{{Short description|Argentine footballer and manager (1950–2024)}} {{family name hatnote|Jorge|Espósito|lang=Spanish}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Alberto Jorge | image = | full_name = Alberto Mario Jorge Espósito | birth_date = {{birth date|1950|1|1|df=y}}<ref name=Racing /> | birth_place = Villa Maza, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina<ref name=Racing /> | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|9|3|1950|1|1|df=y}} | height = | position = Midfielder | years1 = 1970–1975 | clubs1 = Racing | caps1 = 167 | goals1 = 39 | years2 = 1975–1980 | clubs2 = León | caps2 = 168 | goals2 = 52 | years3 = 1980–1982 | clubs3 = Atlante | caps3 = 44 | goals3 = 3 | years4 = 1982–1984 | clubs4 = Oaxtepec | caps4 = 52 | goals4 = 23 | manageryears1 = 2000 | managerclubs1 = Racing | manageryears2 = 2002–2003 | managerclubs2 = Toluca | manageryears3 = 2009–2010 | managerclubs3 = Xelajú }}
'''Alberto Mario Jorge Espósito''' (1 January 1950 – 3 September 2024) was an Argentine football player and manager. He spent most of his career in Mexico, where he arrived in 1975 to play with León.
As a manager, he won a Primera División title with Toluca as caretaker, coaching the team in the last four games of the tournament (the two legs of the playoffs semi-finals and the two legs of the final). Jorge is the first caretaker manager to have won a league title in the Liga MX.<ref name=ESPN>{{cite news|title=La Volpe buscará emular a Alberto Jorge|url=http://www.espn.com.mx/futbol/mexico/nota/_/id/2797362/la-volpe-buscara-emular-a-alberto-jorge|publisher=ESPN|date=22 September 2016|access-date=19 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120093439/http://www.espn.com.mx/futbol/mexico/nota/_/id/2797362/la-volpe-buscara-emular-a-alberto-jorge|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Club career== Jorge started his professional football career with Racing Club de Avellaneda in 1970 as a midfielder.<ref name=Racing>{{cite web|title=Ídolos: Alberto Mario Jorge|url=https://www.racingclub.com.ar/idolos/alberto-jorge/|website=RacingClub.com.ar|access-date=19 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120043321/https://www.racingclub.com.ar/idolos/alberto-jorge/|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> During his spell with Racing, Jorge played 167 matches and scored 39 goals. At some point, Jorge was considered by César Luis Menotti in his preliminary lists for the 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentine squad, despite this, knowing that his chances to make it to the World Cup were remote, he decided to continue his career in Mexico.<ref name=Racing />
Alberto Jorge arrived in Mexico in 1975, where he would spend most of his career as a footballer. He first played for León from 1975 to 1980, a club that paid US$12,000 for his transfer.<ref name="1975–76">{{cite web|title=León – Temporada 1975–1976|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1975-1976|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130111729/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1975-1976|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Homenaje a Alberto "Pampa" Jorge|url=https://www.lapampadiaxdia.com.ar/2013/05/provinciales-homenaje-alberto-jorge.html|website=La Pampa Día X Día|date=15 May 2013|access-date=25 January 2019|language=Spanish}}</ref> In five seasons with the club, he played in 168 matches and scored 52 goals.<ref>Sources for his five seasons in León:
* {{cite web|title=León – Temporada 1975–1976|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1975-1976|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130111729/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1975-1976|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=dead}} * {{cite web|title=León – Temporada 1976–1977|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1976-1977|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130112252/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1976-1977|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=live}} * {{cite web|title=León – Temporada 1977–1978|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1977-1978|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130112424/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1977-1978|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=live}} * {{cite web|title=León – Temporada 1978–1979|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1978-1979|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130112256/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1978-1979|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=live}} * {{cite web|title=León – Temporada 1979–1980|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1979-1980|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130111734/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/leon/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1979-1980|archive-date=30 January 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
Jorge then moved to Atlante, where he played from 1980 to 1982, having 44 appearances and scoring three goals.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlante – Temporada 1980–1981|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/atlante/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1980-1981|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224171753/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/atlante/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1980-1981|archive-date=24 February 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Atlante – Temporada 1981–1982|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/atlante/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1980-1981|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224191743/http://www.mediotiempo.com/equipo/futbol/atlante/calendario/ligamx/temporada-1981-1982|archive-date=24 February 2018|access-date=25 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> He was part of the squad that were runners-up to UANL in the 1981–82 season.
In the last stage of his career, Jorge played for Oaxtepec from 1982, the team's first season in the Mexican Primera División, till 1984. As a player for Oaxtepec, Jorge made 52 appearances and scored 23 goals, 21 in the 1982–83 season, including a hat-trick against Atlas.<ref>{{cite news|title=Recuerdos del Ayer: Los Halcones de Oaxtepec|url=https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/765434.recuerdos-del-ayer.html|newspaper=El Siglo de Torreón|date=18 July 2012|access-date=25 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921051414/https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/765434.recuerdos-del-ayer.html|archive-date=21 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Oaxtepec 4–0 Atlas|url=http://www.mediotiempo.com.mx/ficha.php?id_partido=16405|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112032010/http://www.mediotiempo.com.mx/ficha.php?id_partido=16405|archive-date=12 January 2013|access-date=25 January 2019}}</ref> Also, he was the runner-up top scorer for the Mexican Primera División that season, second to América's Norberto Outes, who scored 22 goals, only one more than Jorge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesm/mex83.html|title=Mexico 1982/83|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF)|accessdate=25 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708175108/http://rsssf.com/tablesm/mex83.html|archive-date=8 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Managerial career== ===Toluca=== Jorge was appointed interim head coach of Toluca in the playoffs of the Apertura 2002, after Uruguayan Wilson Graniolatti resigned as manager of the team.<ref name=Siglo>{{cite news|title=Argentino Alberto Jorge, nuevo DT del Toluca|url=https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/12694.argentino-alberto-jorge-nuevo-dt-del-toluca.html|newspaper=El Siglo de Torreón|date=10 December 2002|access-date=19 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120043211/https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/12694.argentino-alberto-jorge-nuevo-dt-del-toluca.html|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
For the Apertura 2002 tournament, Ricardo La Volpe was the manager of the club for the regular part of the tournament, but was called to manage Mexico national football team just before the beginning of the playoff round of the tournament. La Volpe's assistant coach, Wilson Graniolatti, was then promoted to head coach.<ref name=ESPN /><ref>{{cite news|title=Wilson Graniolatti regresa como director técnico del Toluca|url=https://www.excelsior.com.mx/2011/11/15/adrenalina/783715|newspaper=Excélsior|date=15 November 2011|access-date=25 January 2019|language=Spanish}}</ref>
Claiming differences with Toluca's management after they tried to bring La Volpe back to the team, Graniolatti resigned as head coach after the quarterfinal round of the playoffs, despite winning and qualifying to the semi-final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Renuncia Graniolatti al Toluca "por dignidad"|url=http://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/106972.html|newspaper=El Universal|date=7 December 2002|access-date=19 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120043339/http://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/106972.html|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Alberto Jorge, then head of the Reserves and Academy was appointed manager of the team for the semi-finals round of the tournament.<ref name=ESPN /><ref name=Siglo />
Toluca won at the semi-finals and advanced to the final against Morelia, which they won, becoming champions of the Primera División. Managing Toluca for only four games (the two legs of the semi-final and two legs of the final), Alberto Jorge became the first caretaker manager, and as of today, the only one, to win the Primera División title.<ref name=ESPN />
Jorge was re-signed for the Clausura 2003 tournament, but was fired in October 2003 and Ricardo Ferretti took his position for the rest of the tournament, despite winning the Primera División title in the previous tournament and leading Deportivo Toluca to the 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sorprende en Toluca la presentación de Ferreti|url=https://www.jornada.com.mx/2003/10/02/23an2dep.php?origen=deportes.php&fly=|newspaper=La Jornada|date=2 October 2003|access-date=19 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120093540/https://www.jornada.com.mx/2003/10/02/23an2dep.php?origen=deportes.php&fly=|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Xelajú=== Jorge arrived to Guatemalan football for the 2009–2010 season as manager of Club Xelajú MC.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fútbol: el pampa arribó a Guatemala|url=https://lahora.gt/hemeroteca-lh/futbol-el-pampa-arribo-a-guatemala/|newspaper=La Hora|date=18 August 2009|access-date=19 January 2019|language=Spanish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120043119/https://lahora.gt/hemeroteca-lh/futbol-el-pampa-arribo-a-guatemala/|archive-date=20 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> He resigned from the position in March 2010 and was succeeded by Argentine Horacio Cordero.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cordero renuncia como DT al Xelajú|url=http://espndeportes.espn.com/noticias/nota?s=gua&id=1141702&type=story|publisher=ESPN Deportes|agency=EFE|date=27 September 2010|access-date=24 January 2019|language=Spanish}}</ref>
==Death== Jorge died on 3 September 2024, at the age of 74.<ref>[https://www.espn.com.mx/futbol/mexico/nota/_/id/14125706/alberto-jorge-murio-toluca-entrenador-campeon Muere Alberto Jorge, campeón con Toluca en Apertura 2002] {{in lang|es}}</ref>
==Honours== ===Managerial=== '''Toluca''' * Primera División: Apertura 2002
==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * {{sports links}}
{{Liga MX winning managers}} {{Racing Club de Avellaneda managers}} {{Deportivo Toluca managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jorge, Alberto}} Category:1950 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Argentine men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers Category:Club León footballers Category:Atlante F.C. footballers Category:C.F. Oaxtepec footballers Category:Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Category:Argentine football managers Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Category:Deportivo Toluca F.C. managers Category:CSD Xelajú MC managers Category:Expatriate football managers in Mexico Category:20th-century Argentine sportsmen Category:Argentine expatriate men's footballers