Ten years have passed since the departure from this world of Salvador 'Chava' Reyes and since then, there has not been a single day in which the Rojiblanca Nation does not remember him with affection and nostalgia. Nothing less could be expected, since he has been the maximum standard bearer in the history of our club by faithfully representing what it means to live by and for Guadalajara, in addition to eternalizing a phrase that identifies us: "I am not Chiva by heart, I am Chiva by birth".
Chava' was born on September 20, 1936 the blood running through his veins red and white inherited from his father, Luis Reyes, who was one of the main strikers for the Guadalajara team in the early days of professional soccer in Mexico.
His early love for Chivas, nurtured from a very young age having been the 'mascot' and a ball boy during his childhood at El Rebaño Sagrado's matches. After standing out in the SUTAJ team, one of the most important amateur teams in Jalisco, 'Chava' joined the ranks of Guadalajara and with only 16 years of age, the Argentinean coach José María Casullo gave him the opportunity to make his debut against León in 1953 and leave his name inscribed as the youngest player to make a debut in the national championship with the most beloved and popular team in the country.
The famous 'Melon' began to write his brilliant history as a red and white player on Sunday, November 29, 1953, when he scored his first goal, in a match against El Oro, and from then on, he added goals in bunches to become the top scorer in the history of the institution in the League with 122 goals, a record that was maintained for more than 40 years, above all, he always appeared in the decisive moments to score goals that filled the club with glory.
One of them came on the night of Thursday, January 3, 1957, on the penultimate matchday of the 1956-1957 season, when he scored the goal with which Chivas defeated Irapuato 1-0 to win its first league title and unleash euphoria at Parque Oro, where someone even took his shoe to treasure it as an invaluable piece of Guadalajara's history.
Salvador Reyes' footballing growth was vital for the team's transformation into the 'Campeonísimo', winning another 6 League trophies up to 1965, the top scorer for six consecutive seasons, including 1961-62, when he scored 21 goals to become Goleo Champion, a distinction he shared with Carlos 'Charro' Lara from Zacatepec.
The 'Melon's' skill for scoring goals was also fundamental for the National Team, he scored the goal that gave Mexico the qualification to the 1962 World Cup in a play-off against Paraguay. With the national team, 'Chava' participated in 3 World Cups: Sweden 58, Chile 62 and England 66. In addition, in 1962, in the Final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, he scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Comunicaciones of Guatemala to give Chivas the first international title in its history.
He also shone brightly on Guadalajara's first tour of Europe in 1964, scoring 8 of the 12 goals that El Rebaño Sagrado scored in 10 matches, including 2 against Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium. The legend of Salvador Reyes also grew with his participation in the Clásicos against América, as he is the red and white player who has scored the most goals against the Águilas with 14, a figure that filled him with pride, but unselfishly, his wish was that someone could be a consistent goal scorer to surpass his record against the fierce rival.
And although when he retired as a professional player he left marks that were difficult to break, none like the one he set on Saturday, January 19, 2008, when, at the age of 71, he became the oldest player to participate in an official Liga MX match, when he did so in the first minute of the match against Pumas on Day One of the Clausura Tournament, in an unprecedented tribute from the board of directors.
But that was not the only recognition from the institution for its legendary striker, as it also paid tribute to him by naming the Press Box at the Estadio Akron after him, and the memory of Don 'Chava' will live on, in addition to the number 8 being retired in a ceremony prior to the start of the 2013 Clausura Tournament.
Before colon cancer unexpectedly affected his health until his death on December 29, 2012, Salvador Reyes collaborated with Club Deportivo Guadalajara as a scout and forwards coach in the Basic Forces, which allowed him to share the enormous experience he had acquired throughout his life in soccer and which also earned him the constant affection of the staff and fans thanks to his permanent charisma and admirable human qualities.
