Who were Pichichi and Zamora?

Pichichi and Zamora is the name of the trophies the daily Marca gives the top scorer and best goalkeeper in each season of the Spanish League. Behind this name there are two players who excelled in the early twentieth century and coincided on the same team in the summer of 1920.

It was in the Antwerp Olympics, in which the Spanish team won the silver medal with a young goalkeeper 19 years under sticks and an attacker who though he had only 28 years was about to retire. We refer to Ricardo Zamora and Rafael Moreno, better known as Pichichi.

Pichichi

They put that nickname because he used to play with bigger kids he (Pichichi It is a diminutive small Basque), always he competed in the city where he was born in 1892, Bilbao. He debuted with the Athletic Club in March 1913, in a match of Copa del Rey against Real Madrid, in which Rafael Moreno scored twice, the first to 2 minutes of play. The historic vizcaíno club had seen him score another goal nearly two years before, Against them, when it was part of Bilbao FC.

Then it is not disputed in San Mames. The stadium opened in August 1913, and it was just Pichichi who scored the first goal of the field that still keeps tribute. It is tradition that when a team plays first in the fief of the 'Lions’ make it a floral tribute at the bust that have devoted. As it happened in the old stadium and the new 'cathedral'.

Pichichi, It is a myth Ahtletic Club, with which played 89 matches, framework 83 goals, and with whom he won four Cups (1914, 1915, 1916, 1921) and five regional championships (1914, 1915, 1916, 1920, 1921); at a time when there was not yet League. This great-nephew of the writer and philosopher Miguel de Unamuno he retired as a player in 1921, but I followed tie soccer, this time as referee. Typhoid fever ended his life in 1922, before turning 30 year old.

In the Spanish team he played five games, all at the Olympic Games in Antwerp 1920, and at that meeting he coincided with a young guardamenta FC Barcelona, but too well prepared. Ricardo Zamora was the goalkeeper of the combined although he had not yet reached the 20 years.

ZAMORA

He born in Barcelona in 1901 and he was formed as a player in the Espanyol, where he was among 1916 Y 1919. Then he went to Barça, with whom he played until 1922, and then she returned to all-white. Until he joined the Real Madrid by an important figure for that time, 100.000 transfer pesetas to Espanyol, 50.000 for him, and a salary of 3.000 pesetas per month.

The goalkeeper was a media player in his time, that stood out for their safety in goal, for their reflexes, By its tallness (1,84 meters), and his cap feature. He became nicknamed 'El Divino'. As a player he won two Spanish league (1932, 1933) five Cups (1920. 1922, 1929, 1934, 1936). The last final of Copa, in which Zamora He played a major role in the victory against FC Barcelona, one of his exequipos, He gambled a few weeks before the start of the Spanish Civil War.

During the war, he was in search and seizure, He was arrested and imprisoned in the Barcelona Model Prison, and finally he was exiled in southern France, where he played in OGC Nice until 1938, where he met and Josep Samitier. When the war ended he returned to Spain and developed a long career as a coach, starting in 1939 with the athletic Aviation (before he had directed the Nice) until in 1962 he finished train Espanyol, the club of its beginnings.

SPANISH SELECTION

Zamora He was also Spanish coach, on a computer that before the Civil War a key piece became. With Spain was 46 international caps and fit 42 goals. He came to dispute World Cup Italy 1934, where Spain overtook Brazil in the preliminary round (3-1) and in the quarterfinals he tied to 1 with Italian hosts. In the return match, in which the holder was not Divine unlike the previous two, Italy won 1-0.

Global reach his Zamora in full footballing maturity, Unlike the Antwerp Olympics of 14 years earlier. Tournament in the Belgian goalkeeper played five game he played Spain, first he won the debut against Denmark (1-0) but a defeat against the hosts (1-3) He alighted them fight for gold. But in the playoffs for silver the Spanish side won all three games, before Sweden (2-1), Italy (2-0) Y Holland (3-1). The last goal was scored by this last game Pichichi, also tactics in five games and that was the goal that got added. further, Zamora He was in the Olympics in Paris 1924, in which Spain lost in the debut against Italy (0-1).

TROPHY ZAMORA AND Pichichi

Now their names are still in force in the trophies awarded annually daily Marca. The Zamora trophy He began to give the goalkeeping of the Spanish first division league 1959. And if it had existed at that time, Divine had won three times the award with his name, in seasons 1928-29 (the first to be played), 1931-32 Y 1932-33. On the other hand, the Pichichi trophy It is given from 1953, and, where applicable Rafael Moreno I had not received as a player because he hung up his boots before the creation of the League.