Santillana (footballer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Santillana

Santillana in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Carlos Alonso González
Date of birth	(1952-08-23) 23 August 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Santillana del Mar, Spain
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
	Satélite
1966–1970	Barreda
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1970–1971	Racing Santander	35	(16)
1971–1988	Real Madrid	461	(186)
Total		496	(202)
International career
1970	Spain U18	1	(0)
1971	Spain U23	1	(0)
1971–1976	Spain amateur	6	(3)
1981	Spain B	1	(1)
1975–1985	Spain	56	(15)
Medal record Representing  Spain UEFA European Championship Runner-up 1984 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Carlos Alonso González, known as Santillana, was a famous Spanish footballer. He was born on August 23, 1952. Santillana played as a striker, which means he was a player who scored goals.

He is most famous for playing with Real Madrid. He spent 17 seasons with them in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He played 645 games for Real Madrid. Santillana joined Real Madrid in 1971 from Racing de Santander.

Santillana also played for the Spanish national team more than 50 times. He played for Spain in two World Cups and two European Championships.

Santillana's Club Journey

Santillana was born in a town called Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain. His nickname, Santillana, came from his hometown. He started his professional football career with his local team, Racing de Santander.

In 1971, when he was just 19, Santillana moved to Real Madrid. He joined the team along with his teammate Francisco Aguilar. In his very first season, he scored ten goals in 34 games. That year, Real Madrid won the league championship!

Santillana won many titles with Real Madrid. He helped them win nine league titles, four Copa del Rey cups, and two UEFA Cups in a row. He even scored goals in both UEFA Cup finals. He played a total of 645 games for Real Madrid and scored 290 goals. This was a club record for many years until Manolo Sanchís played more games in 1998. Santillana scored 186 goals in 461 league games, making him one of the top scorers in the league's history.

Santillana retired from football in 1988 when he was almost 36 years old. In his last three seasons, Real Madrid won the league title three times in a row.

Playing for Spain

Santillana played 56 games for the Spanish national team and scored 15 goals. His first game for Spain was on April 17, 1975. It was a 1-1 draw against Romania in a qualifying match for the 1976 European Championship.

He played for his country in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups. He also played in three European Championships: in 1976, 1980, and 1984. In the 1984 tournament, Spain finished second, losing to France in the final.

One of his most famous games for Spain was on December 21, 1983. It was a European Championship qualifying match against Malta. Spain needed to win by at least 11 goals to qualify. Santillana scored three goals in the first half and another one in the second half! Spain won the game 12-1, which was an amazing result, and they qualified for the tournament.

How Santillana Played

Santillana was known for his amazing heading skills. Even though he wasn't very tall (under 1.80 meters), he could jump incredibly high. This made him very good at scoring goals with his head. Many people consider him one of the best strikers in the history of Spanish football.

Trophies and Awards

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88
• Copa del Rey: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82
• Copa de la Liga: 1985
• UEFA Cup: 1984–85, 1985–86

Spain

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1984

Individual

• Pichichi Trophy (Segunda División): 1970–71

See also

In Spanish: Santillana (futbolista) para niños