Ignacio Zoco facts for kids
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Zoco in 1971
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ignacio Zoco Esparza | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 31 July 1939 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Garde, Spain | ||||||||||||
| Date of death | 28 September 2015 (aged 76) | ||||||||||||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Esperanza | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1957–1959 | Oberena | ||||||||||||
| 1959–1962 | Osasuna | 69 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 1959 | → Iruña (loan) | ||||||||||||
| 1962–1974 | Real Madrid | 318 | (8) | ||||||||||
| Total | 387 | (12) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1961 | Spain B | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1961–1969 | Spain | 25 | (1) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Ignacio Zoco Esparza (born July 31, 1939 – died September 28, 2015) was a famous Spanish footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder, which means he helped protect his team's goal.
Ignacio Zoco spent most of his amazing career, 12 years, playing for Real Madrid. During this time, he played in 434 official matches. He also helped his team win ten major titles.
Zoco also played more than 20 times for the Spanish national team. He was part of the team that won the 1964 European Nations' Cup. He also represented Spain in the 1966 World Cup.
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Ignacio Zoco was born in Garde, a town in Navarre, Spain. He started his football journey with amateur teams. He later joined CA Osasuna, a professional club in his region.
He first played for CD Iruña on loan. Then, on January 10, 1960, he made his first appearance in La Liga. This is Spain's top football league.
Joining Real Madrid
In the summer of 1962, Zoco signed with Real Madrid. This is one of the biggest football clubs in the world. In his first year, he played 13 matches. Real Madrid won the league title that season.
From then on, Zoco became a regular player for the team. In the 1965–66 season, he played every minute of the domestic league. He also played nine full games in the European Cup. This included the final match against FK Partizan, which Real Madrid won 2–1.
Success with Real Madrid
Ignacio Zoco won many titles with Real Madrid. He helped them win six more national championships. He also won two Copa del Rey trophies. These are important cup competitions in Spain.
He played 64 matches in European competitions for Real Madrid. He even scored six goals in these matches. Zoco retired from playing in June 1974 when he was 35 years old.
Twenty years later, he returned to Real Madrid. He became the club's match delegate. This role involves helping with the organization of games. He held this position until 1998.
Playing for Spain
Zoco played 25 matches for the Spanish national team. He made his first appearance on April 19, 1961. This was in a qualifying match for the 1962 FIFA World Cup against Wales. Spain won the game 2–1.
He was chosen to be part of the Spanish squad for two big tournaments. These were the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1966 World Cup. He helped Spain win the European Nations' Cup in 1964.
International Goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 December 1963 | Mestalla, Valencia, Spain |  Belgium |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
About Ignacio Zoco's Life
In 1974, Ignacio Zoco married María Ostiz. She is a famous singer and songwriter. They had three children together. They were married for 41 years.
After retiring, Zoco continued to be involved in football. He took over the leadership of Real Madrid's Veterans Association. He did this after the death of another football legend, Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Ignacio Zoco passed away in Madrid on September 28, 2015. He was 76 years old.
Honours and Awards
Ignacio Zoco won many important titles during his career.
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1969–70, 1973–74; Runner-up 1967–68
- European Cup: 1965–66
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup runner-up: 1970–71
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 1966
Spain
Individual
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1964
See also
In Spanish: Ignacio Zoco para niños
