Carlos Horacio Salinas, known as 'el Loco', died on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at the age of 70. The former forward, who played for San Lorenzo de Almagro, Boca Juniors, and Independiente, left a mark on Argentine football with decisive goals and a complex personal life. The news was confirmed by the outlet Clarín Deportes.
Salinas's death comes at a difficult time for San Lorenzo, who sit 14th in the Liga Profesional Argentina with just 7 points from seven games. The team is coming off a 1-0 loss to Instituto Cordoba, marking two consecutive defeats and a negative goal difference of 2 scored and 5 conceded. The next challenge is a key home match against 15th-placed Talleres de Cordoba on September 5, a direct rival in the league standings.
What did Carlos Salinas do for San Lorenzo?
Carlos Horacio Salinas wore the San Lorenzo de Almagro shirt in 1980. His most remembered moment with the club was a penalty. In a crucial match for survival, he scored the equalizing goal that kept the team in the penultimate position, avoiding an imminent relegation. Salinas himself recalled that play years later. "I wasn't supposed to take it, really, but I grabbed the ball because my teammates were all behind the goal holding their socks, nobody wanted to take it," he said. "Before I kicked it, the goalkeeper was already diving to one post, so I placed it to the other, no problem, and went off to celebrate." That coolness under pressure remains etched in the memory of the fans.
What was his career at other clubs?
His career began at Chacarita Juniors, where he scored 19 goals in 96 matches between 1976 and 1977. In 1978, he made the leap to Boca Juniors. With the Xeneize, he won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup that same year. In the world final against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Salinas scored the third goal in the 3-0 victory. He played 129 games and scored 18 goals for Boca, but also faced a 25-match suspension for assaulting referee Abel Gnecco. Later, in the 1981/82 season, he wore the Independiente shirt, making 22 appearances and scoring 6 goals.
What was his life off the pitch like?
Salinas's life was far from quiet. In 1985, he was sentenced to prison in Devoto jail for an alleged drug trafficking offense, a charge that was later overturned. Three years later, on October 26, 1988, he attempted to take his own life by jumping from the 11th floor of his apartment. He survived that episode and in his later years lived in the Caballito neighborhood of Buenos Aires. He was a father to two daughters and a grandfather to three granddaughters. In an interview, he described himself: "I am a person who was born to play football, in San Miguel de Tucumán, Ciudadela neighborhood, from a very humble family, son of Doña Angélica and Don Francisco, the youngest of seven siblings. A good person, a decent person."
What is San Lorenzo's current context?
The club's present is far from those days fighting against relegation, but it faces its own challenges. With only two wins in seven matches, the team needs to find its way quickly. The current squad, which you can review on our player list, has the task of reversing a streak of two straight losses. The match on Saturday, September 5, against Talleres at the Nuevo Gasómetro represents an immediate opportunity to earn vital points and move away from the lower part of the table. The details of this and all upcoming fixtures are available on our fixtures page.
