Richard Smith (Costa Rican footballer)


Richard Alexander Smith Hylton is a retired Costa Rican football player, who used to play as a midfielder.

Club career

Nicknamed La Pantera, Smith made his Primera División debut for Alajuelense for whom he went on to score 44 goals in 315 matches during a 10-year spell. He played abroad for Guatemalan sides Municipal and Antigua Guatemala and had spells at Santos de Guápiles and Carmelita.
He retired in 1997 as player of Limonense.

International career

Smith made his debut for Costa Rica in a November 1991 friendly match against the United States and earned a total of 15 caps, scoring 3 goals. He represented his country in 7 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and famously scored both goals in a World Cup qualifier against CONCACAF powerhouse Mexico in 1992.
His final internationals was a November 1997 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Canada.

Personal life

Son of Ricardo Alfonso Smith and Eloísa Hylton, Smith is married to Jeannette Valerín and they have two children.