Marco Antonio Figueroa Montero (; born 21 February 1962) is a Chilean former footballer. He is commonly known as "El Fantasma" (Spanish word: "The phantom"). Figueroa played as a striker and spent the majority of his playing career at Mexico, after retiring in 1998, at the Chilean powerhouse Universidad Católica, aged 36. He is the current manager of Nicaraguan club Real Estelí.
Club career Figueroa played at Morelia over two spells between 1986 and 1997. He and his Chilean teamates Juan Carlos Vera and Ángel Bustos are remembered as an attacking trident.
Coaching career In January 2001, he debuted as head coach at the Guatemalan successful club Comunicaciones, signing the next season for Atlético Celaya of the Liga de Ascenso, in where Figueroa had two spells, after of direct to Salamanca F.C. of the same country in the 2003 season. Three years later, with adobe steps at Querétaro and UAG Tecos, in September 2006, he signed a contract with Monarcas Morelia, his old club when was player, team in where also was an historic goalscorer during the 1980s and 90s.
Figueroa came back to his homeland in July 2008 signing for Cobreloa, another old club in his career, of this form returning to his country after ten years out in Mexico and Guatemala. After a successful season at the team of Calama, reaching the Clausura Tournament semi–finals, in December of that year, he reached an agreement with Universidad Católica for direct to that team in the next season. At Católica, Figueroa was runner–up in the 2009 Clausura Tournament, after a regular season in the last semester, despite reaching the semi–finals of the Apertura Tournament, being also named as the coach of the year according to El Gráfico. The next season, after a regular campaign with Católica in the first part of the league tournament and in the 2010 Copa Libertadores, he was fired of the club, but signed months later for O'Higgins.
On 11 April 2011, Figueroa signed a contract with the Primera B side Everton, replacing to Diego Osella, because the bad results that the Argentine coach reached in the first weeks of the Apertura Tournament of that division. At the club based in Viña del Mar, he was champion of the Clausura Tournament of that level, but not achieved the promotion, after of loss against Unión San Felipe and Rangers. The next season, he was fired from the club.
On 25 September 2018, Figueroa was re-appointed as head coach for O'Higgins.Bienvenido Marco Antonio Figueroa, ohigginsfc.cl, 25 September 2018
Figueroa led the Nicaragua national team for about four years until November 2025.
On 31 December 2025, Figueroa was appointed as manager of Guatemalan club Comunicaciones. In September 2026, he returned to Nicaragua to led Real Estelí.
Personal life His son, Mateo, is a player from the Atlético Morelia youth system.
Honours
Player Cobreloa Primera División de Chile (1): 1992
Individual Primera División de Chile Top–scorer (1): 1993 Monarcas Morelia all-time top scorer (130 goals)
Manager Universidad Católica Torneo Clausura (1): Runner–up 2009
Everton Primera B (1): 2011 Apertura Promotion playoffs (1): Runner-up 2011
Individual ANFP Golden Ball (1): Best coach 2009
References
External links