Francisco Aguilar (footballer, born 1949)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Aguilar and the second or maternal family name is García.

Francisco Aguilar
Aguilar with Real Madrid in 1973
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier Aguilar García[1]
Date of birth (1949-03-26)26 March 1949[1]
Place of birth Santander, Spain[1]
Date of death 11 May 2020(2020-05-11) (aged 71)
Place of death Madrid, Spain
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Racing Santander
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1971 Racing Santander 37 (10)
1971–1979 Real Madrid 144 (34)
1979–1981 Sporting Gijón 46 (6)
1981–1983 Rayo Vallecano 73 (18)
Total 300 (68)
International career
1971 Spain U23 1 (1)
1971–1973 Spain 3 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francisco Javier Aguilar García (26 March 1949 – 11 May 2020) was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a forward.

Club career

Born in Santander, Aguilar started his career with local Racing de Santander,[2] making his senior debut at 19 and helping the Cantabrians to achieve promotion to the Segunda División in 1970. The following year, he signed with La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid alongside teammate Santillana,[2] finishing his first season with 31 matches (28 starts) and six goals as the team won the national championship; he added three in only four appearances in the UEFA Cup, but they were eliminated in the second round.[3]

Safe for two seasons, Aguilar was regularly used during his spell, winning five leagues and two Copa del Rey – including the double in the 1974–75 campaign – and appearing in 190 competitive games.[2] In the summer of 1979 he joined Sporting de Gijón, playing regularly but only managing to score on six occasions during his spell.[4]

Aguilar retired from football in June 1983 at the age of 34, after two years with another club in Madrid, second-tier Rayo Vallecano (12 goals from 36 appearances in his first).[3] Over ten seasons, he amassed top-flight totals of 190 matches and 40 goals.

International career

In one year and a half, Aguilar played three matches for Spain.[2] He made his debut on 24 November 1971 in a UEFA Euro 1972 qualifier against Cyprus in Granada, replacing Real Madrid teammate Amancio Amaro at half-time and scoring the fifth goal in an eventual 7–0 rout.[5]

Aguilar also represented the nation at under-23 level.[6]

International goals

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 24 November 1971 Granada, Spain  Cyprus 5–0 7–0 UEFA Euro 1972 qualifying

Death

Aguilar died on 11 May 2020 in Madrid aged 71,[7] due to cancer.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Aguilar". Worldfootball. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Fallece Ico Aguilar, jugador cántabro del Real Madrid en la década de los setenta" [Death of Ico Aguilar, Cantabrian player of Real Madrid in the 70s]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b Martín, Agustín (11 May 2020). "Fallece Ico Aguilar, extremo del Real Madrid de los años 70" [Death of Ico Aguilar, Real Madrid winger in the 70s]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b Cabranes, Ángel (11 May 2020). "Fallece Ico Aguilar, exjugador del Sporting" [Death of Ico Aguilar, former Sporting player]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. ^ Pardo, Carlos (25 November 1971). "7–0: Festival de goles español" [7–0: Spanish goal fest]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Отборочный матч I молодёжного чемпионата Европы 1972 г." [Qualification match of the 1st European Youth Championship in 1972] (in Russian). Russia Matches. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Official announcement: passing of Ico Aguilar". Real Madrid CF. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.