Guillermo Gorostiza

Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes (15 February 1909 – 23 August 1966) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward.

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

Guillermo Gorostiza

Gorostiza in 1931
Personal information
Full name	Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes
Date of birth	(1909-02-15)15 February 1909
Place of birth	Santurtzi, Spain
Date of death	23 August 1966(1966-08-23) (aged 57)
Place of death	Bilbao, Spain
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Chávarri
	Zugazarte
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1927–1928	Arenas Getxo
1928–1929	Racing Ferrol
1929–1936	Athletic Bilbao	119	(92)
1939–1940	Athletic Bilbao	21	(14)
1940–1946	Valencia	115	(72)
1946–1947	Barakaldo	20	(14)
1947–1948	Juvencia
1948–1949	Logroñés
Total		275+	(192+)
National team
1930–1941	Spain	19	(2)
Teams managed
1947	Barakaldo
1948–1949	Logroñés (player-coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

In a 14-year professional career, he played for Athletic Bilbao and Valencia, amassing La Liga totals of 255 games and 178 goals and winning 11 major titles with the two teams combined.

Gorostiza appeared for Spain at the 1934 World Cup.

Club career

Athletic Bilbao

Gorostiza was born in Santurtzi, Biscay. He played youth football for Chávarri de Sestao and Zugazarte, making his senior debuts with Arenas Club de Getxo and Racing de Ferrol (one season apiece) before signing for Athletic Bilbao in 1929. He made his La Liga debut on 1 December 1929 against Real Madrid, and scored a combined 37 league goals in his first two seasons (in 36 matches) as the club won back-to-back national championships, adding as many Copa del Rey trophies.[1]

Gorostiza was a member of an Athletic attack that also included Bata, José Iraragorri, Chirri II, Lafuente[2][3][4][5] and Víctor Unamuno, being coached by English Fred Pentland[6] and winning two Pichichi awards with the club. He scored the last goal in the 1933 Spanish Cup final, a 2–1 victory over Real Madrid in Barcelona.[6]

During the Spanish Civil War, Gorostiza played with the Euskadi XI, a team which was put together at the suggestion of José Antonio Aguirre, the president of the Basque Country and a former Athletic player. The side went on tour to raise funds for the Basque cause and played in Europe and Mexico, even entering the Mexican league during the 1938–39 campaign, although by then Gorostiza was no longer with the squad.

Valencia / Later years

On returning to Spain, Gorostiza returned to Athletic as they attempted to rebuild their squad using younger players, featuring in the 1939 Copa del Generalísimo and the full 1939–40. He then joined Valencia CF as the young Che squad had managed to remain intact during the conflict and now, aided by the veteran (31), eventually won two leagues and one cup, with the player netting in double digits in four of his six seasons, with a best of 20 goals in 24 games in 1941–42.[7]

After leaving the Mestalla Stadium, Gorostiza played for Barakaldo CF during the 1946–47 campaign, in Segunda División, and then retired at the age of 38. However, he twice came out of retirement, with CD Logroñés and Juvencia Trubia, finally calling it quits in 1951.

International career

While at Athletic, Gorostiza made his debut for Spain, appearing against Czechoslovakia on 14 June 1930. He represented the nation at the 1934 FIFA World Cup, playing in the 3–1 win against Brazil and the 1–1 draw against Italy; he missed the replay against the latter, a 0–1 defeat.

Gorostiza earned the last of his 19 caps on 12 December 1941, in a friendly match with Switzerland in Valencia.

Death

Gorostiza began to struggle with alcoholism while still playing, and this eventually led to severe economic problems.[8] He was found dead by a nun on 24 August 1966 at the Santa María en Santurce nursing home in Bilbao, aged 57.[9][10]

Filmography

Gorostiza played Goro in ¡¡Campeones!! (1943),[11] and himself in Juguetes rotos (1966).[12]

Club statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Regional		Total
Club	League	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Spain			League		Cup		Regional		Total
Athletic Bilbao	La Liga	1929–30	18	20	10	9	8	4	36	33
		1930–31	18	17	4	3	8	7	30	27
		1931–32	15	9	7	10	7	6	29	25
		1932–33	17	14	9	7	6	3	32	24
		1933–34	15	14	6	2	8	4	29	20
		1934–35	18	8	2	0	9	8	29	16
		1935–36	18	10	3	1	8	2	29	13
		1938–39	–		2	1	8	7	10	9
		1939–40	21	14	4	4	7	9	32	27
	Total		140	106	47	37	69	50	256	193
Valencia	La Liga	1940–41	21	14	7	7	–		28	21
		1941–42	24	20	8	6	–		32	26
		1942–43	13	2	0	0	–		13	2
		1943–44	21	16	6	7	–		27	23
		1944–45	24	16	6	1	–		30	17
		1945–46	13	4	3	4	–		16	8
	Total		116	72	30	25	0	0	146	97
Barakaldo	Segunda División	1946–47	20	14	1	0	–		21	14
Career total			276	192	78	62	69	50	423	304

Honours

Club

Athletic Bilbao

• La Liga: 1929–30, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1935–36
• Copa del Rey: 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933
• Biscay Championship: 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1938–39, 1939–40

Valencia

• La Liga: 1941–42, 1943–44
• Copa del Generalísimo: 1941

Individual

• Pichichi Trophy: 1929–30, 1931–32[13]

References

1. "Leyendas del Athletic Club de Bilbao – 'Bala roja'" [Athletic Club de Bilbao legends – 'Red bullet']. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2016.
2. Salazar, Bernardo (2 March 2016). "Las tres grandes delanteras que hubo en la historia el Athletic" [The three great forward lines in the history of Athletic]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
3. "History: 1928–1937". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
4. García, Montse (12 March 2012). "El 'Abecedario' del fútbol: Guillermo Gorostiza, la bala roja de San Mamés" [The 'ABC' of football: Guillermo Gorostiza, the red bullet of San Mamés] (in Spanish). Fútbol Primera. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
5. Radnedge, Keir (1 August 1977). "The history of Athletic Bilbao 1898–1936". World Soccer (via In Bed With Maradona). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
6. Radnedge, Keir (1 August 1977). "The history of Athletic Bilbao 1898–1936". In Bed With Maradona. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
7. "La delantera "eléctrica", clave en la primera Liga del Valencia CF" [The "electric" forwards, key to Valencia CF's first League] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
8. García Candau, Julián (10 January 2008). "Fernandes y Banega, anécdotas del alcohol y el sexo" [Fernandes and Banega, anecdotes on alcohol and sex]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Valencia. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
9. Relaño, Alfredo (16 December 2012). "Guillermo Gorostiza, el 'George Best' español" [Guillermo Gorostiza, the Spanish 'George Best']. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
10. Chilet, Vicent (27 December 2009). "De Gorostiza a Penev, pasando por Romario" [From Gorostiza to Penev, with reference to Romario]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Valencia. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
11. Lamela, Luis (24 June 2015). "Ramón Polo Pardo, gran jugador del Celta, otro corcubionés fugaz" [Ramón Polo Pardo, great Celta player, another fleeting corcubionés]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
12. "'Juguetes rotos', en 'Historia de nuestro cine'" ['Broken toys', in 'History of our cinema'] (in Spanish). Diez Minutos. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
13. Bravo, Luis Javier; Sillipp, Bernhard; Torre, Raúl; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Spain – List of Topscorers ("Pichichi") 1929–2015". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2017.

External links

• Guillermo Gorostiza at BDFutbol
• Guillermo Gorostiza at Athletic Bilbao
• Guillermo Gorostiza at National-Football-Teams.com
• Guillermo Gorostiza – FIFA competition record
• Spain stats at Eu-Football
• Guillermo Gorostiza on IMDb