José Emilio Santamaria, Real Madrid legend, dies aged 96

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·16 de abril de 2026

José Emilio Santamaria, Real Madrid legend, dies aged 96

José Emilio Santamaria, Real Madrid legend, has died aged 96. Real Madrid said in a statement on Wednesday, describing the Uruguay-born, naturalised Spaniard as one of the club's greatest legends.

Santamaria won four European Cups with Madrid in 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1966, anchoring the side through the late 1950s and 1960s.

Vídeos OneFootball

Born in Montevideo in 1929, he spent around a decade with Nacional before joining Real Madrid in 1957, remaining until 1966.

He represented Uruguay from 1952 to 1957 and played at the 1954 World Cup. After naturalisation he featured for Spain around 15 times, including at the 1962 World Cup.

After retiring he moved into coaching, spending seven years at Espanyol, then managing Spain from 1980 to the end of the 1982 World Cup.

Source: L'Équipe