Luis Molowny facts for kids

Luis Molowny Arbelo (born May 12, 1925 – died February 12, 2010) was a famous Spanish football player and coach. He played as a midfielder.

He spent 12 seasons playing in La Liga, Spain's top football league. During this time, he played 175 matches and scored 90 goals. He played for two main clubs: Real Madrid and Las Palmas.

After his playing career, Molowny became a successful coach. He managed both Real Madrid and Las Palmas. With Real Madrid, he won 12 major trophies as a coach. He also briefly coached the Spanish national team.

Playing Football

Club Career

Luis Molowny was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which is in the Canary Islands. His family name, Molowny, comes from Ireland. When he was young, he tried out for a team called CD Tenerife. However, he wasn't allowed to play in the tryout match.

Instead, he stood behind one of the goals. He helped by getting the balls that went out of play. While doing this, he showed off his amazing skills. Because of this, he was signed by Santa Cruz CF. Since he was not yet 18, he could only play in friendly games.

In 1946, Molowny played for Marino FC. His team won the regional championships in the Canary Islands. This made two big Spanish clubs notice him: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Barcelona sent someone to sign him first.

But Real Madrid's president, Santiago Bernabéu, heard about it. He quickly called his director and told him to sign Molowny. Even after Molowny didn't play well in a tryout, Bernabéu still wanted him. Real Madrid finally signed him for a large sum of money and a good monthly salary.

Molowny played his first game for Real Madrid on December 1, 1946. It was a La Liga match against Barcelona. He scored a goal in the 79th minute, helping his team win 2–1. In his first season, he scored 11 goals in 16 games. He also helped Real Madrid win the Copa del Generalísimo (now called the Copa del Rey).

Molowny played for Real Madrid for 11 years. He played 198 games in total and scored 107 goals. He won five major titles with the club. These included two national championships in La Liga. He also won the European Cup in 1956. This tournament is now known as the UEFA Champions League. He did not play in the final match of that tournament.

Playing for Spain

Molowny played seven games for the Spanish national team. His first game was on April 2, 1950. He scored one of his two international goals in a 5–1 win against Portugal. This game was a qualifier for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.

He was chosen to play in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. Molowny played in one match during the tournament. It was a 2–2 draw against Uruguay. Spain finished in fourth place in the World Cup that year.

Coaching Football

Molowny stopped playing football in January 1958. He was 32 years old. Right after, he started coaching UD Las Palmas, the last team he played for. For many years, he often coached teams for a short time when a main coach left.

In the 1968–69 season, he became a full-time coach for Las Palmas. He led the team to their best-ever finish in La Liga. They came in second place, right behind champions Real Madrid.

From March to June 1969, Molowny also coached the Spanish national team. He was in charge for four games. During this time, his team won two games, drew one, and lost one.

Later, Molowny worked for Real Madrid in different management roles. In 1974, he became the coach of the first team. He won the domestic cup that year. He often stepped in to coach Real Madrid when other coaches were fired.

He led Real Madrid to win the La Liga championship twice, in 1978 and 1979. He also helped the team win the UEFA Cup two years in a row. They won it in 1985 and 1986.

Later Life and Death

After he stopped working in football, Molowny went back to live in his home region. He passed away on February 12, 2010. He was 84 years old and died in Las Palmas.

In Films

Luis Molowny even appeared as himself in three Spanish movies:

• Once pares de botas (1954)
• Radio Stories (1955) – He was interviewed for a radio show in this film.
• Saeta rubia (1956) – This movie was about another famous football player, Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Achievements

As a Player

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57
• Copa del Generalísimo: 1947
• Copa Eva Duarte: 1947
• European Cup: 1955–56
• Latin Cup: 1955, 1957

As a Manager

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1985–86
• Copa del Rey: 1973–74, 1981–82
• Copa de la Liga: 1985
• UEFA Cup: 1984–85, 1985–86

See also

In Spanish: Luis Molowny para niños

• List of UEFA Cup winning managers