Amancio (footballer)

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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.

Amancio

Amancio in 1971

Personal information

Full name

Amancio Amaro Varela

Date of birth

16 October 1939

Place of birth

A Coruña, Spain

Date of death

21 February 2023 (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

(54)

1962–1976

Real Madrid

344

(119)

Total

436

(173)

International career

1962–1974

Spain

(11)

Managerial career

1976–1977

Real Madrid (youth)

1982–1984

Castilla

1984–1985

Real Madrid

Medal record

Representing Spain

European Nations' Cup
Winner	1964 Spain

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Early career

Amancio began his career aged 15 at local side Victoria, 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’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 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. 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]

International career

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.

Managerial career

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, 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]

Death

Amancio died in Madrid on 21 February 2023, at the age of 83.^[3]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[4]
Club	Season	League			Copa del Generalísimo		Europe^[a]		Other		Total
Club	Season	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^[b]	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^[c]	0	—		30	6
	1971–72		28	6	6	0	3^[d]	1	—		37	7
	1972–73		25	8	2	0	7	1	—		34	9
	1973–74		26	8	3	0	1^[d]	0	—		30	8
	1974–75		17	3	7	1	2^[c]	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

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[4]
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.

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	11 March 1964	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Republic of Ireland	3–1	5–1	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	2–1	2–1	1966 FIFA World Cup
6	28 February 1968	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Sweden	1–0	2–0	Friendly
7	28 February 1968	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Sweden	2–0	2–0	Friendly
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