Three years without Gento
He was a Real Madrid player for 18 seasons and was the first player to win six European Cups.
On January 18th 2022, Real Madrid said goodbye to Francisco Gento, a key figure in our club’s history and a global footballing legend. He played for Real Madrid for 18 seasons from 1953 to 1971 with an extraordinary record that included six European Cups. He is the first player to achieve this milestone in Europe’s leading competition. He also won 12 Leagues, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 2 Latin Cups, 2 Copa del Reys and 1 Club World Cup.
At the time of his death at 88 years of age, he was honorary president of Real Madrid having been elected to the position in 2016 in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the club. Gento was the first Real Madrid player to reach 600 official matches, registering 182 goals. With an impressive physique and incredible speed, he became the best left winger in the world.
He was also the link between two legendary generations in Real Madrid: he was in the team that won five consecutive European Cups from 1956-1960 and then he was the captain of the Real Madrid Yé-yé that won it in 1966. Along with Kopa, Rial, Di Stéfano and Puskas, he was part of one of the most deadly forward lines in the history of football. He also scored in two European Cup finals. In our Second European Cup win, he put us 2-0 ahead against Fiorentina at the Santiago Bernabéu. He was even more decisive in the Third European Cup, when his goal in extra time settled a tough match against Milan.