Not to be confused with José Antonio Santamaría or José Luis Santamaría.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Santamaría and the second or maternal family name is Iglesias.

José Santamaría
Santamaría in 1976
Personal information
Full name José Emilio Santamaría Iglesias[1]
Date of birth (1929-07-31)31 July 1929[1]
Place of birth Montevideo, Uruguay
Date of death 15 April 2026(2026-04-15) (aged 96)
Place of death Madrid, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position Centre-back
Youth career
Atlético Pocitos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1957 Nacional
1957–1966 Real Madrid 227 (2)
International career
1952–1957 Uruguay 20 (0)
1958–1962 Spain 16 (0)
Managerial career
1968–1971 Spain (youth / Olympic)
1971–1977 Español
1978–1980 Spain U21
1980–1982 Spain
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

José Emilio Santamaría Iglesias (31 July 1929 – 15 April 2026) was a Uruguayan football player and coach. A central defender, he spent his 18-year club career with Nacional and Real Madrid, winning 12 titles with the latter club including four European Cups.

Born in Uruguay, Santamaría represented both the Uruguay and Spain national teams.[2] He later embarked on a coaching career, which included a two-year spell as manager of the Spanish national team.

Club career

Born in Montevideo to Spanish parents,[3] Santamaría played for local Nacional in his country, winning five national championships during his spell. The 28-year-old moved abroad in 1957, signing with Real Madrid where he remained until the end of his career.[4]

Santamaría totalled 34 appearances between La Liga and the European Cup in his first season at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, winning both tournaments. He went on to add a further ten major trophies to his collection, being first-choice for the vast majority of his stint.[5]

Having earned the nickname 'The Wall' for his consistent defensive displays, Santamaría retired at the end of the 1965–66 campaign aged 36, featuring twice in that year's European Cup en route to another triumph (against Feyenoord and at Kilmarnock).[6] He played 337 competitive matches for Real Madrid.[7]

International career

Santamaría was first called up to play for Uruguay in the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, being selected to fill an inside forward slot in the squad but seeing the request denied by his club on the grounds that he was a defender.[4] Four years later, however, he was an integral part of the team at the World Cup in Switzerland, helping them to a final fourth position and earning a total of 20 caps.[8][6]

He began representing Spain in 1958, his debut coming on 15 October against Northern Ireland (6–2 friendly win in Madrid). He appeared with his adopted nation at the 1962 World Cup, playing against Czechoslovakia (1–0 loss) and Mexico (1–0 victory) in an eventual group-stage exit.[8][6]

Coaching career

Santamaría was appointed at Español in the summer of 1971, for his first club coaching experience. He led the Catalans to two top-four finishes in a six-year tenure, including a third place in the 1972–73 season just three points behind champions Atlético Madrid,[9] being dismissed on 21 December 1977 following a 4–0 away loss against Racing de Santander.[10]

After working with the Spanish youth sides, including two years with the under-21s,[6] Santamaría was appointed full manager for the 1982 World Cup, due to be played on home soil.[11] He was relieved of his duties at the end of the competition as Spain were unable to progress from the second group phase, and quit football altogether to pursue other interests.[12]

Death

Santamaría died in Madrid on 15 April 2026, at the age of 96.[13][14]

Honours

Santamaría in 1962
Nacional
  • Uruguayan Primera División: 1950, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957[4]
Real Madrid
  • La Liga: 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65[5]
  • Copa del Generalísimo: 1961–62[15]
  • European Cup: 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1965–66[5]
  • Intercontinental Cup: 1960[5]
Individual
  • FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1954[16]
  • World Soccer World XI: 1960[17]
  • IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team[18]

See also

  • List of Spain international footballers born outside Spain

References

  1. ^ a b c José Santamaría at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ De la Riva, Mario (5 September 2016). "Los 11 jugadores nacidos fuera de España con más partidos" [The 11 players born outside of Spain with the most matches]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  3. ^ Roncero, Tomás (10 August 2022). "Santamaría: "No hubo fiesta la noche del 7–3; Bernabéu nos dijo en el hotel: 'De aquí no sale nadie"" [Santamaría: "There was no party on the night of the 7–3; Bernabéu told us at the hotel: 'No one is getting out'"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Díaz, Juan José (8 March 2018). "Una leyenda viva de Nacional que recibirá su reconocimiento" [Nacional living legend to be honoured]. El Observador (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Molero, Iván (30 September 2017). "Santamaría: "Di Stéfano era el trabajo y Cristiano, el gol nato"" [Santamaría: "Di Stéfano was the work and Cristiano, the born goal"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Cosín, Alberto (28 May 2019). "Santamaría: el cerrojo de la era dorada" [Santamaría: lock of the golden age] (in Spanish). La Galerna. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  7. ^ "The best centre back of his time". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b Mamrud, Roberto. "José Emilio Santamaría – International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  9. ^ González Fernández, Javier (15 May 2012). "José Emilio Santamaría, entrenador del Espanyol de los "cinco delfines"" [José Emilio Santamaría, manager of the Espanyol of the "five dolphins"] (in Spanish). Vavel. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  10. ^ "Santamaría, cesado en el Español" [Santamaría, sacked at Español]. El País (in Spanish). 21 December 1977. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  11. ^ García Candau, Julian (15 June 1980). "Santamaría ya prepara sus planes de trabajo de cara al Mundial-82" [Santamaría already readying his workplan ahead of World Cup-82]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  12. ^ Paradinas, Juan José (9 November 1982). "Santamaría deja el fútbol para dedicarse a los negocios" [Santamaría quits football to engage in business]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  13. ^ De Juan, Manu (15 April 2026). "Fallece Santamaría, ídolo desde la defensa del gran Real Madrid de Di Stéfano" [Death of Santamaría, defensive idol of Di Stéfano's great Real Madrid]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  14. ^ "Muere José Emilio Santamaría, leyenda del Real Madrid de Di Stéfano" [Death of José Emilio Santamaría, legend of Di Stéfano's Real Madrid] (in Spanish). Radio France Internationale. 15 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  15. ^ "On this day, the club clinched its 10th Spanish Cup crown". Real Madrid CF. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  16. ^ "FIFA World Cup All-Star Team – Football world Cup All Star Team". Football Sporting 99. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  17. ^ "Eric Batty's World XI – The Sixties". Beyond the Last Man. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  18. ^ "IFFHS Men's All Time Uruguay Dream Team". IFFHS. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
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