Eulogio Martínez

Eulogio Martínez

Personal information
Full name	Eulogio Martínez Ramiro
Date of birth	11 June 1935
Place of birth	Asunción, Paraguay
Date of death	30 September 1984 (aged 49)
Place of death	Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Atlántida
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1953–1956	Libertad
1956–1962	Barcelona	111	(62)
1962–1964	Elche	39	(7)
1964–1965	Atlético Madrid	2	(0)
1965–1966	Europa
	Calella
National team
1954–1955	Paraguay	9	(4)
1958	Spain B	1	(0)
1959–1962	Spain	8	(6)
1956	Catalan XI	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Eulogio Martínez Ramiro (born 11 June 1935 in Asunción, Paraguay, died 30 September 1984 in Barcelona, Spain) was a Paraguayan-Spaniard football striker. He played for the Spanish side FC Barcelona in the 1950s and 1960s, and is remembered for being a prolific striker with an excellent finishing ability.

He was reputed to be the creator of the "Martinez Turn", which can be seen on Movietone footage of Wolves v Barcelona in the 1960 European Cup. This move later received worldwide acclaim as the "Cruyff Turn" and although Cruyff was at Barcelona when he demonstrated it in the 1974 World Cup, Martinez has never received any credit despite using it at least 14 years earlier.

Years at Barcelona

After leading Club Libertad to a Paraguayan League title in 1955, Martínez drew the attention of FC Barcelona who eventually signed him in 1956. Martínez soon showcased his talent in Barcelona by leading the team in scoring in three seasons (1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60), obtaining two Spanish League titles, two Copas del Rey and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups.

Martínez also became part of FC Barcelona's history by scoring the first goal ever at their current stadium, Camp Nou, on 24 September 1957. The goal was scored in the 11th minute, in a friendly match celebrating the inauguration of the stadium against a Polish team. Barcelona won the match 4–2.^[1]

Another impressive accomplishment by Martínez while playing for FC Barcelona was when he scored seven goals in one match, in an 8–1 victory over Atlético Madrid in a Copa del Rey tie played on 1 May 1957.

Club statistics

Club performance			League
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals
Spain			League
1956/57	Barcelona	La Liga	23	9
1957/58			19	10
1958/59			16	7
1959/60			24	23
1960/61			13	4
1961/62			16	9
Total			111	62

National Teams

Martínez played for both Paraguay and Spain. For Paraguay he had 9 caps and 4 goals. For Spain he had 8 caps and 6 goals, and was part of the Spanish team that played at the 1962 World Cup. He played the opening game, a 1–0 defeat against Czechoslovakia, but was dropped from the team afterwards.^[2]

Spain International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	22 November 1959	Mestalla, Valencia, Spain	Austria	4–1	6–3	International Friendly
2.	17 December 1959	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	France	4–2	4–3	International Friendly
3.	13 March 1960	Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain	Italy	3–1	3–1	International Friendly
4.	15 May 1960	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	England	2–0	3–0	International Friendly
5.	15 May 1960	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	England	3–0	3–0	International Friendly
6.	14 July 1960	Nacional, Santiago, Chile	Chile	0–4	0–4	International Friendly

Post-Barça Years

Hampered by being overweight, he left FC Barcelona in 1962, having scored 111 goals in 162 official matches. He went on to play for Elche, Atlético Madrid, and CE Europa. After retiring in 1966, he established himself in the Catalan town of Calella. In 1984 he was run down by a car while changing a flat tire. He spent 23 days in a coma before dying on 30 September 1984.^[3]

Honours

Club Libertad

• Paraguayan League: 1955

FC Barcelona

• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1955–58, 1958–60
• Spanish League: 1958–59, 1959–60
• Spanish Cup: 1956–57, 1958–59

Atlético Madrid

• Spanish Cup: 1964–65

References

1. "Camp Nou - Brief history".
2. "FIFA Report Match".
3. "Historia del fútbol mundial".

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Eulogio Martínez at National-Football-Teams.com
• FC Barcelona archives (Spanish)
• FC Barcelona profile
• Eulogio Martínez – FIFA competition record

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