Pahiño facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 21 January 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Vigo, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 12 June 2012 (aged 89) | ||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1939–1940 | Navia | ||
| 1940–1943 | Arenas de Alcabre | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1943–1948 | Celta | 103 | (70) |
| 1948–1953 | Real Madrid | 124 | (109) |
| 1953–1956 | Deportivo La Coruña | 72 | (46) |
| 1956–1957 | Granada | 15 | (8) |
| Total | 314 | (233) | |
| National team | |||
| 1949 | Spain B | 1 | (0) |
| 1948–1955 | Spain | 3 | (3) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1956 | Deportivo La Coruña | ||
|
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Manuel Fernández Fernández (born January 21, 1923 – died June 12, 2012) was a famous Spanish footballer. Everyone knew him as Pahiño. He was a powerful striker, which means he was great at scoring goals.
Pahiño played for 12 seasons in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He scored an amazing 211 goals in 278 games! He played for big clubs like Celta, Real Madrid, and Deportivo. He even won the Pichichi Trophy twice, which is given to the top scorer in La Liga.
Contents
Pahiño's Club Career
Starting at Celta Vigo
Pahiño was born in Vigo, Spain. He joined RC Celta de Vigo in 1943 and quickly became a key player. In his first season (1943–44), Celta was relegated, meaning they moved down to a lower league.
But Pahiño helped them get back to the top league. After that, he always scored at least 15 goals each season. In the 1947–48 season, he was the top scorer in the league with 21 goals. This helped Celta finish fourth, their best-ever position. They also reached the final of the Copa del Rey, a big cup competition.
Time at Real Madrid
In 1948, Pahiño moved to Real Madrid, one of the biggest clubs in the world. He continued to score goals regularly. He won his second Pichichi Trophy in the 1951–52 season.
Even though he was a fantastic scorer, he played less after Alfredo Di Stéfano joined the team. Di Stéfano was another legendary player. Pahiño scored 124 goals in 143 matches for Real Madrid.
Later Career and Retirement
Pahiño later played for Deportivo de La Coruña for three seasons. He also played for Granada CF before retiring in 1957 at age 34. A cool fact: on October 30, 1955, while playing for Deportivo, he scored two goals against his old team, Real Madrid, helping Deportivo win 2–1!
For a short time in February 1956, Pahiño was a player-coach for Deportivo. This means he played and coached the team at the same time.
Playing for Spain
Pahiño played for the Spanish national team three times over seven years. He scored a goal in his very first game against Switzerland in 1948. In his last game, a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland, he scored two goals!
He didn't play many games for Spain. Some people think it was because of a small incident during a game. He was seen smiling when a general was speaking to the team, which might have been seen as disrespectful.
Pahiño's Amazing Skills
Pahiño was a very strong player who could use both feet equally well. He had a powerful shot and was also great at heading the ball.
Here's an example of his toughness: In 1945, during a play-off game, he played for over 40 minutes with a broken leg bone (a fibula)! His team still won the game 4–1.
Pahiño's Life Outside Football
Pahiño got his nickname from his father's second surname, Paíño. He was also a very smart person who loved to read. His favorite authors were Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy, who wrote famous books.
Pahiño passed away in Madrid on June 12, 2012, when he was 89 years old.
Honours and Awards
Individual Awards
- Pichichi Trophy: 1947–48, 1951–52 (This award is for the top goal scorer in La Liga each season.)
See also
In Spanish: Pahiño para niños
