Francisco Gento facts for kids
Gento in 1962
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Gento López | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Guarnizo, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 18 January 2022 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.68 m | ||
| Playing position | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| S.D. Nueva Montaña | |||
| Union Club Astillero | |||
| Rayo Cantabria | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1952–1953 | Racing Santander | 10 | (2) |
| 1953–1971 | Real Madrid | 427 | (127) |
| Total | 437 | (129) | |
| National team | |||
| 1956 | Spain B | 1 | (0) |
| 1955–1969 | Spain | 43 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| Real Madrid Castilla | |||
| 1974 | Castellón | ||
| 1977–1980 | Palencia | ||
| 1980–1981 | Granada | ||
| 1997–2000 | Cantabria | ||
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Francisco "Paco" Gento López (born October 21, 1933 – died January 18, 2022) was a famous Spanish football player. He played as an outside left, which is a type of forward player. Experts from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) called him the greatest Spanish footballer of the 20th century. They also ranked him as the 30th greatest player in the world.
Paco Gento started his football journey at Racing Santander in 1952. The very next year, he joined Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world. He made history by playing in eight European Cup finals, winning a record six of them. He also won a record 12 La Liga titles, which is Spain's top football league. During his 14 years playing for his country, Gento played 43 games for the Spanish national team. He also played in the World Cup tournaments in 1962 and 1966.
After his legendary teammate Alfredo Di Stéfano passed away, Gento was given the special role of Honorary President of Real Madrid.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Paco Gento first played in Spain's top league, the Primera División, with Racing Santander in the 1952–53 season. He was mostly playing for their B team (a reserve team) when a flu outbreak helped him get a chance with the main team. He played against Real Madrid and impressed them so much that they signed him just three days later!
Gento was known as La Galerna del Cantábrico, which means "The Gale of the Cantabrian Sea." This nickname described his incredible speed and powerful shots. He played as an outside left, using his skills to dribble the ball and score goals from midfield.
In his first season at Real Madrid, Gento didn't score any goals. The club president, Santiago Bernabéu, was worried. But his teammate, Alfredo Di Stéfano, convinced the president to keep Gento. Di Stéfano said, "He is quick and hits the ball like a cannon. That can't be learned, it's innate. We can teach him the rest." This showed how much his teammates believed in his natural talent.
Paco Gento achieved amazing success with Real Madrid. He won the European Cup a record six times between 1955 and 1966. He is the only Real Madrid player to have been part of all those six wins. He scored 31 goals in 88 European Cup matches.
Gento played in eight European Cup finals, winning six and losing two. He also played in another European final, the 1970–71 Cup Winners' Cup, which Real Madrid lost to Chelsea. This means he played in a total of nine European finals, a record he shares with Milan's Paolo Maldini.
In Spain, Gento won 12 La Liga titles with Real Madrid. He scored 128 goals in 428 league games for the club. This was a great number of goals for a winger, especially since he often helped his teammates Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás score. He won 23 trophies for Real Madrid, a club record that was only matched by Marcelo shortly before Gento's death.
After retiring from playing in 1971, Gento became a coach for several smaller teams. These included Castilla, Castellón, Palencia, and Granada. He even helped Palencia get promoted to the Segunda División (Spain's second division) for the first time in their history in 1978–79. Later, he became an ambassador for Real Madrid across Europe, working alongside Di Stéfano. When Di Stéfano passed away in 2014, Gento became the honorary president of the club.
Playing for Spain
Paco Gento played for the Spanish national team from 1955 to 1969. He played 43 games and scored five goals for his country. His first game for Spain was on May 18, 1955, a 1–1 draw against England in Madrid.
He was sometimes called "La tercera G" (the third G). This was because he followed two other great players with names starting with G: Agustín Gaínza and Guillermo Gorostiza. Gento often competed for his position with his friend Enrique Collar from Atlético Madrid. Both players were part of the Spanish team at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile.
Gento was also called up for the 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifiers. However, he was left out of the team for the finals, which Spain went on to win. He returned to the national team for the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. He played in all three of Spain's group-stage games before they were eliminated.
Paco Gento played his 43rd and final game for Spain on October 15, 1969, just before his 36th birthday. It was a 6–0 win against Finland in a World Cup qualifier. He ended his international career just short of the record for most caps held by Ricardo Zamora.
Family and Passing
Paco Gento came from a family of athletes. His two younger brothers, Julio and Antonio, also played professional football. Antonio even played for Real Madrid, but they were not as famous as Francisco.
His nephews were also successful athletes. José Luis Llorente and Toñín Llorente played basketball, while Paco Llorente and Julio Llorente were footballers. Paco Llorente's son, Marcos Llorente, is also a professional footballer today, continuing the family's sporting legacy.
Paco Gento passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 18, 2022, at the age of 88.
Real Madrid released a statement expressing their sadness and love for his family. They said he would "always be remembered by Madridistas and all football fans as one of their greatest." FIFA President Gianni Infantino also shared his condolences, calling Gento "one of the greatest players of his generation" and saying he left behind "a lifetime of memories for all fans of football."
His Legacy
Paco Gento is remembered as one of the greatest Spanish football players of all time. He is also considered one of the best players ever in his position. He was known for being an incredibly fast left winger. This speed allowed him to create many scoring chances for his team and deliver accurate crosses to his teammates.
Career Achievements
Paco Gento won many important titles during his career, especially with Real Madrid.
Real Madrid
- La Liga (12 wins): 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69
- Copa del Rey (2 wins): 1961–62, 1969–70
- European Cup (6 wins): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1965–66
- Intercontinental Cup (1 win): 1960
- Small Club World Cup (1 win): 1956
- Latin Cup (2 wins): 1955, 1957
Individual Awards
- World Soccer World XI: 1960, 1961, 1962
- Golden Foot Legends Award: 2004
- World Soccer: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time
- IFFHS Legends
Records
- Most La Liga titles: 12
- Most European Cup titles: 6
- Most European Cup final appearances: 8 (tied with Paolo Maldini)
- Most major trophies with Real Madrid: 23 (tied with Marcelo)
Images for kids
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Real Madrid before the 1966 European Cup Final against FK Partizan
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See also
In Spanish: Paco Gento para niños
