Alfredo Bonnard

Alfredo Bonnard
Personal information
Full name	Alfredo Bonnard Jara
Date of birth	3 November 1930
Place of birth	Guayaquil, Ecuador
Date of death	16 April 2024 (aged 93)
Place of death	Guayaquil, Ecuador
Position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1947	México
Senior career*
Years	Team
1947–1950	Panamá Sporting Club
1951	Everest
1952	Norte América
1953–1954	Unión Deportiva Valdez
1957	Barcelona S.C.
1959	Patria
1961–1962	Barcelona S.C.
1963–1966	Patria
International career
1953–1965	Ecuador
	* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alfredo Bonnard Jara (3 November 1930 – 16 April 2024) was an Ecuadorian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of Ecuadorian football.

Biography

Alfredo Bonnard broke into the top flight in 1947 while still a youth player. He was 16 years old when Dantón Marriott placed him between the posts for Panamá. The team's regular starters had left for Barcelona, where they would go on to achieve legendary status. He lacked extensive experience in the position, having started out as a forward for México—a small neighborhood team from La Concordia. Alfredo Bonnard was considered the best goalkeeper of the 1953 South American Championship and, for many, the greatest Ecuadorian goalkeeper of all time.

Early life and club career

Bonnard began playing football in Guayaquil in 1947 with Panamá Sporting Club. He had initially played as a forward for México before establishing himself as a goalkeeper.

In 1951 he joined Everest. In 1952 he moved to Norte América, with whom he won the Campeonato de Guayaquil.

He subsequently played for Unión Deportiva Valdez, winning the Guayaquil championship in 1953 and 1954. He later played for Barcelona S.C. and Patria. He won the Guayaquil championship with Patria in 1959 and with Barcelona in 1961.

International career

Bonnard represented the Ecuador national football team at the 1953 South American Championship, 1955 South American Championship, 1957 South American Championship and 1959 South American Championship. He also represented Ecuador in the qualifying campaigns for the 1962 FIFA World Cup and 1966 FIFA World Cup.

He made 20 international appearances for Ecuador between 1953 and 1965.

1953 South American Championship

Bonnard was one of the outstanding players of Ecuador at the 1953 South American Championship in Lima, Peru.

His performances against Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil were particularly praised by contemporary international press reports. Journalists covering the tournament subsequently selected Bonnard as the best goalkeeper of the competition, ahead of Paraguay's Adolfo Riquelme.