Isacio Calleja

Isacio Calleja

Calleja in 1971
Personal information
Full name Isacio Calleja García
Date of birth (1936-12-06) 6 December 1936
Place of birth Valle de Cerrato, Spain
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Defender
Youth career
Artes Gráficas
Femsa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1972 Atlético Madrid 300 (6)
1958 → Guadalajara (loan)
National team
1961 Spain B 1 (0)
1961–1972 Spain 13 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Calleja and the second or maternal family name is García.

Isacio Calleja García (born 6 December 1936 in Valle de Cerrato, Palencia) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a defender.

Club career

Safe for a very brief loan spell with CD Guadalajara in the third division, Calleja spent his entire 14-year professional career with Atlético Madrid. He made his La Liga debut on 4 January 1959 in a 0–1 away loss against Real Oviedo, and finished his first season with only nine games (albeit all complete).[1]

From there onwards, Calleja became an important first-team member for the Colchoneros, helping the team to back-to-back Copa del Rey trophies from 1959 to 1961, both won against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. In the 1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup, which also ended in conquest, he contributed with nine appearances.

On 19 April 1970, Calleja scored his only goal of the campaign in a 2–0 win at CE Sabadell FC, which granted Atlético the national championship. He retired from football in July 1972 at the end of 1971–72 after winning his fourth Spanish Cup with the team, at the age of 35;[1] during his spell with his main club, he appeared in 424 official matches (77 in the domestic cup and 45 in European competition).

International career

Calleja was a Spanish international for more than one decade. He made his debut on 19 April 1961 in a 2–1 win in Wales for the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Calleja helped the national team win the 1964 European Nations' Cup on home soil, contributing with four games the qualifying phase and the finals combined. In total, he earned 13 caps.

Post-retirement

After retiring, Calleja, who majored in law, worked as a solicitor.[1]

Honours

Club

Atlético Madrid

Country

References

  1. 1 2 3 El 'Chato', el escudo en el corazón ('Chato', emblem in heart); Mundo Deportivo, 5 November 2004 (Spanish)
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