Died at the age of 88, he was still honorary president of the merengue club.
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On the other side of the Pyrenees, a football legend died. Real Madrid announced Tuesday morning, January 18, the death at 88 of Paco Gento. Player of the Merengue club between 1953 and 1971, he is the only player in history to have won the Champions Club Cup (former name of the Champions League) six times, scoring twice in the final.
In 18 seasons at Real Madrid, the attacking player had scored 182 goals in 600 matches, and had forged a gigantic record, with, in addition to his six European titles, 12 Spanish Championships and two Spanish Cups, between others. In addition to his club, Gento was also a Spanish international 43 times, taking part twice in the World Cup (1962 and 1966).
Gento, el único jugador de la historia con seis Copas de Europa.#Real Madrid
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) January 18, 2022
“The figure of Paco Gento faithfully represents all the values of Real Madrid and will continue to be a reference for Real Madrid and for the world of sport. Madrid fans and all football fans will always remember him as one of their great legends.” the club said in a statement (in Spanish).
After his brilliant playing career, Gento had taken on the coaching suit. First with the youth categories of Real and then with second division teams like Castellon, Palencia and Granada. Until his death, he was still honorary president of Real Madrid.