Real Madrid legend Santamaría dies aged 96: remembering the idol from Di Stéfano’s great team

Santamaría, a standout member of the legendary Real Madrid side that won the first five European Cups between 1956 and 1960, has died at the age of 96. A giant of the club, he was a commanding presence in defense and a privileged witness to the wonders that team produced across Europe alongside Paco Gento, Ferenc Puskás, Raymond Kopa, Héctor Rial – and, of course, Alfredo Di Stéfano. Rest in peace.

José Emilio Santamaría Iglesias was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1929. He developed as a player in the youth ranks of Club Nacional de Football in Montevideo, already excelling as a center back, although it was Uruguay coach Enrique Fernández, who took charge of the national team after thriving at Barcelona, who saw in him the qualities to move into the right-sided center back role. From that position, he made history in the game, although he did not make the squad for the 1950 World Cup, the tournament Uruguay would go on to win with the famous Maracanazo.

He did feature in the next World Cup, in Switzerland in 1954, and stood out so much that he caught the eye of Real Madrid, which moved for his signing and completed it in 1957. The rest is history: at Madrid he played 337 games over nine seasons, scored two goals, and was a key part of the team that won the first five editions of the European Cup, from 1956 to 1960. He lifted three of those titles and later added the club’s sixth, in 1966, with the Madrid side known as the Ye-yé team. He also won six league titles, one Intercontinental Cup, and one Copa del Generalísimo.

His integration into Spain ran so deep that he went on to play for the Spanish national team, earning 16 caps between 1958 and 1962. He represented Spain at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, where he played two group-stage games.

He retired in 1966 and began his coaching career in Madrid’s youth system. In 1968 he managed Spain’s Olympic team at the Mexico City Games, and in 1971 he took over as Espanyol coach, a position he held for seven seasons. He returned to the Olympic team in 1980 for the Moscow Games. That same year he was appointed Spain manager to lead the national team at the 1982 World Cup on home soil. After that tournament, he stepped away from coaching.

“Madrid gives you everything”

A warm man who was always generous with the media when discussing his glory years, he looked back in an interview with AS in August 2022 on his time at the club and the affection he still felt for it: “Madrid even looked after you when it came to managing your savings. My son, when he was just a one-year-old baby, spent six months alone with me in Madrid because my mother-in-law fell ill and my wife had to go back to Uruguay to be with her. Madrid supported me the whole time, and my life was just training, playing for Madrid, and taking care of the boy. I couldn’t imagine any other life. Madrid looks after you, takes care of you, pays you, and gives you prestige. It gives you everything.”

He was also a staunch defender of the club’s spirit, of the idea that the demands at Madrid are absolute: “Anyone who signs for Madrid is obliged to know Madrid’s history, and it should be explained to them. That makes it easier to achieve what has been achieved. Madrid cannot lose because it always plays to win. The day you lose, you have to go home and not come out for a month. Nobody here gives up until the end. Opponents have felt that for themselves. The supporters have caught this madness too, and that is why they are so proud to be Madrid fans.”

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