 Gento in 1962 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francisco Gento López | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Guarnizo, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 18 January 2022 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SD Nueva Montaña | |||
| Unión Club Astillero | |||
| Rayo Cantabria | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1952–1953 | Racing Santander | 10 | (2) |
| 1953–1971 | Real Madrid | 427 | (127) |
| Total | 437 | (129) | |
| International career | |||
| 1956 | Spain B | 1 | (0) |
| 1955–1969 | Spain | 43 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| Real Madrid Castilla | |||
| 1974 | Castellón | ||
| 1977–1980 | Palencia | ||
| 1980–1981 | Granada | ||
| 1997–2000 | Cantabria | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Francisco "Paco" Gento López (21 October 1933 – 18 January 2022) was a Spanish footballer who played as an outside left. A fast runner, Gento was referred to as the "Gale of the Cantabrian Sea" (Spanish: La Galerna del Cantábrico) in reference to his speed down the wing.[2] He was voted by IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) as the greatest Spanish footballer and 30th greatest world footballer of the 20th century.[3]
Gento began his career at Racing Santander in 1952 and moved to Real Madrid the following season. He appeared in a joint record eight European Cup finals, winning a joint record six, as well as winning a record 12 La Liga titles. In a 14-year international career, Gento earned 43 caps for Spain, playing at the World Cup in 1962 and 1966.
Following the death of Alfredo Di Stéfano in 2014, Gento was appointed the Honorary President of Real Madrid.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bdfwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Glanville, Brian (18 January 2022). "Paco Gento obituary". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Fallece Paco Gento, 'La Galerna del Cantábrico', único futbolista en ganar seis Copas de Europa". Newtral (in Spanish). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Paco Gento, Honorary President of Real Madrid". Realmadrid.com. 23 October 2016.