Juan Carlos Heredia

{{short description|Spanish footballer}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Juan Carlos Heredia

| image = Milonguita heredia river.jpg

| caption = Heredia with River Plate in 1981

| fullname = Juan Carlos Heredia Araya

| height =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|5|1}}

| birth_place = Córdoba, Argentina

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1970–1971

| years2 = 1972

| years3 = 1972–1973

| years4 = 1973–1974

| years5 = 1974–1979

| years6 = 1980–81

| years7 = 1981

| years8 = 1982

| clubs1 = Belgrano

| clubs2 = Rosario Central

| clubs3 = FC Porto

| clubs4 = Elche CF

| clubs5 = Barcelona

| clubs6 = River Plate

| clubs7 = Argentinos Juniors

| clubs8 = Talleres de Córdoba

| caps1 = 6

| caps2 = 13

| caps3 = 5

| caps4 = 24

| caps5 = 74

| caps6 = 18

| caps7 = 1

| caps8 = 1

| goals1 = 2

| goals2 = 3

| goals3 = 2

| goals4 = 7

| goals5 = 17

| goals6 = 5

| goals7 = 0

| goals8 = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1978–1979

| nationalteam1 = Spain

| nationalcaps1 = 3

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| pcupdate = January 2015

}}

Juan Carlos Heredia Araya (born 1 May 1952 in Córdoba) is a former football forward. Born in Argentina, he represented the Spain national team. His father, also named Juan Carlos, was a notable forward of the 1940s that was nicknamed "Milonga" and played in Rosario Central, San Lorenzo, and the Argentina national team.[https://www.infobae.com/america/deportes/2019/07/21/el-argentino-que-fue-idolo-del-barcelona-y-regalo-toda-su-fortuna-la-increible-historia-de-milonguita-heredia/ La increíble historia de "Milonguita" Heredia] on Infobae by Federico Cristofanelli, 21 Jul 2019

Heredia (nicknamed "Milonguita") gave his first steps on football playing for local team Universitario de Córdoba. His debut in professional football was in 1970 for his home town club Belgrano (then coached by Llamil Simes). Heredia won the Liga Cordobesa title with the club, also scoring the goal for the 1–0 v arch-rival Talleres in the final.

At nacional level, Heredia played with Belgrano the 1971 Nacional championship. His good performances on the field attracted the attention of Rosario Central, which acquired him in 1972 for AR$ 4 million. Nevertheless, he stayed only 4 months in Rosario so that same year he was transferred to Spanish club Barcelona, which loaned him first to FC Porto and then to Elche. Nevertheless, the most remarkable era in Heredia's career was in Barcelona, where he finally debuted in 1974, staying six seasons in the club and winning two titles there.[https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/1089/33852/1999-el-hombre-que-regalo-todo El hombre que regaló todo], El Gráfico, 1999

{{cquote|Barcelona was searching for a forward and they attended to a San Lorenzo v Rosario Central match. They hired me but the Spanish league only allowed two foreign players per club. As Barcelona had acquired Johan Neeskens and Hugo Sotil, I was loaned to Porto.|source= Heredia during an interview in 1999}}

Also in those years Heredia became Spanish national, playing three matches for the Spain national team in 1978–79. In 1980 Heredia returned to Argentine to play for River Plate, where he won two league titles. In River Plate, Heredia was injured in a Copa Libertadores match v Vélez Sarsfield when he suffer the tearing of ligaments. In 1981 he moved to Talleres de Córdoba (recommended by coach Angel Labruna), where he only played 10 minutes before leaving the field. Heredia's leg had not recovered well from surgery, forcing him to leave football definitely.