Two years without Gento
He played 18 seasons for Real Madrid and is the only player to have won six European Cups.
On 18 January 2022, Real Madrid bid farewell to Francisco Gento, an integral figure in the history of our club and a legend in world football. He played 18 seasons at Real Madrid, from 1953 to 1971, and his outstanding trophy haul includes 6 European Cups. He is the only footballer with as many trophies in the continental competition. He also won 12 LaLiga titles, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 2 Latin Cups, 2 Copa del Rey trophies and 1 Small Club World Cup.
At the time of his death he was 88 years old and was the honorary president of Real Madrid, a position for which he was elected in 2016 as a result of his outstanding contribution to the club. Gento was the first Real Madrid player to reach 600 official matches, scoring 182 goals. Blessed with a superb physique and incredible speed, he became the best left winger in the world.
He was also the nexus between two legendary generations at Real Madrid: he was in the team that won five consecutive European Cups 1956-1960 and then he was the captain of the Real Madrid yeyé team that won it in 1966. Along with Kopa, Rial, Di Stéfano and Puskas, he was part of one of the most important front lines in the history of football. He also scored in two European Cup finals. In the second, he netted the decisive second goal in the 2-0 win over Fiorentina at the Santiago Bernabéu. He was even more decisive in the club's third European Cup, when his extra-time goal settled a tough encounter against Milan.