José Milton Melgar

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Melgar and the second or maternal family name is Soruco.

Milton Melgar

Personal information
Full name	José Milton Melgar Soruco
Date of birth	September 20, 1959 (1959-09-20)
Place of birth	Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1979–1985	Blooming	211 total	(43)
1985–1988	Boca Juniors	92	(3)
1988–1989	River Plate	23	(0)
1989–1990	Bolívar	62	(7)
1990	Oriente Petrolero	?	(?)
1991	Blooming	(see above)
1992	Everton (VdM)	?	(?)
1993	The Strongest	?	(?)
1994–1995	Cobreloa	?	(?)
1995	Bolívar	?	(?)
1996	Real Santa Cruz	22	(2)
1997	Blooming	(see above)
National team
1980–1997	Bolivia	89	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

José Milton Melgar Soruco (born September 20, 1959 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra) is a retired Bolivian football midfielder. In 2006, he was appointed by the Bolivian Government under President Evo Morales as Minister of Sports, but he resigned a year later. He currently runs his own youth football academy in his hometown.

Playing career

Club

At the club level, Melgar played for Blooming, Bolívar, Oriente Petrolero and Real Santa Cruz in Bolivia, as well as Everton (VdM) and Cobreloa in Chile.

He also played in Argentina for the two giants and fierce rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate.

In addition, during his career, he also had 53 Copa Libertadores appearances with 2 goals scored.

International

Melgar was capped 89 times and scored 6 international goals for Bolivia between 1980 and 1997. His tally of 89 caps was a national record until January 31, 2002, when it was broken by Marco Sandy who obtained his 90th cap in a friendly match against Brazil. Melgar played all three matches at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and his club at that time was The Strongest.

International Goals
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	31 August 1983	Bogotá, Colombia	Colombia	2–1	2–2	Copa América
2.	20 August 1989	La Paz, Bolivia	Peru	1–1	2–1	World Cup Qualifier
3.	8 August 1993	La Paz, Bolivia	Uruguay	3–0	3–1	World Cup Qualifier
4.	22 August 1993	La Paz, Bolivia	Venezuela	2–0	7–0	World Cup Qualifier
5.	22 August 1993	La Paz, Bolivia	Venezuela	7–0	7–0	World Cup Qualifier
6.	14 May 1995	Cochabamba, Bolivia	Paraguay	1–1	1–1	Friendly

Managerial career

Following his retirement, Melgar pursed a managerial career. In 2000, he made his official debut as manager with Oriente Petrolero. Later in the year he also managed Blooming. In 2002 he assumed his duties as the U-17 and U-20 national teams, but his stint was unsuccessful.

Club titles

Season	Club	Title
1984	Blooming	Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano
1990	Oriente Petrolero	Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano
1993	The Strongest	Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano

External links

• International statistics at rsssf
• Statistics at National-Football-Teams.com