Ricardo Zamora facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ricardo Zamora

Zamora on the cover of Argentine sports magazine El Gráfico in June 1926
Personal information
Full name	Ricardo Zamora Martínez
Date of birth	(1901-02-14)14 February 1901
Place of birth	Barcelona, Spain
Date of death	8 September 1978(1978-09-08) (aged 77)
Place of death	Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1914–1916	Universitari SC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1916–1919	Espanyol	48	(0)
1919–1922	Barcelona	38	(0)
1922–1930	Espanyol	26	(0)
1930–1936	Real Madrid	82	(0)
1937–1938	Nice	9	(0)
National team
1920–1936	Spain	46	(0)
1920–1930	Catalan XI
Teams managed
1937–1938	Nice
1939–1946	Atlético Aviación
1946–1949	Celta
1949–1951	Málaga
1951–1952	Spain
1953–1955	Celta
1955–1957	Espanyol
1960	Celta
1961	Espanyol
Honours Men's football Representing  Spain Olympic Games Silver 1920 Antwerp Team competition
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ricardo Zamora Martínez (Spanish pronunciation: [riˈkaɾðo θaˈmoɾa maɾˈtineθ]; born February 14, 1901 – died September 8, 1978) was a famous Spanish goalkeeper and later a football manager. He played for big clubs like RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid. He also played for the Catalan team and the Spanish national team. As a manager, he led Atlético Aviación to win two La Liga titles. He even coached the Spanish national team for a short time.

Ricardo Zamora's Club Career

Playing for Espanyol

Zamora with Espanyol, where he played his first game.

Ricardo Zamora was born in Barcelona, Spain. He started playing football as a junior with Universitari SC. At just 15 years old, he joined Espanyol in 1916. His first game for the club was on April 23, 1916, against Madrid FC (now Real Madrid CF). He didn't let any goals in, and the game ended in a 0–0 draw.

He helped Espanyol win the Catalan Championship in 1918. Zamora's parents wanted him to study medicine, but he loved football. In 1919, he left Espanyol to focus on his studies. However, he soon returned to football when FC Barcelona, a rival team, offered him a great deal.

After three successful years at Barcelona, he came back to Espanyol in 1922. In 1929, he played his first game in La Liga, which was a new competition at the time. That same year, he helped Espanyol win both the Catalan Championship and their first ever Copa del Rey (a major Spanish cup). They beat teams like Atlético Madrid and Barcelona to reach the final. In the final, they won 2–1 against Real Madrid. After playing 26 La Liga games for Espanyol, he moved to Real Madrid in 1930.

Playing for FC Barcelona

Between 1919 and 1922, Zamora was a key player for the famous FC Barcelona team. This team also included his good friend Josep Samitier, Sagibarba, Paulino Alcántara, and Félix Sesúmaga.

During his time at Barcelona, he helped the team win the Catalan Championship three times. They also won the Copa del Rey twice, in 1920 and 1922. In the 1920 final, he kept a "clean sheet" (meaning no goals were scored against him) in a 2–0 win against Pichichi's Athletic Bilbao.

Playing for Real Madrid

In 1930, Zamora joined Real Madrid. He was one of several new players, including Jacinto Quincoces. In the 1931–32 season, they helped Real Madrid win La Liga for the very first time. The next season, Zamora, Quincoces, and Josep Samitier (who also joined) helped Real Madrid win the title again.

In 1934, Francisco Bru became the coach, and he led Zamora and his teammates to win two Copa de España finals. In the 1934 final, they beat Valencia CF 2–1. The 1936 final was special because Real Madrid played against FC Barcelona for the first time in a cup final. Even though Real Madrid played with ten players for most of the game, they still beat Barcelona 2–1. Zamora made an amazing save from Josep Escolà in the final minutes, which stopped Barcelona from scoring.

Ricardo Zamora's International Career

Playing for Spain

In 1920, Ricardo Zamora was part of the very first Spanish national squad. Other famous players on this team included Josep Samitier, Félix Sesúmaga, Pichichi, and José María Belauste. This team, coached by Francisco Bru, won the silver medal at the 1920 Olympic Games.

Zamora played 46 official games for Spain. One famous game was on May 15, 1929, against England. England quickly scored two goals, partly because Zamora had hurt his chest early in the game. But he kept playing, and Spain made an amazing comeback to win 4–3! This made Spain the first team from outside the British Isles to beat England. Zamora also played for Spain in the 1934 World Cup.

Playing for Catalan XI

Zamora also played at least 13 games for the Catalan team. Records from that time are not always perfect, so he might have played even more. With players like Paulino Alcántara and Josep Samitier, he helped the Catalan team win the Prince of Asturias Cup twice, in 1923–24 and 1926. This was an important competition between different regions of Spain.

Ricardo Zamora During the Spanish Civil War

In July 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, a newspaper wrongly reported that Zamora had been killed. Zamora was actually alive, but he was arrested and put in prison. He was saved because the prison governor helped him, and because Zamora was willing to talk about football with the guards.

Eventually, he was released with help from the Argentinian Embassy. He then went to France, where he joined his friend Josep Samitier at OGC Nice. Later, he returned to Spain.

Ricardo Zamora's Coaching Career

In 1939, Zamora became the coach of Atlético Madrid. At that time, the club was called Athletic Aviación, and later Atlético Aviación. With Zamora as manager, the club won their first La Liga title in 1940 and then won it again in 1941.

In 1946, he moved to Celta de Vigo. In the 1947–48 season, he led Celta to finish fourth in La Liga and reach the Copa del Generalísimo final. In June 1952, he coached the Spanish national team for two games. He later coached Celta de Vigo again and had two periods as coach at Espanyol.

Ricardo Zamora's Achievements

Footwear, shin pads, and a ball that belonged to Zamora, on display.

As a Player

Club Honours

Espanyol

• Copa del Rey (1): 1928–29
• Catalan Champions (2): 1917–18, 1928–29

Barcelona

• Copa del Rey (2): 1920, 1922
• Catalan Champions (3): 1919–20, 1920–21, 1921–22

Real Madrid

• La Liga (2): 1931–32, 1932–33
• Copa de España (2): 1934, 1936

International Honours

Spain

• Olympic Games: Silver medal in 1920

Catalan XI

• Prince of Asturias Cup (2): 1923–24 and 1926

Individual Awards

• IFFHS Best Spanish Goalkeeper of the Twentieth Century.
• IFFHS Fourth Best European Goalkeeper of the Twentieth Century.
• IFFHS Fifth Best World Goalkeeper of the Twentieth Century.
• FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament: 1934
• FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper Award: 1934

As a Manager

Atlético Aviación

• La Liga:
  • Winners (2): 1939–40, 1940–41

• Spanish Super Cup
  • Winners (1): 1940

Celta Vigo

• Copa del Generalísimo
  • Runner-up (1): 1947–48

Images for kids

• 

  Zamora on the cover of Argentine sports magazine El Gráfico in June 1926

• 

  Zamora with Espanyol, where he played his first game.

• 

  Footwear, shin pads, and a ball that belonged to Zamora, on display.

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo Zamora para niños