Neon Splash

This article is based on claims and unconfirmed stories.

Jose Grajeda Garcia (March 19, 1926 - April 2021) was a Mexican football player, farmer, and skilled hunter.

Early Life (1926 - 1941)

Jose Garcia was born on March 19, 1926 in Cabeza de Toro, Chiapas. His birth resulted in the maternal death of his mother which lead to an intense hatred from his father, who believed it was Jose's fault. At age 3, Jose's father abandoned him and kicked him out of his home and Garcia was forced to survive on his own. By his own recollection, Jose saw a soccer ball for the first time at this age. He began practicing so much, he could supposedly juggle the ball by the time he was 4.

Garcia was said to have excellent aiming with a slingshot by the age of 8. Jose was 11 years old when he moved to Manuel Ávila Camacho (formally Ponte Duro).

In 1941, at 15 years old, Garcia ran from Manuel Ávila Camacho to San Cayetano and back (over 5 miles each direction) everyday for exercise.

Football champion (1944)

Garcia claimed to be able to score a goal by kicking the ball at the top corners of the goal post every time. Auditioning, he told this to the local kids and they laughed, not believing him. Garcia proved them wrong after scoring multiple times and impressed them. Jose joined a football team and competed in a local championship at the age of 18. His team traveled to Tonalá, Arriaga, Pijijiapan, and several other locations around Chiapas. Many people described his playstyle as remarkable, winning every game he played. The team lost once due to Garcia's absence but the team was victorious in the championship. Garcia went on to play soccer locally for ten years until 1954.

Adulthood and Marriage (1948 - 1961)

c. 1948, Garcia met a woman (who he intentionally never told stories about) who would eventually become his first wife. The couple had two kids and after two or three years, they had separated. Sometime before Garcia's thirties (probably 1953), he was offered a football contract, but with the persuasion of his friends, he denied it.

In 1956, Garcia met another woman, Rosario Cruz Lopez (b. August 1941), who would become his second wife. Rosario's parents did not approve of their relationship. Lopez left without advising her parents to live with Jose and they started a new life in the same town. Garcia stopped playing competitive football and dedicated himself to farm work. Garcia decided to train two kids in football in 1961. His teachings made the kids almost as skilled as himself. The children's parents rewarded him with 12 hectares of farmland. After retiring from the sport, Garcia also began hunting.

Jose and Rosario had 10 kids.

Later life and Death

Garcia spent most of his life hunting, fishing, and working on his farm.

Jose died in April of 2021 of natural causes.