Juan Carlos (footballer, born 1945)

Juan Carlos
Personal information
Full name Juan Carlos Pérez López
Date of birth (1945-02-14)14 February 1945
Place of birth Santander, Spain
Date of death 16 January 2012(2012-01-16) (aged 66)
Place of death Santander, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Youth career
Toluca
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1964–1966 Rayo Cantabria
1965–1966 → Gimnástica (loan)
1966–1968 Racing Santander 34 (3)
1968–1975 Barcelona 163 (18)
1975–1978 Racing Santander 75 (5)
Total 267 (26)
National team
1973–1974 Spain 2 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Juan Carlos Pérez López (14 February 1945 – 16 January 2012), known as Juan Carlos, was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.

His 14-year professional career was closely associated with Racing de Santander and FC Barcelona, having captained both clubs and appeared in 238 La Liga games over the course of ten seasons (23 goals scored).

Club career

Born in Santander, Cantabria, Juan Carlos started his professional career with local Racing de Santander, after being promoted from its reserve side, Rayo Cantabria, in early 1966. He played two full seasons with the team, being relegated from Segunda División in 1968.

In the following off-season, however, Carlos signed with La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona, making his debut in the competition on 24 November 1968 in a 1–0 home win against RCD Español[1] but only amassing 19 league appearances in his first two campaigns combined (four goals), mainly due to injuries.

Subsequently he became a first-team regular, also managing to be captain of a team which also included Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and Carles Rexach. In 1973–74 he won the national championship – his second major trophy with the Catalans – contributing with a career-best seven goals in 34 games, including the fourth in a 5–0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium over Real Madrid.[2][3]

In the 1975 summer Juan Carlos returned to his previous club, now in the top division, playing a further three seasons. On 7 May 1978 he appeared in his last game, scoring in a 1–0 win against Sporting de Gijón which certified Racing's permanence in the category.[4]

International career

Juan Carlos gained two caps for Spain, over a three-month period. His debut arrived on 24 November 1973 in a friendly with West Germany, playing 45 minutes in the 1–2 loss in Stuttgart.[5]

Death

Juan Carlos died on 16 January 2012 at the age of 66, in his hometown of Santander, after a long battle with illness.[4][6]

Honours

Barcelona

References

  1. ↑ "Barcelona, 1 – Español, 0" (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 25 November 1968. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  2. ↑ "5–0: Por Madrid pasó un equipo con aires de campeonísimo" [5–0: A team looking very champion walked by Madrid] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 18 February 1974. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "Muere Juan Carlos Pérez, capitán del Barça 1973/74" [Juan Carlos Pérez, captain of 1973/74's Barça, dies] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Fallece Juan Carlos, capitán del Barça de Cruyff" [Juan Carlos, captain of Cruyff's Barça, dies] (in Spanish). El Mundo. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "2–1: Alemania batió por la mínima a España" [2–1: Germany beat Spain by the odd goal] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 25 November 1973. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Mor Juan Carlos Pérez López, el capità del Barça que va guanyar la Lliga de l'any 1974" [Juan Carlos Pérez López, captain of Barça that won the 1974 league, dies] (in Catalan). Esport3. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2012.

External links

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