José Santamaría

José Emilio Santamaría Iglesias (born 31 July 1929) is a retired football central defender and manager. He spent his 18-year 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. He later embarked on a managerial career, which included a two-year spell with Spain.

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

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.

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). He played 337 competitive matches for Real Madrid.

Santamaría was appointed at Barcelona's RCD 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, being dismissed on 21 December 1977 following a 4–0 away loss against Racing de Santander.

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. 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.

Santamaría 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.

After working with the youth sides and spending two years with the under-21s, Santamaría was appointed full manager for the 1982 World Cup, due to be played on home soil. 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.

Honours
Nacional
 * Uruguayan Primera División: 1950, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957

Real Madrid
 * La Liga: 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65
 * Copa del Generalísimo: 1961–62
 * European Cup: 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1965–66
 * Intercontinental Cup: 1960

Individual
 * FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1954
 * World Soccer World XI: 1960
 * IFFHS Uruguayan Men's Dream Team