José Santamaría - 90 not out

I believe José Emilio Santamaría Iglesias is the oldest former Real Madrid footballer alive today.

José, now aged 90, still follows the game he graced as a player and manager for 35 years: 1948-82 inclusive.

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in July 1929, he played for his local club Nacional de Football, making over 200 appearances and winning five League championships during his time there: 1948-57. He also gained 20 full caps for Uruguay.

In the summer of 1957, aged 28, José moved to Spain, signing for Real Madrid where he remained until retiring in May 1966.

In his first season with the Merengues (1957-58) José gained both La Liga and European Cup (Champions League) winners’ medals, performing brilliantly in the final of the latter competition when Real beat Inter Milan 3-2 after extra-time.

A defensive rock, he won 11 major trophies with Real, being first-choice for most of his time at the Bernabeu. He helped Real lift six La Liga titles, the Copa Del Rey once, the European Cup four times and also the Inter-continental Cup.

Nicknamed 'The Wall' for his consistent displays, José made 337 senior appearances for Real, while at the same time he also switched countries, collecting 16 full caps for Spain!

Remaining in football, José became junior coach and assistant manager at the Bernabeu. He also coached the Spanish Youth and Olympic Games teams as he slowly gained experience as a non-player. In June 1968, he became head coach of Espaná Olymipical, a position he held for three years.

In July 1971, he was appointed manager of RCD Español – this being his first spell in charge of a major club. And he did well, leading the Catalans to two top-four finishes in La Liga during his six-year tenure, including a third-place high in 1972-73, three points behind champions Atlético Madrid.

Surprisingly José was sacked four days before Christmas 1977, following a 4-0 defeat at Racing de Santander. Some fans were shocked!

Obviously disappointed but seemingly unperturbed, he returned to coaching in 1979 when he took over the Spanish U21 side, before managing/coaching the full national team for two seasons (1980-82). In 1981 he came close again to glory when Real lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the final of the European Cup, this being their ninth appearance in the final of this competition.

Going back to his international career, José was first called up by Uruguay for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, being selected as an inside forward, but his club refused to let him go… on the grounds that he was a defender!

Four years later, however, José was an integral part of the national team at the World Cup in Switzerland, helping Uruguay finish fourth in the tournament

José’s first cap for Spain came in mid-October 1958, in a 6-2 friendly win over Northern Ireland in Madrid. He then appeared with his adopted nation at the 1962 World Cup, playing against Czechoslovakia (lost 10) and Mexico (won 1–0) as Spain suffered an early exit.

After working with his country’s intermediate sides, he managed Spain at the 1982 World Cup on home soil, but unfortunately was relieved of his duties at the end of the competition after Spain failed to get beyond the group stage.

At this point José quit football altogether to pursue other interests… although he did attend the odd match and was a guest speaker at several functions.

■ If anyone knows of any old players who are still with us today, please contact me on: tony_matthews@live.co.uk