Francisco Gento
Encyclopedia
Francisco "Paco" Gento López (born 21 October 1933 in Guarnizo
, Cantabria
) is a former Spanish
football player.
with Racing Santander in the 1952–53 season. In the following year, he signed with Real Madrid
and became a legendary player of that club, wearing the number 11 shirt.
La Galerna del Cantábrico (The Storm of Cantabrian [Sea]), as he was known, played outside-left and was noted not only for having great speed (he could run 100 meters in 11 seconds flat and was almost as quick with a ball at his feet), but also for his skills with the ball and his scoring prowess from the midfield position. He captained a young side, known in Spain as Ye-yé
, because of the popularity of The Beatles
at that time.
Among other honors, Gento won the European Cup
a record 6 times with Real Madrid (an unmatched record), scoring 30 goals in 89 European Cup career matches. He also played for Spain
from 1955 to 1969, winning 43 caps
and scoring 5 times.
Gento played in eight European Cup finals (6–2 record) (with a "ninth" appearance in the 1970–1971 Cup Winners' Cup final that Real Madrid
lost to Chelsea
). He holds this record jointly with AC Milan's Paolo Maldini
(with an inferior 5-3 record). Gento's legendary Real Madrid
teammate, Alfredo Di Stéfano
(5–2 record) comes third with 7.
After he retired from football in 1971, he decided to take up coaching. He took charge of various lower-league teams, such as Castilla
, Castellón
, Palencia
, and Granada
. In the end, he accepted a post working as an ambassador for Real Madrid
throughout Europe.
Gento has two younger brothers called Julio (born in 1939) and Antonio (born in 1940) that also are former footballers and both played for Real Madrid
but they were not as successful as their older brother Francisco.
|1952–53||Racing Santander
||Primera División
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|-
|1953–54||rowspan="18"|Real Madrid
||rowspan="18"|Primera División
||17||0||4||0||0||0||21||0
|-
|1954–55||24||6||3||0||0||0||27||6
|-
|1955–56||29||7||6||3||7||1||42||11
|-
|1956–57||27||7||2||0||8||1||37||8
|-
|1957–58||28||7||5||1||6||3||39||12
|-
|1958–59||21||7||5||2||8||1||34||10
|-
|1959–60||27||14||5||2||6||2||38||18
|-
|1960–61||28||9||8||3||2||1||38||13
|-
|1961–62||25||6||9||4||10||2||44||12
|-
|1962–63||25||7||4||1||2||1||31||9
|-
|1963–64||24||12||2||0||9||3||35||15
|-
|1964–65||23||4||3||0||6||5||32||9
|-
|1965–66||28||10||3||2||9||3||40||15
|-
|1966–67||20||11||5||0||4||0||29||11
|-
|1967–68||24||8||0||0||7||5||31||13
|-
|1968–69||26||8||2||1||2||0||30||9
|-
|1969–70||25||3||5||1||3||2||33||6
|-
|1970–71||7||0||2||0||6||0||15||0
438||128||73||20||95||30||606||178
438||128||73||20||95||30||606||178
El Astillero
El Astillero is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Cantabria, northern Spain. It is near the province capital, Santander, and it is known for its shipyard, and for holding the title of Spain Rowing Championships...
, Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
) is a former Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
football player.
Biography
He débuted in the Primera DivisiónLa Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
with Racing Santander in the 1952–53 season. In the following year, he signed with Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
and became a legendary player of that club, wearing the number 11 shirt.
La Galerna del Cantábrico (The Storm of Cantabrian [Sea]), as he was known, played outside-left and was noted not only for having great speed (he could run 100 meters in 11 seconds flat and was almost as quick with a ball at his feet), but also for his skills with the ball and his scoring prowess from the midfield position. He captained a young side, known in Spain as Ye-yé
Ye-yé (Real Madrid)
The Yé-yé team was the name given to the generation of all-Spanish Real Madrid players that dominated Spanish football in the 1960s. The team was captained by the veteran player Francisco Gento who won the European Cup 5 times with Alfredo Di Stefano in the 1950s...
, because of the popularity of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
at that time.
Among other honors, Gento won the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
a record 6 times with Real Madrid (an unmatched record), scoring 30 goals in 89 European Cup career matches. He also played for Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
from 1955 to 1969, winning 43 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
and scoring 5 times.
Gento played in eight European Cup finals (6–2 record) (with a "ninth" appearance in the 1970–1971 Cup Winners' Cup final that Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
lost to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
). He holds this record jointly with AC Milan's Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...
(with an inferior 5-3 record). Gento's legendary Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
teammate, Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
(5–2 record) comes third with 7.
After he retired from football in 1971, he decided to take up coaching. He took charge of various lower-league teams, such as Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
, Castellón
CD Castellón
Club Deportivo Castellón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Castellón de la Plana, in the Valencian Community. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Tercera División – Group 6, holding home games at Nou Estadi Castalia, which has a capacity of 16,000.-History:Football first appeared in...
, Palencia
Palencia CF
Palencia Club de Fútbol was a Spanish football club based in Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded in 1960, it held home games at Estadio La Balastera, with a 13,468-seat capacity.-History:...
, and Granada
Granada CF
Granada Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 14 April 1931, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home matches at Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes....
. In the end, he accepted a post working as an ambassador for Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
throughout Europe.
Gento has two younger brothers called Julio (born in 1939) and Antonio (born in 1940) that also are former footballers and both played for Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
but they were not as successful as their older brother Francisco.
Club
|-|1952–53||Racing Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
||Primera División
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||10||2||-||-||0||0||10||2
|-
|1953–54||rowspan="18"|Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
||rowspan="18"|Primera División
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||17||0||4||0||0||0||21||0
|-
|1954–55||24||6||3||0||0||0||27||6
|-
|1955–56||29||7||6||3||7||1||42||11
|-
|1956–57||27||7||2||0||8||1||37||8
|-
|1957–58||28||7||5||1||6||3||39||12
|-
|1958–59||21||7||5||2||8||1||34||10
|-
|1959–60||27||14||5||2||6||2||38||18
|-
|1960–61||28||9||8||3||2||1||38||13
|-
|1961–62||25||6||9||4||10||2||44||12
|-
|1962–63||25||7||4||1||2||1||31||9
|-
|1963–64||24||12||2||0||9||3||35||15
|-
|1964–65||23||4||3||0||6||5||32||9
|-
|1965–66||28||10||3||2||9||3||40||15
|-
|1966–67||20||11||5||0||4||0||29||11
|-
|1967–68||24||8||0||0||7||5||31||13
|-
|1968–69||26||8||2||1||2||0||30||9
|-
|1969–70||25||3||5||1||3||2||33||6
|-
|1970–71||7||0||2||0||6||0||15||0
438||128||73||20||95||30||606||178
438||128||73||20||95||30||606||178
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 October 1959 | Santiago Bernabéu Santiago Bernabéu Stadium The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators.... , Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
3–0 | 3–0 | 1960 European Nations' Cup Round of 16 | |
| 2. | 2 April 1961 | Santiago Bernabéu Santiago Bernabéu Stadium The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators.... , Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
2–0 | 2–0 | International Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 3. | 30 October 1963 | Windsor Park Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:... , Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... |
0–1 | 0–1 | 1964 European Nations' Cup Round of 16 | |
| 4. | 23 June 1966 | Riazor, A Coruña A Coruña A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
1–1 | 1–1 | International Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 5. | 31 May 1967 | San Mamés San Mamés Stadium Estadio San Mamés, AKA La Catedral , is a football stadium in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The stadium is the home of Athletic Bilbao, known as "Los leones de San Mamés-Bilboko lehoiak" . They are known as Los leones because their stadium was built near a church called San Mamés... , Bilbao Bilbao Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying |
Honours
Real Madrid- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969 - Spanish CupCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1962, 1970 - European Cup: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19601960 Intercontinental CupThe 1960 Intercontinental Cup was the inaugural edition of the matchup between the reigning European football champion and the reigning South American football champion. The two-legged tie was contested between Spanish club Real Madrid and Uruguayan club Peñarol... - Latin CupLatin CupThe Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from the Latin European nations of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1949 the football federations came together and launched their own club competition...
: 1955, 1957