The La Opinión de A Coruña, part of the Prensa Ibérica group, published a feature commemorating the 110th anniversary of Real Club Deportivo in 2016 by reflecting on a legendary football figure from the city.
“I loved football. My dream was to play and keep playing.” Echoes of the early interruptions by Luis Suárez, Manolo Lechuga, and the shorter Rodolfo Rábade still resound, along with stories of a grown man who was once a city regular known as “rellenado de San Diego.” Between the streets of San Luis and Vizcaya stood Amancio Amaro, born in 1939. The ceiling in his eyes seemed unreachable. The son of a greengrocer and a painter, he began his journey with Victoria de Santa Lucía, a launch pad that fed a lasting appetite for fine football, guided by figures like Jaime Blanco, a pillar of local sports. Amaro is remembered as one of Coruña’s finest—direct, graceful, and endlessly bold, with a style both sculpted and fluid. Some historians place two distinct threads in his era: one linking Ramón González and Amancio Amaro, and another lifting Chacho to the same echelon as Suárez, Lechuga, or Pellicer. What remains undeniable is that A Coruña produced a footballer who would redefine the city’s influence on the global stage. The 1960s and 1970s belonged to him—at Deportivo, Real Madrid, and across Europe.
Real Madrid legend Amancio Amaro dies at 83
Fermin de la Calle
The Amaro surname was unfamiliar to many A Coruña fans at first. His uncle Norberto, known as Chato, played at Riazor in the late 1940s. To impress the locals enough for Deportivo to sign him, Amaro’s path wound through the city’s grassroots fields, where he proved his mettle in the farm teams. “It’s true that they wanted me in Vigo, and I’m not sure Deportivo had tried to hire me before, but I was a kid then, bored with the ordinary grind and just chasing the fun of playing football,” he recalls today. A moment almost lost as a Galician club pressed him—yet Keskin’s footballing reach would land him at Riazor in the late 1950s. By 1958 he had joined the A team, debuting under Eduardo Toba and benefiting from the stabilizing presence of Hilario Marrero, a cornerstone of blue-and-white football who helped shape the Victoria logo’s rise. Amancio Amaro, among the few who never relinquished his roots, formed a bond with the Canarian influence that marked his ascent—combining technique, power, and an unmistakable sense of timing. Football’s craft and impact collided as Amaro’s footprint began to broaden beyond the city limits.
When Amancio signed with Real Madrid, he moved closer to goal yet preserved his connection to A Coruña. He scored around fifty goals in two seasons, nearly thirty in his final year before Madrid came calling again. He spent nearly five years in Deportivo’s Second Division era, and his departure signaled a leap into the First Division after a fortuitous alliance with Veloso and a trio of teammates that included Jaime Blanco. “Veloso was a fast and talented forward,” Amaro once observed, long after those days. Even half a century later, Amaro’s instincts—his precision, his ability to read the game, his relentless drive—shaped a golden line in the club’s history. The 1961-62 season proved pivotal, with Amaro’s scoring prowess earning him the City’s respect as the points keeper who helped Deportivo claim promotion. The celebrations were dizzying, from a hero’s welcome in Bilbao to the triumphant return to top flight football at home. The winter of that ascent is still remembered: a 6-1 victory over Burgos at Riazor, a 2-4 win in Gijón, and the sense that a local boy had become a national legend. “Playing for my city’s team filled me with immense pride,” he would say later, the humility in his voice masking the magnitude of the moment. The path led to a pre-selection and a call-up to the Real Madrid squad for the 1962 World Cup in Chile, though he did not participate in the final tournament as a Second Division star.
“The money offered was good, but it wasn’t easy to leave.” The summer that followed found Amancio in the national capital, as the 1960s brewed a tradition in which Deportivo’s stars often moved on for major offers. Veloso, Jaime Blanco, Pellicer, Manolete—many followed. The club confronted the challenge with a stubborn stance in negotiations, and Amancio’s transfer became a record for the era. Madrid would emerge as the destination and the stage upon which Amaro would craft a new legacy. The halftimes at Real Madrid and the 1964 European Cup triumph with the Spanish national team—built in part by a Galician backbone—cemented his status. He captained the Real Madrid side two years later, lifting the European Cup after Di Stéfano’s era, once again alongside Veloso, and continued to score at the highest level. His career neared the 200-goal milestone, and his finesse remained a defining feature of his era. He retired in 1976, immediately joining Madrid’s coaching staff, contributing to the club’s structure at all levels, including the Castilla and the early Quinta del Buitre years. Although that season was led by Molowny, Amancio’s influence still resonates in the club’s UEFA triumphs. While no longer on the field, he maintained ties with A Coruña and spent much of his life in Madrid after the late 1970s, with occasional visits to Sada and family roots in As Mariñas. He stands as one of the city’s defining personalities and a symbol etched into its memory streets.
Like Luis Suárez, Chacho, and a line of gifted players, Amancio is a testament to what the city’s youth academy has produced over the decades—an all-time great. “El Brujo” was a refined player, balanced by dribble, pace, and a sharp eye for goal. The city’s long-standing football tradition remains vibrant, and Amaro’s influence still echoes in the players who rise at Riazor today. A Coruña continues to celebrate its talent, and the story is far from over. The club’s enduring spirit is clear in the remark that the city’s football identity has always boasted quality players, a sentiment that endures as a living legacy for the next generation of talent, including Fran and his contemporaries. This sense of continuity keeps the city connected to its most iconic footballing legends, even as new chapters unfold in the Estadio Riazor and beyond.