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The marauding full-back with his socks rolled down — the man who was named the best Spanish player of the 1978/79 season with Real Betis Balompié — turns 60 today. And so, from Coolligan, we'd like to take a brief look back at the career of this remarkable player.
After five years coming through the youth ranks at Real Betis, he made his debut with the first team in 1977. He didn't take long to make his mark, earning his place in the hearts of the verdiblancos on merit alone. With over 230 appearances and 18 goals for Betis, he became a true standard-bearer for the club's supporters.
While at Real Betis he was called up to the Spanish national team for the first time in 1978 — the very season in which the iconic magazine Don Balón named him the best Spanish player.
Then came the call from the capital. Real Madrid. It was 1985, and he spent no less than seven years there. He made over 180 appearances, scored 20 goals, and collected more than 10 trophies with the club. True to form — a genuine giant of Spanish football — he returned home in 1992.
Real Betis were in the Second Division, and without a shadow of a doubt, he was one of the key architects of their promotion the following season, with the club going on to achieve a third-place finish and UEFA Cup qualification in subsequent years.
Years later, he moved to Écija C.F., where he eventually hung up his boots after two seasons, in 1996.
