Pirri

Pirri

Pirri (left) with coach László Kubala in 1973
Personal information
Full name	José Martínez Sánchez
Date of birth	11 March 1945
Place of birth	Ceuta, Spain
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Centre Midfielder, Sweeper
Youth career
	Imperio Riffien
	SD Ceuta
	Atlético Ceuta
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1963–1964	Granada	21	(11)
1964–1980	Real Madrid	417	(123)
1980–1982	Puebla	55	(18)
1963–1982	Total	493	(152)
National team
1963	Spain U18	1	(0)
1964	Spain amateur	4	(2)
1966–1978	Spain	41	(16)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

José Martínez Sánchez, nicknamed Pirri (born 11 March 1945 in Ceuta), is a retired Spanish footballer. Pirri is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish footballers to have ever lived. He played as a centre midfielder for Real Madrid and Spain until he was 28 years old before moving to play as sweeper. He also served as captain of Real Madrid from 1976 to 1980. Pirri is married to former Spanish actress Sonia Bruno.

Pirri was well known for leadership skills and ferocity. However his best asset was his stamina, allowing him contribute regularly to both the attack and defense without relenting. Pirri was also a very good passer and scored a remarkable amount goals for a defensive player (123 league goals).

Club career

He played for Real Madrid for 15 years, between 1964 and 1979, winning ten Spanish league titles, four Spanish cups, and the 1966 European Champion Clubs' Cup. He was part of the Real Madrid team that was known as the Yé-Yé team.

In 1980, Pirri signed for Mexican Primera Division side Puebla. He scored his first goal for the club in a league match against Atletas Campesinos on 28 September 1980.^[1]

After retiring Pirri completed his studies to qualify as a physician and joined Madrid's medical staff.

International career

Pirri played 41 times and scored 16 goals for Spain between 1966 and 1978, and was in the Spanish squads for the 1966 and 1978 World Cups.^[2]

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	13 July 1966	Villa Park, Birmingham, England	Argentina	1–1	2–1	1966 World Cup
2.	7 December 1966	Mestalla, Valencia, Spain	Republic of Ireland	2–0	2–0	Euro 1968 qualifying
3.	22 October 1967	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	Czechoslovakia	1–0	2–1	Euro 1968 qualifying
4.	17 October 1968	Gerland, Lyon, France	France	1–1	1–3	Friendly
5.	15 October 1969	José Antonio, La Línea, Spain	Finland	1–0	6–0	1970 World Cup qualification
6.	11 November 1970	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Northern Ireland	2–0	3–0	Euro 1972 qualifying
7.	20 February 1971	Sant'Elia, Cagliari, Italy	Italy	0–1	1–2	Friendly
8.	17 March 1971	Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain	France	1–2	2–2	Friendly
9.	17 March 1971	Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain	France	2–2	2–2	Friendly
10.	9 May 1971	GSP, Nicosia, Cyprus	Cyprus	0–1	0–2	Euro 1972 qualifying
11.	24 November 1971	Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain	Cyprus	1–0	7–0	Euro 1972 qualifying
12.	24 November 1971	Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain	Cyprus	4–0	7–0	Euro 1972 qualifying
13.	12 October 1974	Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Argentina	0–1	1–1	Friendly
14.	12 October 1975	Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain	Denmark	1–0	2–0	Euro 1976 qualifying
15.	10 October 1976	Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain	Yugoslavia	1–0	1–0	1978 World Cup qualification
16.	25 January 1978	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	Italy	1–0	2–1	Friendly

Honours

Real Madrid

• European Cup: 1965–66
• Spanish League: 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80
• Spanish Cup: 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80

References

1. "Primer gol de Pirri en el Puebla" (in Spanish). El Pais. 30 September 1980.
2. Pirri – FIFA competition record

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Pirri at National-Football-Teams.com
• MedioTiempo profile (Spanish)
• Real Madrid archives (Spanish)
• International appearances at RSSSF
• Pirri – FIFA competition record