Snap shot: Spain celebrate 1964 EURO triumph
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
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Goal celebrations were for a long time perfunctory affairs but, make no mistake, players of yesteryear knew how to mark the occasion.
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A boisterous Santiago Bernabéu crowd watched Spain triumph against holders the Soviet Union to win the 1964 UEFA European Championship.
It was the nation's first major trophy – and would be their only one until 2008. The hosts had taken an early lead through Jesús María Pereda but were soon pegged back and the match remained in the balance until six minutes from time, when Marcelino Martínez stooped to conquer.
1 Fernando Olivella
Olivella had the honour of doing what no other footballer would do until 2008 – captaining Spain to major international success. A born-and-bred Catalonian, the defender spent his entire career with Barcelona, making 513 competitive outings from 1956 to 1969. If a 5-0 victory over Belgium in Brussels in March 1957 marked his first cap, his last outing for Spain came in a 2-0 home defeat by England in December 1965. He later served on the Barcelona board.
2 José Villalonga
Villalonga coached Real Madrid to their first two European Cups in 1956 and 1957, then crossed town to guide Atlético Madrid to 1962 European Cup Winners' Cup glory. In 1964 he eclipsed all that had come before (and for a long time since) – vindication for his policy of favouring young talent over established stars. His four-year reign ended at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and he later worked as a coach instuctor. Villalonga died in 1973, aged 53.
3 Feliciano Rivilla
Right-back Rivilla played every match of Spain's triumphant campaign bar the 6-0 first-leg thrashing of Romania in the preliminary round. Part of the Atlético side that captured the 1962 Cup Winners' Cup under Villalonga, Rivilla also collected a championship medal in 1966. He was in Spain's World Cup squad that summer – as he had been in 1962 – and retired in 1968, having made 356 appearances for Atlético and 26 for Spain. He founded the Spanish association of ex-international footballers. Rivilla died in 2017 aged 81.
4 Luis Suárez
Man of the match in the 1964 final, Suárez controlled the game in the stylish, swaggering manner of a player full of confidence after inspiring Internazionale Milano to a 3-1 victory over Real Madrid in the European Cup final a few weeks before. Winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1960, Suárez's international career spanned 15 years and yielded 32 matches and 14 goals. The Galician-born inside forward later coached Spain at the 1990 World Cup before becoming a scout.
5 Jesús María Pereda
Better known as 'Chus', Pereda opened the scoring in both the 1964 semi-final against Hungary and the final against the Soviet Union, subsequently supplying the assist for Marcelino's clincher. It signalled a happy return to the Bernabéu for a player who had left Real Madrid to later become a strike ace for arch-rivals Barcelona. Despite his EURO exploits, Pereda never established himself as a Spain regular, picking up just 15 caps. He died in 2011.
6 José Ángel Iribar
The lone Basque in Spain's 1964 side, Iribar had only made his debut in the quarter-final first leg against the Republic of Ireland, a few days after his 21st birthday. Thereafter he was a team mainstay until 1976, amassing 49 caps. His longevity at Athletic Club was even greater, lasting 18 years until 1980. Iribar later served the Bilbao club as a coach before getting involved in local politics in the Basque Country.