Amancio (footballer)

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.

Amancio 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.

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]

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Amancio goal.

List of international goals scored by Amancio

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

Deportivo

• Segunda División: 1961–62[5]

Real Madrid

• Spanish League: 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

• UEFA 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[6]
• FIFA XI: 1968[7]

Castilla

• Segunda División: 1983–84[5]