Amancio (footballer) facts for kids
Amancio in 1971
|
|||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Amancio Amaro Varela | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 October 1939 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | A Coruña, Spain | ||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 February 2023 (aged 83) | ||||||||||||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Outside right | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| 1954–1958 | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1958–1962 | Deportivo La Coruña | 92 | (54) | ||||||||||
| 1962–1976 | Real Madrid | 344 | (119) | ||||||||||
| Total | 436 | (173) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1962–1974 | Spain | 42 | (11) | ||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Real Madrid (youth) | ||||||||||||
| 1982–1984 | Castilla | ||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Real Madrid | ||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
Amancio Amaro Varela (born October 16, 1939 – died February 21, 2023), known simply as Amancio, was a famous Spanish football player. People often called him El Brujo, which means "The Wizard," because of his amazing skills on the field. He played as an outside right forward for teams like Deportivo de La Coruña and Real Madrid. He also proudly represented the Spanish national team.
Contents
Playing Career
Starting Out in Football
Amancio began his football journey at just 15 years old. He joined a local team called Victoria CF in his hometown. In the 1958–59 season, he moved to Deportivo de La Coruña. At that time, Deportivo was playing in the Spanish second division.
When Deportivo earned promotion to Spain's top football league, Amancio started to get noticed. Big teams, especially Real Madrid, became very interested in signing him.
Joining Real Madrid
Amancio's move to Real Madrid almost didn't happen. His transfer fee was very high, but Santiago Bernabéu Yeste, the president of Real Madrid, really wanted him. So, the deal went through in June 1962.
Other talented players like Ignacio Zoco and Lucien Muller also joined Real Madrid around the same time. The team was going through a change, as many of their older, famous players were leaving. Amancio played his first European match against Anderlecht, which ended in a 3–3 draw. His first league game was against Real Betis, where Real Madrid won 5–2.
European Cup Success
In the 1963–64 season, Amancio and Real Madrid reached the final of the European Cup. However, they lost 3–1 to Inter Milan. The next season, they were knocked out early by Benfica.
But success was just around the corner! For the next season, coach Miguel Muñoz brought in young players like Pirri, Velázquez, Sanchís, and Ramón Grosso. This new group became known as the "Yé-Yé" team. They were strong in defense and amazing at attacking.
In 1966, Real Madrid reached another European Cup final, this time against FK Partizan. The game was played in Brussels. Partizan scored first, but Amancio equalized with about 20 minutes left. He dribbled past a defender and shot the ball past the goalkeeper. Just five minutes later, his teammate Serena scored a powerful goal from far away, winning the game for Real Madrid. This was Amancio's first and only European Cup winner's medal.
League Titles and Awards
In his first six seasons with Real Madrid, Amancio helped the team win six La Liga titles. He went on to win three more before he retired. He also won the Pichichi award twice in a row, in 1969 and 1970. This award is given to the top goal scorer in La Liga.
Amancio became so famous that FIFA invited him to play for a special "world team." He retired from playing in 1976 and later joined Real Madrid's coaching staff. In 2022, after the death of Francisco "Paco" Gento, Amancio was named the honorary president of Real Madrid.
International Career
Amancio played for the Spanish national team 42 times. His first game was against Romania. One of his biggest achievements with the national team was winning the 1964 European Football Championship. Spain beat the defending champions, the Soviet Union, by a score of 2–1.
Managerial Career
After he stopped playing, Amancio started coaching the junior teams at Real Madrid. He took a break to focus on his businesses but returned in 1982.
Amancio became the coach of Castilla CF, which was Real Madrid's reserve team. In his second season, he led Castilla to win the Segunda División. This team was special because it included a group of amazing young players known as the Quinta del Buitre. These players were Butragueño, Míchel, Sanchis, Martín Vázquez, and Pardeza.
In the 1984–85 season, Amancio became the coach of Real Madrid's main team. However, things didn't go as well as hoped, and he left the position. After working as a consultant, Amancio left Real Madrid to work for a sports company called Kelme.
In July 2000, Amancio was elected to Real Madrid's board of directors. He helped bring former Real Madrid players into different important roles at the club. He was also in charge of planning the celebrations for Real Madrid's 100th anniversary.
In 2022, he was given the important role of honorary president of the club.
Death
Amancio passed away in Madrid on February 21, 2023, at the age of 83.
Honours
Player
Deportivo
- Segunda División: 1961–62
Real Madrid
- Spanish League: 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75
- European Cup: 1965–66
Spain
Individual
- Pichichi: 1968–69, 1969–70
- Pichichi Second Division: 1961–62
- Ballon d'Or third place: 1964
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1964
- FIFA XI: 1968
Manager
Castilla
- Segunda División: 1983–84
See also
In Spanish: Amancio Amaro para niños
