Amancio_Amaro
Amancio (footballer)
Spanish footballer (1939–2023)
Amancio Amaro Varela (16 October 1939 – 21 February 2023), commonly known simply as Amancio, was a Spanish football player. Nicknamed El Brujo (The Wizard) he played outside right for Deportivo de La Coruña, Real Madrid, and the Spain national team.
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 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 | |||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 February 2023(2023-02-21) (aged 83) | |||||||||||||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 1962–1974 | Spain | 42 | (11) | |||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Real Madrid (youth) | |||||||||||||
| 1982–1984 | Castilla | |||||||||||||
| 1984–1985 | Real Madrid | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
Early career
Amancio began his career aged 15 at local side Victoria CF, in the district of Falperra–Santa Lucía. 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 attract the attention of the scouts for major teams, such as Real Madrid.
Real Madrid
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.
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 six seasons in Madrid, he won a six La Liga titles. He would then go on to win another three. He also 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. After the death of Francisco "Paco" Gento, he was appointed the honorary president of the club in 2022.[1]
Amancio wore the Spain national team's jersey on 42 occasions, debuting before Romania. With the team, he was a participant of one of its greatest achievements: winning the 1964 European Football Championship by a 2–1 score against the defending champions, the Soviet Union.
Upon retiring, Amancio began coaching the junior teams of Real Madrid. 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, Amancio took charge of the first team. However, the outcome was not as good as expected, and he 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, Amancio was elected as a member of the board of directors of Real Madrid. 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.
In 2022, he was appointed to the position of the honorary president of the club.[2]
Amancio died in Madrid on 21 February 2023, at the age of 83.[3]
Club
| Club | Season | League | Copa del Generalísimo | Europe[lower-alpha 1] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Deportivo de La Coruña | 1958–59 | Segunda División | 11 | 3 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 17 | 7 | ||
| 1959–60 | 26 | 10 | 4 | 5 | — | — | 30 | 15 | ||||
| 1960–61 | 29 | 16 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 33 | 20 | ||||
| 1961–62 | 26 | 25 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 28 | 27 | ||||
| Total | 92 | 54 | 16 | 15 | — | — | 108 | 69 | ||||
| Real Madrid | 1962–63 | La Liga | 28 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 38 | 15 | |
| 1963–64 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | — | 35 | 10 | |||
| 1964–65 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | — | 27 | 15 | |||
| 1965–66 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 34 | 13 | ||
| 1966–67 | 25 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 34 | 7 | |||
| 1967–68 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 4 | — | 43 | 18 | |||
| 1968–69 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 32 | 15 | |||
| 1969–70 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 41 | 23 | |||
| 1970–71 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 9[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 30 | 6 | |||
| 1971–72 | 28 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 4] | 1 | — | 37 | 7 | |||
| 1972–73 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 34 | 9 | |||
| 1973–74 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 4] | 0 | — | 30 | 8 | |||
| 1974–75 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 0 | — | 26 | 4 | |||
| 1975–76 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 28 | 4 | |||
| Total | 344 | 119 | 56 | 13 | 67 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 469 | 154 | ||
| Career total | 436 | 173 | 72 | 28 | 67 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 577 | 223 | ||
- All appearances in European Cup, unless otherwise noted
- Appearance(s) in Intercontinental Cup
- Appearance(s) in European Cup Winners' Cup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1962 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1964 | 4 | 3 | |
| 1966 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1967 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1968 | 6 | 3 | |
| 1969 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1970 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1971 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1972 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1974 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | 11 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Amancio goal.
| No. | 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 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying |
| 3 | 3–1 | |||||
| 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 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1966 FIFA World Cup |
| 6 | 28 February 1968 | Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain |  Sweden | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2–0 | |||||
| 8 | 8 May 1968 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain |  England | 1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying |
| 9 | 30 April 1969 | Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain |  Yugoslavia | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 15 October 1969 | José Antonio, La Línea, Spain |  Finland | 5–0 | 6–0 | 1970 World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 19 October 1972 | Insular, Las Palmas, Spain | Yugoslavia | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Player
Deportivo
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76
- Copa del Generalísimo: 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75
- European Cup: 1965–66
Spain
Individual
Manager
Castilla
- "Muere Amancio Amaro, leyenda del Real Madrid". ABC. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- "Spain – Amancio". Besoccer. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- "Amancia: The 'Galician' Wizard". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- "1964 team of the tournament". Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- "FUWO 1966" (PDF). FCC-Wiki. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- Amancio at BDFutbol
- Amancio manager profile at BDFutbol
- National team data (in Spanish)
- Amancio at National-Football-Teams.com
- Real Madrid archives (in Spanish)
- International appearances at RSSSF
- Amancio – FIFA competition record (archived)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Real Madrid CF captain 1974–1976 |
Succeeded by |