goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea in 2002, in 10 matches across three tournaments (1994, 1998 and 2002); the heavy 8–0 loss to Germany in the 2002 tournament factored heavily into this. Along with German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, he also holds the record for most consecutive World Cup appearances without a clean sheet (10). Carbajal's record of appearing at five World Cup tournaments stood unmatched for over 30 years, when it was equalled by German midfielder Lothar Matthäus in 1998. It has since been emulated by his compatriot Rafael Márquez in…

After retiring as a player, he became a manager in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with Club León, Unión de Curtidores, Atletas Campesinos and Atlético Morelia. He twice won both the Copa México as Campeón de Campeones with Club Leon in the early 1970s. Then he managed Unión de Curtidores in the only two seasons this club advanced to the play-offs, and was awarded Primera División's best coach one time. He achieved the championship in Segunda División with Atletas Campesinos in partnership with Antonio Ascencio. During the 1984–85 season, Carbajal was appointed as manager for Atlético Morelia; he helped the team avoid relegation in his first season. He went on to manage the team for over a decade, where the team qualified various times to the postseason, including two semi-finals.

Carbajal died on 9 May 2023, at the age of 93. He had been hospitalised the week prior with blood pressure problems. From January 2023 until his death in May 2023, Carbajal was the last surviving player from the 1950 World Cup.