José Emilio Santamaría, Real Madrid great and former Spain manager, dies aged 96 | OneFootball

José Emilio Santamaría, former Real Madrid defender and Spain manager at the 1982 World Cup, died on Wednesday aged 96. Real Madrid said in a statement that the Uruguayan was one of the club and world football’s great legends.

He joined Real Madrid from Club Nacional de Football in 1957 and spent nine seasons in Madrid until 1966. He won four European Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, six league titles and one Spanish Cup, playing 337 matches.

Santamaría was part of the side that captured the first European Cups in consecutive seasons, a run that helped forge the club’s global reputation.

With Nacional he won the Uruguayan championship four times. Internationally, he was capped 25 times by Uruguay and 16 by Spain, featuring at the 1954 World Cup with Uruguay and the 1962 finals with Spain.

After retiring, he began coaching in Real Madrid’s youth system the following year. He led Spain’s Olympic team at the 1968 Mexico Games and the 1980 Moscow Games, then managed Spain at the 1982 World Cup.

From 1971 he coached Espanyol for seven seasons and 252 matches, the most official games overseen by any manager in the club’s history.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo