Guillermo Gorostiza
Gorostiza in 1931
Personal information
Full name Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes
Date of birth (1909-02-15)15 February 1909
Place of birth Santurtzi, Spain
Date of death 23 August 1966(1966-08-23) (aged 57)
Place of death Bilbao, Spain
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Chávarri
Zugazarte
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1927–1928 Arenas Getxo
1928–1929 Racing Ferrol
1929–1936 Athletic Bilbao 119 (92)
1939–1940 Athletic Bilbao 21 (14)
1940–1946 Valencia 115 (72)
1946–1947 Barakaldo 20 (14)
1947–1948 Juvencia
1948–1949 Logroñés
Total 275+ (192+)
International career
1930–1941 Spain 19 (2)
Managerial career
1947 Barakaldo
1948–1949 Logroñés (player-coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Guillermo Gorostiza Paredes (15 February 1909 – 23 August 1966) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward.

In a 14-year professional career, he played for Athletic Bilbao and Valencia, amassing La Liga totals of 255 games and 178 goals and winning 11 major titles with the two teams combined.

Gorostiza appeared for Spain at the 1934 World Cup.

Club career

Athletic Bilbao

Gorostiza was born in Santurtzi, Biscay. He played youth football for Chávarri de Sestao and Zugazarte, beginning his senior career with Arenas Club de Getxo and Racing de Ferrol (one season apiece) before signing for Athletic Bilbao in 1929.[1] He made his La Liga debut on 1 December 1929 against Real Madrid, and scored a combined 37 league goals in his first two seasons (in 36 matches) as the club won back-to-back national championships, adding two Copa del Rey trophies.[2]

Gorostiza was a member of an Athletic attack (coached by Englishman Fred Pentland) that also included Bata, José Iraragorri, Chirri II, Lafuente and Víctor Unamuno, and would be remembered as one of the best in the club's history;[3][4][5][6] he won two Pichichi awards as league top goalscorer while with the club. He scored the last goal in the 1933 Spanish Cup final, a 2–1 victory over Real Madrid in Barcelona.[3]

During the Spanish Civil War, Gorostiza played with the Euskadi XI, a team which was put together at the suggestion of José Antonio Aguirre, the president of the Basque Country and a former Athletic player. The side went on tour to the Soviet Union to raise funds for the Basque cause,[1] as well as throughout Europe and Mexico, even entering the Mexican league during the 1938–39 campaign, although by then Gorostiza was no longer with the squad.

Valencia and later years

On returning to Spain, Gorostiza returned to Athletic as they attempted to rebuild their squad using younger players, featuring in the 1939 Copa del Generalísimo and the full 1939–40. He then joined Valencia CF as the young Che squad had managed to remain intact during the conflict and now, aided by the veteran (31), eventually won two leagues and one cup, with the player netting in double digits in four of his six seasons, with a best of 20 goals in 24 games in 1941–42.[7]

After leaving the Mestalla Stadium, Gorostiza played for Barakaldo CF during the 1946–47 campaign, in Segunda División, and then retired at the age of 38. However, he twice came out of retirement, with CD Logroñés and Juvencia Trubia, finally calling it quits in 1951. While with Juvencia, he was paid in bottle of coke from a nearby factory which he would then have to sell to make money.[1]

International career

While at Athletic, Gorostiza made his debut for Spain, appearing against Czechoslovakia on 14 June 1930. He represented the nation at the 1934 FIFA World Cup, playing in the 3–1 win against Brazil and the 1–1 draw against Italy; he missed the replay against the latter, a 0–1 defeat.

Gorostiza earned the last of his 19 caps on 12 December 1941, in a friendly match with Switzerland in Valencia.

Death

Gorostiza began to struggle with alcoholism while still playing, sometimes turning up to games drunk or not having slept,[1] and this eventually led to severe economic problems.[8] He was found dead by a nun on 24 August 1966 at the Santa María en Santurce nursing home in Bilbao, aged 57.[9][10]

Filmography

Gorostiza played Goro in ¡¡Campeones!! (1943),[11] and himself in Juguetes rotos (1966).[12]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Regional Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Athletic Bilbao 1929–30 La Liga 1820109843633
1930–31 181743873027
1931–32 159710762925
1932–33 171497633224
1933–34 151462842920
1934–35 18820982916
1935–36 181031822913
1938–39 –2187109
1939–40 211444793227
Total 14010647376950256193
Valencia 1940–41 La Liga 211477–2821
1941–42 242086–3226
1942–43 13200–132
1943–44 211667–2723
1944–45 241661–3017
1945–46 13434–168
Total 1167230250014697
Barakaldo 1946–47 Segunda División 201410–2114
Career total 27619278626950423304

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Valencia

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Giraldo, Javier (17 April 2021). "La agitada vida de Gorostiza, el George Best del Athletic" [The hectic life of Gorostiza, the George Best of Athletic]. Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Leyendas del Athletic Club de Bilbao – 'Bala roja'" [Athletic Club de Bilbao legends – 'Red bullet']. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 Radnedge, Keir (1 August 1977). "The history of Athletic Bilbao 1898–1936". In Bed With Maradona. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  4. ↑ Salazar, Bernardo (2 March 2016). "Las tres grandes delanteras que hubo en la historia el Athletic" [The three great forward lines in the history of Athletic]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  5. ↑ "History: 1928–1937". Athletic Bilbao. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  6. ↑ García, Montse (12 March 2012). "El 'Abecedario' del fútbol: Guillermo Gorostiza, la bala roja de San Mamés" [The 'ABC' of football: Guillermo Gorostiza, the red bullet of San Mamés] (in Spanish). Fútbol Primera. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  7. ↑ "La delantera "eléctrica", clave en la primera Liga del Valencia CF" [The "electric" forwards, key to Valencia CF's first League] (in Spanish). Valencia CF. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  8. ↑ García Candau, Julián (10 January 2008). "Fernandes y Banega, anécdotas del alcohol y el sexo" [Fernandes and Banega, anecdotes on alcohol and sex]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Valencia. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. ↑ Relaño, Alfredo (16 December 2012). "Guillermo Gorostiza, el 'George Best' español" [Guillermo Gorostiza, the Spanish 'George Best']. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Chilet, Vicent (27 December 2009). "De Gorostiza a Penev, pasando por Romario" [From Gorostiza to Penev, with reference to Romario]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Valencia. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  11. ↑ Lamela, Luis (24 June 2015). "Ramón Polo Pardo, gran jugador del Celta, otro corcubionés fugaz" [Ramón Polo Pardo, great Celta player, another fleeting corcubionés]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "'Juguetes rotos', en 'Historia de nuestro cine'" ['Broken toys', in 'History of our cinema'] (in Spanish). Diez Minutos. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  13. ↑ Bravo, Luis Javier; Sillipp, Bernhard; Torre, Raúl; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Spain – List of Topscorers ("Pichichi") 1929–2015". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.