Speedy and nimble Spanish footballer dubbed ‘The Wizard’
AMANCIO, who has died aged 83, was a supremely gifted footballer who shone for Real Madrid, and for Spain, with whom he won the 1964 European Championship; nicknamed El Brujo – the Wizard – he was a lightningfast winger and a maestro of the dribble who won the Spanish league title nine times and the European Cup once.
Amancio Amaro Varela was born on October 16 1939 in A Coruña, a port in Galicia, north-west Spain. He joined a local amateur side, Victoria CF, aged 15 and was signed in the 1958-59 season by Deportivo La Coruña, who were then in the Spanish second division.
The quality of his displays down the flanks as he helped Deportivo climb into the top flight, La Liga, alerted the big boys, and in 1962, after 54 goals in 92 league games for his home town side, he was bought by Real Madrid for a fee of 12 million pesetas, so huge a sum that it nearly scuppered the deal.
In the years before his arrival, Real had been all-conquering, famously winning the first five editions of the European Cup, culminating in their 7-3 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park in 1960. But by 1962 the grand old side was in transition, and while they were still dominant on the home front they were struggling to maintain their continental hegemony.
They did reach the 1964 European Cup final at the Praterstadion in Vienna, but were beaten 3-1 by Inter Milan, one of the pretenders snapping at their heels. It was a different story two years later at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, when Partizan Belgrade were the opponents.
Velibor Vasović scored a thumping header to put the Serbians ahead in the 55th minute, but a quarter of an hour later Amancio threaded his way through the Partizan defence to stroke home the equaliser, before a 20-yard scorcher from Fernando sealed victory.
Amancio was already by then a European champion on the international scene. He had won the first of his 42 caps for Spain against Romania in 1962, and two years later he was one of the first names on the teamsheet as Spain hosted the Euro 64 semi-finals and final.
In the semis, against a hugely talented Hungary side, Amancio was having a quiet time on the wing, but in extra time, with the score at 1-1, he began to wander into more central areas in search of the ball, and pounced to strike the winner from a corner.
The final at Real’s Bernabeu stadium in Madrid was against the reigning champions, the USSR; before the match, General Franco led the future King Juan Carlos on to the pitch to meet the teams, and they watched as Spain triumphed 2-1. It would be 44 years before they won another major trophy.
Amancio retired in 1976, having scored 173 goals in 436 league games for Real, to become a youth coach with the club, then from 1982 to 1984 managed their feeder side, Castilla, taking them to the Segunda División title, though they were denied promotion because of the association with their parent club.
In 1984 he was put in charge of Real’s first team, but it was not a happy experience, and he left after a season to go into business representing a sportswear firm. In 2000 he joined the Real Madrid board, going on to handle their centenary celebrations in 2002. In 2022 he was made honorary president.
On the evening of his death Real demolished Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield, inflicting one of the Merseysiders’ worst European defeats. Before the match the former Liverpool hero Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath in front of the Madrid fans in his honour, and afterwards the Real striker Karim Benzema, who scored the final two goals, paid tribute to his illustrious predecessor, saying: “This victory is for him.”
Amancio is survived by his wife Consuelo and by their three daughters and three sons.