Amancio Amaro

Amancio Amaro Varela, (born 16 October 1939 in A Coruña, Galicia) commonly known simply as Amancio, is a former Spanish football player. Nicknamed El Brujo (The Magician) he played outside right for Deportivo de La Coruña, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

Amancio

Amancio in 1971
Personal information
Full name	Amancio Amaro Varela
Date of birth	(1939-10-16) 16 October 1939
Place of birth	A Coruña, Spain
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 ^1⁄2 in)
Playing position(s)	Outside right
Youth career
1954–1958	Victoria
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1958–1962	Deportivo La Coruña	92	(54)
1962–1976	Real Madrid	344	(119)
Total		436	(173)
National team
1962–1974	Spain	42	(11)
Teams managed
1976–1977	Real Madrid (youth)
1982–1984	Castilla
1984–1985	Real Madrid
Honours Representing  Spain UEFA European Championship Winner 1964 Spain
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Amaro and the second or maternal family name is Varela.

Amancio 1973

Playing career

Early career

Amancio Amaro began his career aged 15 at local side, Victoria Club de Futbol, in the district of Santa Lucia. In the 1958–59 season he joined Deportivo de La Coruña, which at that time was in the Spanish second division. When Deportivo were promoted to first division, Amancio started to call the attention of the scouts for major teams, such as Real Madrid.

Real Madrid

Amaro depicted on a 1968 Ajman stamp

The signing of Amancio by Real Madrid almost did not happen; had it not been for Santiago Bernabéu Yeste’s insistence in signing the player, his astronomical signing-fee would have spoiled the negotiations.

Along with the signing of Amancio by Real Madrid in June 1962, players such as Ignacio Zoco, Lucien Muller, and Yanko Daucik also arrived. During this time the team was in a transitional phase, since in earlier years the team had swept the competition both in Spain and outside its borders. Amancio made his debut in European competition opposite Anderlecht (3–3 result in the Santiago Bernabéu); and in the league against Real Betis in Seville with a 5–2 win for Real Madrid.

Amaro with Miguel Muñoz and Gento

During the 1963–64 season, Amancio and Real Madrid reached the final of the European Cup, only to be beaten by Inter Milan by 3–1. The following season brought more heartache, with Benfica eliminating the youthful Madrid side in the quarterfinals. The ensuing season brought success for Madrid, as Miguel Muñoz added young players such as Pirri, Velázquez, Sanchís and Grosso. This was known as the "Yé-Yé" team. Strong at the back, and devastating going forward, Madrid fought their way to another final, this time against FK Partizan. The venue was Heysel Stadium in Brussels, and on 11 May 1966, Amancio stepped out on to the pitch for his second and last European Cup final. FK Partizan's Velibor Vasović scored the first goal of the match. Amancio drew level twenty minutes from the end, after collecting a signature pass, faking out a defender and skillfully booting the ball past the Yugoslav keeper Milutin Šoškić. Five minutes later, a thunderous shot by teammate Serena from 30 metres out settled the game. It was Amancio's first and only European Cup winner's medal. In his first 6 seasons in Madrid, he won a breathtaking 6 La Liga titles. He would then go on to win another 3, giving him 9 titles in total. He even took the title of Pichichi on back to back occasions, 1969 and 1970.

As a Real Madrid player, Amancio's reputation reached such international fame, that he had the honour of being called for a world team, promoted by FIFA.

Amancio retired in 1976 and joined the coaching staff of Real Madrid.

Spain

Amancio wore the Spanish jersey on 42 occasions, debuting before Romania. With the team, Amancio was a participant of one of the greatest achievements in the history of the team: winning the 1964 European Football Championship by a 2–1 score against the defending champions, the Soviet Union.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	30 May 1963	San Mamés, Bilbao, Spain	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–1	1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying
2.	11 March 1964	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Republic of Ireland	0–0	4–0	1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying
3.	11 March 1964	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Republic of Ireland	1–0	4–0	1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying
4.	17 June 1964	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	Hungary	2-1	2–1	1964 European Nations' Cup
5.	15 July 1966	Hillsborough, Sheffield, England	Switzerland	1–0	1–0	1966 World Cup
6.	28 February 1968	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Sweden	0–0	2–0	Friendly
7.	28 February 1968	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Sweden	1–0	2–0	Friendly
8.	8 May 1968	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	England	1–0	1-2	1968 Euro qualifying
9.	30 April 1969	Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain	Yugoslavia	2–0	2–1	1970 World Cup qualification
10.	15 October 1969	José Antonio, La Línea, Spain	Finland	4–0	5–0	1970 World Cup qualification
11.	19 October 1972	Insular, Las Palmas, Spain	Yugoslavia	0–0	1–1	1974 World Cup qualification

Managerial career

Upon retiring, Amancio began a new phase on the bench. He began coaching the junior teams of Real Madrid during a season. After one season he decided to dedicate himself to his businesses. In 1982, he was readmitted by Luis de Carlos, who had just won the club's presidential elections.

Amancio once again took charge of Castilla CF, with which he won the Segunda División in his second season. The team included the legendary Quinta del Buitre, Made up of Butragueño, Míchel, Sanchis, Martín Vázquez, and Pardeza.

In the 1984–85 season he took charge of the first team. However, the outcome was not as good as expected, and Amancio left his post. After a time as a consultant, Amancio left Real Madrid to join the sports company Kelme, becoming a representative responsible for the Madrid area.

In July 2000 he put himself forward as a candidate for the Presidency and the board of directors of Real Madrid which the President of the Club, Florentino Pérez, ending up being elected member of the Board. From this position he favored the incorporation of former Real players in different positions of responsibility of the club. The board of directors agreed that Amancio would be in charge of the 100th anniversary of Real Madrid.

Honours

Club

Real Madrid

• Spanish League: 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76
• Spanish Cup: 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75
• European Cup: 1965–66

International

Spain

• European Football Championship: 1964

Individual

• Pichichi: 1968–69, 1969–70
• Pichichi: Second Division 1961–62
• Ballon d'Or: Third Place 1964
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1964
• FIFA XI: 1968[1]

References

1. FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info

External links

• Amancio Amaro at BDFutbol
• Amancio Amaro manager profile at BDFutbol
• National team data (in Spanish)
• Amancio Amaro at National-Football-Teams.com
• Real Madrid archives (in Spanish)
• International appearances at RSSSF
• Amancio Amaro – FIFA competition record

Sporting positions
Preceded by Zoco	Real Madrid C.F. captain 1974–1976	Succeeded by Pirri