The first Honduran footballer to make a mark in Europe passed away last week. José "La Coneja" Cardona died on the 30th of January at the age of 73. Most of his playing years were spent in the late 1950s and 1960s in Spain at Elche, where he led the 2nd division in scoring in 1959, and Atlético Madrid, where he won a Spanish Cup in 1965 and the Spanish Primera in 1965-66. Other Honduran players have played more European matches than Cardona, but no one has advanced further in European competition than him (semis of the predecessor to the UEFA Cup in 1964-65).
Cardona's contributions are still in the memory of Atlético Madrid, as they held a moment of silence before their Cup match and sent a letter of condolence to his family. RIP.
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