Jesús María Araya

Jesús María "Pato" Araya Soto (22 April 1916 - 17 September 1994) was a Costa Rican football player, born in San José. He earned the nickname "Pato" for his peculiar way of running.

Champion of the First Division in 1938 after winning the cup tournament, and obtained his first first division scepter after beating Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, President Ricardo Saprissa Ayma.

Being a young player of Orion FC, he was summoned by coach Alejandro Morera Soto , to Costa Rica national football team between 1941 and 1946 scoring 11 goals in nine games (with an average of 1.22 goals per game), his first call was to play the First Central American and Caribbean Championship, which took place at the former National Stadium of Costa Rica from May 8 to 18, 1941.

On Saturday, May 10, 1941, the National Stadium received the first game of the competition for Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans. 3 colones in box, 2 in shadow and one in sun were the prices set. The Phoenix S.A. Bus service, known as Los Plateados, gave the fans transport to the stadium for 10 cents the race.

At 10:00 a.m. he started the crash, with the attendance in President Dr. Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia. The contest had only one team that dominated the other overwhelmingly, the nervousness of facing the local eleven, encouraged by a full stadium, generated that the first two of the Tricolor were pinoleros autogoers, by Abraham Rocha and Humberto Martínez.

Being a young player from Orión F.C., he was summoned by coach Alejandro Morera Soto to play in the first Central American and Caribbean Championship, which was held in the old National Stadium of Costa Rica from May 8 to 18 the 1941.

Araya was one of the top scorers in the tournament. In the opening game, Araya scored a hattrick, scoring to make it 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0; the game ended 7-2. Costa Rica went on to win the Championship.^[1][2][3]

Outside of football, he worked as a painter.