Ignacio Zoco

Ignacio Zoco Esparza (31 July 1939 – 28 September 2015) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Zoco and the second or maternal family name is Esparza.

Ignacio Zoco
Zoco in 1971
Personal information
Full name Ignacio Zoco Esparza
Date of birth (1939-07-31)31 July 1939
Place of birth Garde, Spain
Date of death 28 September 2015(2015-09-28) (aged 76)
Place of death Madrid, Spain
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Esperanza
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1959 Oberena
1959–1962 Osasuna 69 (4)
1959 → Iruña (loan)
1962–1974 Real Madrid 318 (8)
Total 387 (12)
National team
1961 Spain B 1 (0)
1961–1969 Spain 25 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He spent 12 years of his professional career with Real Madrid, appearing in more than 400 official matches and winning ten major titles.

Zoco played more than 20 times with Spain, winning the 1964 European Nations' Cup and also representing the nation at the 1966 World Cup.

Club career

Born in Garde, Navarre, Zoco joined CA Osasuna from another side in the region, amateurs CD Oberena. After spending the first months on loan to CD Iruña, he made his La Liga debut on 10 January 1960 in a 1–2 away loss against Real Oviedo, and eventually started in all of his appearances as the season ended in relegation.

In the summer of 1962, Zoco signed for powerhouse Real Madrid, playing only 13 matches in his first year, which ended with league conquest, but becoming a starter from there onwards. In 1965–66, apart from appearing in every minute in the domestic competition, he added nine complete games in the campaign's European Cup, including the final against FK Partizan (2–1 win).[1]

Apart from those two accolades, Zoco won a further six national championships and two Copa del Rey trophies with Real Madrid, totalling 64 matches in European competition with the Merengues (six goals scored).[1] He retired in June 1974 at the age of 35 and, 20 years later, was appointed the club's match delegate in replacement of Miguel Ángel González,[2] retaining the position until 1998.

International career

Zoco earned 25 caps for Spain, making his debut on 19 April 1961 in a 2–1 away win against Wales for the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was selected for the squads at the 1964 European Nations' Cup, helping the national team win the tournament, and the 1966 World Cup.

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.1 December 1963Mestalla, Valencia, Spain Belgium1–11–2Friendly[3]

Personal life and death

Zoco married singer/songwriter María Ostiz (born 1944) in 1974, with the couple fathering three children and going on to remain married 41 years. He succeeded Alfredo Di Stéfano at the helm of Real Madrid's Veterans Association, after the latter's death.

Zoco died in Madrid on 28 September 2015, after a long illness. He was 76 years old.[4][5]

Honours

Club

Real Madrid

International

Spain

References
  1. Ignacio Zoco Esparza – Matches in European Cups; at RSSSF
  2. Zoco nuevo delegado del equipo (Zoco new club delegate); El País, 13 January 1994 (in Spanish)
  3. España, 1 – Belgica, 2 (Spain, 1 – Belgium, 2); Mundo Deportivo, 2 December 1963 (in Spanish)
  4. Muere Ignacio Zoco, legendario jugador del Real Madrid (Ignacio Zoco, legendary Real Madrid player, dies); El Mundo, 28 September 2015 (in Spanish)
  5. Muere Ignacio Zoco, una leyenda del Real Madrid 'ye-yé' (Ignacio Zoco, legend of 'ye-yé' Real Madrid, dies); Diario AS, 28 September 2015 (in Spanish)
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