Rafael Moreno Aranzadi

Pichichi

Personal information
Full name	Rafael Moreno Aranzadi
Date of birth	23 May 1892
Place of birth	Bilbao, Spain
Date of death	1 March 1922 (aged 29)
Place of death	Bilbao, Spain
Height	1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Escolapios
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1911–1921	Athletic Bilbao	17	(10[1])
National team
1920	Spain	5	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (goals)

Bust of Moreno at the San Mamés Stadium

Rafael Moreno Aranzadi (23 May 1892 – 1 March 1922), known as Pichichi (Little Duck), was a Spanish footballer who played as a striker.

He played for Athletic Bilbao during the 1910s and 1920s.^[2]

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Pichichi played in his first Copa del Rey final in March 1913. Athletic Bilbao, his sole club, lost 0–1 against Racing Club de Irún. Later the same year, on 21 August, the same opponents, now renamed Real Unión, were invited to play the inaugural game at San Mamés Stadium, and he scored the very first goal at the new ground.

Pichichi subsequently played in five other domestic cup finals, winning four. He netted a hat-trick in the 1915 final as Athletic beat RCD Español 5–0. He died on 2 March 1922 at the age of only 29, victim of a sudden attack of typhus.

International career

In 1920, Pichichi was a member of the very first Spanish national team that played at the Olympic Games in Belgium.

He gained five senior caps during one month, his debut coming on 28 August in a 1–0 win against Denmark.

Personal life

• Pichichi's father was mayor of Bilbao, and he was Miguel de Unamuno's nephew.
• In 1926, a bust was erected in his honour outside the San Mamés Stadium. It was tradition for teams visiting the stadium for the first time pay homage by leaving a bouquet of flowers at its base.
• In 1953, Spanish sports newspaper Diario Marca introduced the Pichichi Trophy in his honour. It was awarded each year to the top scorers in La Liga and Segunda División.^[3]
• Pichichi was easily identifiable on the pitch by his ever present white headgear. Both he and his future wife were immortalised in a painting by Aurelio Arteta.

Honours

Club

• Copa del Rey: 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1920–21
• Northern Championship: 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16
• Vizcayan Championship: 1919–20, 1920–21

Country

Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Spain
Men's Football
	Antwerp 1920	Team Competition

• Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 1920

See also

• List of one-club men

References

1. Goals scored in the Copa del Rey, which was the major national tournament in that era
2. A LITTLE HISTORY: Rafael Moreno Aranzadi ‘Pichichi’; at Espangol
3. "Los discípulos de Pichichi" [Pichichi's disciples] (in Spanish). El Correo. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2016.

External links

• Pichichi profile at BDFutbol
• Athletic Bilbao profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Pichichi at National-Football-Teams.com
• Pichichi – FIFA competition record