| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Alonso González | ||
| Date of birth | 23 August 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Santillana del Mar, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Satélite | |||
| 1966–1970 | Barreda | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1970–1971 | Racing Santander | 35 | (17) |
| 1971–1988 | Real Madrid | 461 | (186) |
| 1970–1988 | Total | 496 | (203) |
| National team | |||
| 1970 | Spain U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1971 | Spain U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 1971–1976 | Spain amateur | 6 | (3) |
| 1981 | Spain B | 1 | (1) |
| 1975–1985 | Spain | 56 | (15) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Carlos Alonso González (born 23 August 1952), aka Santillana, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.
Best known for his Real Madrid spell (17 La Liga seasons, nearly 800 official games), he was known for his stellar heading ability despite not reaching 1.80m, and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the history of Spanish football.[1]
The recipient of more than 50 caps for Spain, he represented the nation in two World Cups and as many European Championships.
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Born in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Santillana (nickname taken from birthplace) started playing professionally with Racing de Santander, moving to Real Madrid and La Liga in 1971, aged just 19, and proceeding to score 10 goals in 34 games in his debut season, as Real were crowned league champions.
In total, Santillana won nine league trophies, adding four domestic cups and back-to-back UEFA Cups (where he scored in both of the finals). He played 778 first team matches (a record which stood until Manuel Sanchís surpassed him during 1997–98) in which he scored 352 goals. The eighth-highest top scorer of all-time in the Spanish first division (186 goals in 461 matches), he never won the Pichichi Trophy, however.
After just 12 matches played in 1987–88, in which he netted four times, Santillana retired from football aged almost 36, scoring in a 2–1 home win against Real Valladolid (with Madrid conquering three titles in a row in his final three seasons).
Santillana earned 56 international caps and scored 15 goals for the Spanish national team, his debut being on 17 April 1975, in an UEFA Euro 1976 qualifier against Romania (1–1, in Madrid).
He represented his country in the Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982 FIFA World Cups, and another three European Championships: 1976, reaching the quarterfinals, 1980, failing to advance to the second round, and 1984, in which Spain were losing finalists to hosts France, with Santillana coming close from scoring the opener on a header saved just off the line by Frenchman (of Spanish origin) Luis Fernández.
On 21 December 1983, during a European Championship qualifying match against Malta that Spain had to win by 11 goals in order to qualify, Santillana scored a hat-trick in the first half and added a fourth in the second period, as Spain qualified at the expense of the Netherlands. Incidentally, his former understudy at Real Madrid, Hipólito Rincón (now at Real Betis), also scored four goals in a 12–1 success.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 November 1975 | 23 August, Bucharest, Romania | Romania | 0–2 | 2–2 | Euro 1976 qualifying |
| 2. | 24 April 1976 | Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain | West Germany | 1–0 | 1–1 | Euro 1976 qualifying |
| 3. | 4 October 1978 | Maksimir, Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia | 0–2 | 1–2 | Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 4. | 13 December 1978 | Helmántico, Salamanca, Spain | Cyprus | 3–0 | 5–0 | Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 5. | 13 December 1978 | Helmántico, Salamanca, Spain | Cyprus | 5–0 | 5–0 | Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 6. | 9 December 1979 | Tsirion, Limassol, Cyprus | Cyprus | 0–2 | 1–3 | Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 7. | 27 April 1983 | La Romareda, Zaragoza, Spain | Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 2–0 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 8. | 16 November 1983 | De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands | Netherlands | 1–1 | 2–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 9. | 21 December 1983 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | Malta | 1–0 | 12–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 10. | 21 December 1983 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | Malta | 2–1 | 12–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 11. | 21 December 1983 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | Malta | 3–1 | 12–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 12. | 21 December 1983 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | Malta | 9–1 | 12–1 | Euro 1984 qualifying |
| 13. | 11 April 1984 | Luis Casanova, Valencia, Spain | Denmark | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 14. | 26 May 1984 | Charmilles, Geneva, Switzerland | Switzerland | 0–1 | 0–4 | Friendly |
| 15. | 17 June 1984 | Vélodrome, Marseille, France | Portugal | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1984 |
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| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by José Martínez Pirri |
Real Madrid captain 1979–1988 |
Succeeded by Manolo Sanchís |