Rubén Cano
Personal information
Full name Rubén Andrés Cano Martínez
Date of birth (1951-02-05) 5 February 1951
Place of birth San Rafael, Argentina
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
San Rafael
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1970–1974 Atlanta 161 (47)
1974–1976 Elche 60 (12)
1976–1982 Atlético Madrid 168 (81)
1982–1985 Tenerife 63 (31)
1985–1987 Rayo Vallecano 49 (19)
Total 501 (190)
International career
1977–1979 Spain 12 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rubén Andrés Cano Martínez (born 5 February 1951) is an Argentine-Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.

He appeared in 228 La Liga matches over eight seasons (93 goals) with two teams, mainly Atlético Madrid.

Cano represented Spain at the 1978 World Cup.[1]

Club career

Born in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina to Spanish parents, Cano started his professional career with Buenos Aires–based Club Atlético Atlanta, remaining four years with the team. In 1974, he returned to the land of his ancestors and joined Elche CF, making his La Liga debut on 14 September 1974 in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Madrid and ending his first season with six goals in 32 games as the Valencians finished in eighth position.

In the 1976 off-season, Cano signed for precisely Atlético Madrid, scoring 19 times in his first year – fifth-best in the competition – as the Colchoneros won the national championship, one point ahead of FC Barcelona. He added a combined 40 in the following two seasons, and formed an efficient forward partnership during his spell with another Argentine-born player, Rubén Ayala.[2]

After only 12 matches (one goal) in 1981–82, the 32-year-old Cano left Atlético and joined CD Tenerife in the third division, helping the Canary Islands side promote in his debut season and remaining with them for a further two second level campaigns; he closed out his career at the age of 36 after a couple of years with another club in Madrid, second-tier Rayo Vallecano.

International career

Cano chose to represent Spain internationally, going on to win 12 caps in two years. His debut occurred on 16 April 1977 in a 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Romania (0–1 loss in Bucharest); also in that competition, he scored the game's only goal in Belgrade on 30 November to help his adopted nation defeat Yugoslavia and top its group.[3]

Picked for the finals in Argentina, Cano appeared in the 1–2 defeat to Austria,[4] in an eventual group stage exit.

Honours

Atlético Madrid

See also

References

  1. ↑ De la Riva, Mario (5 September 2016). "Los 11 jugadores nacidos fuera de España con más partidos" [The 11 players born outside of Spain with the most matches]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "El gol del Atlético" [Atlético's goal]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 22 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Torres, Diego (29 October 2013). "El fútbol y la 'españolía'" [Football and ‘Spanishness’]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  4. ↑ Castillo, Juan José (4 June 1978). "1–2: Para empezar, naufragio ante Austria" [1–2: For starters, shipwreck against Austria]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2017.
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