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Emilio Butragueño
25th Laureus World Sports Awards - Red Carpet - Emilio Butragueño - 240422 191751-2 (cropped).jpg
Butragueño in 2024
Personal information
Full name Emilio Butragueño Santos
Date of birth (1963-07-22) 22 July 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth Madrid, Spain
Height 1.70 m
Playing position Striker
Youth career
Casariche
1981–1982 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1982–1984 Real Madrid B 65 (37)
1984–1995 Real Madrid 341 (123)
1995–1998 Celaya 91 (29)
Total 497 (189)
National team
1983–1984 Spain U21 5 (2)
1984 Spain amateur 1 (1)
1984–1992 Spain 69 (26)
Honours
Representing  Spain
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 1984 France
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Emilio Butragueño Santos was born on July 22, 1963. He is a famous Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker. A striker is a player whose main job is to score goals.

He is best known for his time playing with Real Madrid, one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Emilio was nicknamed El Buitre, which means "The Vulture". He was a key member of a famous group of Real Madrid players known as La Quinta del Buitre. This group included Manolo Sanchís, Rafael Martín Vázquez, Míchel, and Miguel Pardeza.

Butragueño scored 123 goals in 341 games in La Liga (Spain's top football league) for Real Madrid over 12 seasons. He also played for the Spanish national team in two World Cups and two European Championships. He was the second-highest scorer in the 1986 World Cup. He scored 26 goals for his country, a record that stood for many years.

Emilio Butragueño's Club Career

Starting at Real Madrid's Youth Team

In 1981, Emilio Butragueño, who was born in Madrid, joined the Real Madrid youth system. He first played for their reserve team, Real Madrid B.

Making His Senior Debut

His first game for the senior team was on February 5, 1984. The legendary player and coach Alfredo Di Stéfano gave him his debut against Cádiz CF. Emilio made an amazing start! Real Madrid was losing 2–0, but he scored two goals and helped set up another. Real Madrid ended up winning 3–2.

On December 12 of the same year, he played his first game in a European competition. He scored three goals (a hat-trick) in a 6–1 home win against R.S.C. Anderlecht. This was in the third round of the UEFA Cup. Real Madrid had lost the first game 3–0, but they came back to win the competition that year.

Becoming a Star Player

At that time, Real Madrid's main team was not playing very well. Fewer fans came to their games than to the reserve team's games. Butragueño helped change this. He became a very important player for the team during the 1980s. He helped Real Madrid win many trophies.

He was named the third-best footballer in Europe for two years in a row. In 1991, he won the Pichichi Trophy, which is given to the top scorer in La Liga. He was also a key player when Real Madrid won five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey cups, and two UEFA Cups in a row.

Moving to Mexico

In June 1995, Butragueño started to play less for Real Madrid. This was partly because a young 17-year-old player named Raúl was becoming very good. Butragueño then moved to Mexico and signed with Atlético Celaya. In his first year there, his team reached the final of the Liga MX (Mexico's top league).

He played for three seasons in Mexico. He was known as the Gentleman of the Pitch because he never received a single red card in his entire career. He retired from football in April 1998.

Emilio Butragueño's International Career

Playing for Spain

Butragueño played 69 games for the Spanish national team and scored 26 goals. His first game for Spain was on October 17, 1984, against Wales. He scored the final goal in a 3–0 win. He had already been chosen for the UEFA Euro 1984 tournament, where Spain finished as runners-up.

World Cup Appearances

Butragueño was also chosen for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He played a big part in the tournament, scoring four goals as Spain beat Denmark 5–1 in the round of 16. He also played in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, but he did not score any goals in his four games there.

What Emilio Butragueño Did After Football

Ofrenda de la Liga y la Champions-42-L.Millán (52109311293) (cropped)
Butragueño in 2022

After he stopped playing football, Butragueño continued to work in the sport. On October 19, 2004, he became the director of football for Real Madrid. He took over from his former teammate Jorge Valdano. He also served as the club's vice-president until the end of the 2005–06 season. Later, he became the head of public relations for Real Madrid.

Even while he was still playing, a computer game named after him was released in 1988. It was available for computers like the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and MSX.

Honours and Achievements

Emilio Butragueño won many awards and trophies during his football career:

Real Madrid B

Real Madrid

Spain

Individual Awards

  • Bravo Award: 1985, 1986
  • Ballon d'Or third place: 1986, 1987
  • Pichichi Trophy: 1990–91 (top scorer in La Liga)
  • FIFA World Cup Silver Boot: 1986 (second-highest scorer)
  • FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
  • Guerin Sportivo All-Star Team: 1986
  • FIFA 100 (a list of the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Emilio Butragueño para niños

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