Bernabé Ferreyra
|
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 | |||
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.
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)