Rafael Moreno Aranzadi

Rafael Moreno Aranzadi (May 23, 1892 – March 1, 1922), aka Pichichi (Little Duck), was a Spanish football striker who played for Athletic Bilbao during the 1910s and 1920s.

Club career

Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Pichichi played in his first Copa del Rey final in March 1913. Athletic Bilbao, his sole club, lost 1–0 to Racing Club de Irún. Later the same year, on August 21, 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 stadium.

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 in 2 March 1922, aged 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 August 28, in a 1–0 win against Denmark.

Honours

Club

• Spanish Cup: 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16, 1920–21
• Northern Championship: 1913–14, 1914–15, 1915–16
• Vizcayan Championship: 1919–20, 1920–21

Country

• Summer Olympic Games: Silver medal 1920

Personal

• 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 goalscorers in La Liga and Segunda División.

• Pichichi was easily identifiable on the pitch by his ever present white headgear. Both he and his were immortalised in a painting by Aurelio Arteta.

References

1. ^ Goals scored in the Copa del Rey, which was the major national tournament in that era

External links

• National team data (Spanish)