Agustín Gaínza facts for kids

Agustín Gaínza Vicandi (born May 28, 1922 – died January 6, 1995) was a famous Spanish football player and manager. He played as a forward, scoring many goals for his team. He spent his entire playing career with Athletic Bilbao, a well-known Spanish club.

Club Career: A Football Legend

Agustín Gaínza was often called Piru. He played his whole career for Athletic Bilbao. He was born in Basauri, a town in Biscay, Spain.

Early Days and Debut

Gaínza played his first official game on January 15, 1939. He was only 16 years old. In this game, he also scored a goal against SD Erandio Club. This made him one of the youngest players to ever debut for Athletic Bilbao. Only one player before him was younger. Later, in 2009, Iker Muniain broke his record by just seven days.

Playing for Athletic Bilbao

Gaínza made his first La Liga (Spain's top football league) appearance on October 13, 1940. He played for 19 seasons with Athletic Bilbao. He played a total of 380 games and scored 119 goals for the team.

During his time with the Lions of San Mamés (Athletic Bilbao's nickname), he won nine major trophies. These included two national championships in La Liga. He also won seven Copa del Generalísimo trophies. This is Spain's main cup competition. He also won a Biscay Championship and a Copa Eva Duarte (a supercup).

In May 1958, Gaínza had a special "testimonial match." This is a game played to honor a player who has been with a club for a long time. His team played against West Bromwich Albion from England.

Retirement and Records

Gaínza stopped playing football at the end of the 1958–59 season. He was 37 years old. He played in 494 official matches for Athletic Bilbao. This was the most games played by any player for the club at that time.

He was one of the youngest goal scorers for the club. He was also the oldest goal scorer for a long time. He scored his last goal in March 1959. He was 36 years old then. This record lasted for 58 years until Aritz Aduriz broke it in 2017.

Gaínza also set several records in the Spanish Cup.

• He won the cup seven times.
• He played in nine cup finals.
• He played the most games for one club in the competition (99 games).
• He scored the most goals in a single match. He scored eight goals in a 12–1 win against Celta de Vigo in 1947. This was during the quarter-finals of the cup.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Gaínza became a coach for Athletic Bilbao. He coached the team for four seasons in the 1960s.

International Career: Playing for Spain

Agustín Gaínza also played for the Spanish national team. He played 33 games for Spain and scored ten goals.

He played his first game for Spain on March 11, 1945. It was a friendly match against Portugal. He was also the captain of the Spanish team in the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Spain finished in fourth place in that tournament.

Personal Life

Agustín had an older brother named Miguel. Miguel was also a footballer. He played as a defender for Athletic Bilbao too.

It is said that Agustín was not very interested in football when he was a child. His brother Miguel had to encourage him to play. Even when Athletic Bilbao wanted him to join, he was not sure. His brother convinced him to become a professional player.

Two bronze statues of Gaínza were made in 1997. They were created by a sculptor named José Manuel Alberdi. One statue was placed outside his family home in Basauri. The other was at Athletic Bilbao's training center.

Death

Agustín Gaínza passed away on January 6, 1995. He died in his hometown at the age of 72.

Honours

Player

• La Liga: 1942–43, 1955–56
• Copa del Generalísimo: 1943, 1944, 1944–45, 1949–50, 1955, 1956, 1958; runner-up 1948–49, 1952–53
• Copa Eva Duarte: 1950

Manager

• Copa del Generalísimo: 1969

See Also

In Spanish: Piru Gaínza para niños

• List of one-club men