On September 4, 2026, Jorge Enrique Ramírez Gallego died at 86. For nine seasons in Cali, he was the man who could not stop scoring. His 168 goals for Deportivo Cali remain the club's all-time record.
Gallego was born in Cali, but his professional career began in Bogotá. He signed with Millonarios in 1962. Over three years, he helped the club win three league titles before a brief spell with Deportes Quindío.
In 1965, he returned to his hometown club, Deportivo Cali. That move defined his career. He spent nine seasons there, becoming the focal point of an attack that delivered sustained success. The 168 goals he scored across those seasons have not been surpassed by anyone who has worn the shirt since.
His career ended with Deportes Tolima in 1975. By then, he had also made his mark on the international stage. Between 1966 and 1970, Gallego earned 14 caps for the Colombia national team, scoring four goals. Those appearances spanned a period when Colombian football was building its reputation in South America, and Gallego was part of that foundation.
The details of his later life were not made public in the announcement of his death. The news, confirmed on September 4, 2026, noted his age as 86. He was born under the sign of Aries, according to the record.
For a striker, numbers tell the story. The 168 goals in nine seasons at Deportivo Cali stand as the anchor of his legacy. That tally is not a footnote in the club's history; it is the headline. No one has matched it.
His time at Millonarios was brief but decorated. Joining in 1962, he was part of a squad that dominated the domestic league, collecting three championships in three years. The move to Quindío was short, a transition before he found his true home in Cali.
The national team appearances were spread over four years. The four goals he scored for Colombia came in that window, a secondary achievement to his club exploits but a marker of his standing in the country's football hierarchy.
Gallego's career arc was a familiar one for South American players of his era. Start at one club, move for opportunity, settle where the fit is right. For him, the fit was Deportivo Cali, where the goals flowed in numbers that have proven durable.
The 1975 season with Tolima brought his professional career to a close. He was 35. The goals had stopped coming at the rate of his prime, but the record he set in Cali had already been secured.
Colombian football has produced many forwards over the decades. Few have matched Gallego's consistency at club level. The 168 goals are a number that younger generations of Deportivo Cali supporters have grown up knowing, a benchmark that has survived more than half a century of change in the sport.
The announcement of his death did not include details of a cause. It confirmed the date, September 4, 2026, and his age. The football community in Colombia will mark the passing of a player who defined an era for one of its biggest clubs.
His record at Deportivo Cali remains intact. That is the fact that will outlast the obituaries.
According to Dead-People.