Emilio Butragueño
Template:Infobox football biography Emilio Butragueño Santos (es; born 22 July 1963) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He was best known for his spell with Real Madrid. Nicknamed El Buitre (The Vulture), he was a member of the La Quinta del Buitre along with Manolo Sanchís, Rafael Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.[1]
Butragueño scored 123 La Liga goals in 341 games for his main club over 12 seasons, and represented the Spain national team in two World Cups (being the second-top scorer in the 1986 edition) and as many European Championships, scoring 26 goals for his country in a record that stood for several years.
Club career
In 1981, Madrid-born Butragueño joined the Real Madrid youth system, playing first for their reserves before being given his senior debut by Alfredo Di Stéfano on 5 February 1984 against Cádiz CF: he made an instant impact, scoring twice and assisting for the third goal in a 3–2 away comeback win.[2] On 12 December that year he made his European competition debut, contributing with a hat-trick to a 6–1 home victory over RSC Anderlecht in the third round of the UEFA Cup after the 3–0 loss in Brussels, as the Spaniards went on to win the competition.[3][4]
At the time, Real Madrid's form was so patchy the first team's attendances were smaller than those of the reserve side.[5] Butragueño was a part of their transformation, being a prominent member of the squad during the 1980s and winning numerous honours: he received the European Bronze award for best footballer in two consecutive years, and was awarded the Pichichi Trophy in 1991,[6] while also being instrumental in the capital club's five La Liga trophies, two Copa del Rey and two consecutive UEFA Cups.[7]
In June 1995, having lost his place (only eight games and one goal, as Real won another league), mainly due to the emergence of 17-year-old Raúl, Butragueño signed for Atlético Celaya in Mexico and, in his first year, the team reached the final of the Liga MX.[8] After three seasons where he was known as the Gentleman of the Pitch – never receiving a single red card during his entire career – he decided to retire in April 1998.[9][4]
International career
Butragueño earned 69 caps for Spain, and scored 26 goals.[10] His debut came on 17 October 1984 against Wales in a 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifier, and he closed the 3–0 win in Seville.[11] He had already been picked as an uncapped player for the UEFA Euro 1984 tournament, where his team finished runners-up.[12]
Butragueño was also selected for the 1986 World Cup where he played a major part,[13] scoring four goals as Spain beat Denmark 5–1 in the round-of-16 match.[14][15] He also took part in the 1990 edition in Italy, scoring no goals in four games.[16]
Butragueño left the national team after playing two games in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, aged 29. His last appearance was on 18 November 1992, in a 0–0 draw with the Republic of Ireland.[17][11]
Style of play
Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Butragueño was known for his intelligence, movement and finishing ability on the pitch.[18][19][20]
Post-retirement and other ventures
On 19 October 2004, Butragueño replaced former Real Madrid teammate Jorge Valdano as the club's director of football[21] and, until the end of the 2005–06 season, also served as its vice-president.[22] Subsequently, he acted as head of public relations for the organisation.[23][24]
Still as a player, Butragueño had a computer game with his name released in 1988, for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and MSX.[25]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Castilla | 1981–82 | Segunda División | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 3 | ||
| 1982–83 | 38 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 45 | 13 | ||||
| 1983–84 | 21 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 24 | ||||
| Total | 65 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 82 | 40 | ||
| Real Madrid | 1983–84 | La Liga | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 12 | 6 | ||
| 1984–85 | 29 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11[lower-alpha 1] | 4 | — | 42 | 14 | |||
| 1985–86 | 31 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12[lower-alpha 1] | 2 | — | 49 | 14 | |||
| 1986–87 | 35 | 11 | 3 | 3 | — | 7[lower-alpha 2] | 5 | — | 45 | 19 | ||||
| 1987–88 | 32 | 12 | 3 | 0 | — | 8[lower-alpha 2] | 2 | — | 43 | 14 | ||||
| 1988–89 | 33 | 15 | 5 | 2 | — | 8[lower-alpha 2] | 4 | 2 | 1 | 48 | 22 | |||
| 1989–90 | 32 | 10 | 6 | 2 | — | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 2 | — | 40 | 14 | ||||
| 1990–91 | 35 | 19 | 2 | 0 | — | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 4 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 25 | |||
| 1991–92 | 35 | 14 | 6 | 4 | — | 9[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | — | 50 | 19 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 34 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | 6[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | — | 43 | 11 | ||||
| 1993–94 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | 4[lower-alpha 3] | 2 | — | 33 | 11 | ||||
| 1994–95 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 341 | 123 | 36 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 75 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 460 | 170 | ||
| Celaya | 1995–96 | Liga MX | 34 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 34 | 17 | ||||
| 1996–97 | 26 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 2 | ||||||
| 1997–98 | 31 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||||||
| Total | 91 | 29 | — | — | — | — | 91 | 29 | ||||||
| Career total | 497 | 189 | 50 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 75 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 633 | 239 | ||
International
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Butragueño goal.[28][11]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 October 1984 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | File:Flag of Wales (1959–present).svg Wales | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1986 World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 23 January 1985 | Rico Pérez, Alicante, Spain | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | |
| 3 | 3–0 | |||||
| 4 | 19 February 1986 | Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 26 March 1986 | Ramón de Carranza, Cádiz, Spain | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 7 June 1986 | Tres de Marzo, Guadalajara, Mexico | File:Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1986 FIFA World Cup |
| 7 | 18 June 1986 | La Corregidora, Querétaro, Mexico | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1986 FIFA World Cup | |
| 8 | 2–1 | |||||
| 9 | 4–1 | |||||
| 10 | 5–1 | |||||
| 11 | 15 October 1986 | Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, Germany | 1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 12 | 18 February 1987 | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain | Error creating thumbnail: England | 1–0 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 13 | 23 September 1987 | Nou Castalia, Castellón, Spain | File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 1 June 1988 | El Helmántico, Villares de la Reina, Spain | 1–0 | 1–3 | Friendly | |
| 15 | 11 June 1988 | Niedersachsenstadion, Hanover, Germany | 2–1 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 1988 | |
| 16 | 12 October 1988 | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 17 | 16 November 1988 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1990 World Cup qualification | |
| 18 | 21 December 1988 | Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain | File:Ulster Banner.svg Northern Ireland | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1990 World Cup qualification |
| 19 | 15 November 1989 | Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1990 World Cup qualification | |
| 20 | 28 March 1990 | La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain | 2–0 | 2–3 | Friendly | |
| 21 | 26 May 1990 | Bežigrad, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia | File:Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Yugoslavia | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 22 | 10 October 1990 | Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain | File:Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland | 1–0 | 2–1 | Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 23 | 19 December 1990 | Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain | File:Flag of Albania.svg Albania | 3–0 | 9–0 | Euro 1992 qualifying |
| 24 | 5–0 | |||||
| 25 | 7–0 | |||||
| 26 | 8–0 |
Honours
Real Madrid B
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1994–95[7]
- Copa del Rey: 1988–89, 1992–93[7]
- Copa de la Liga: 1985[7]
- Supercopa de España: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993[7]
- UEFA Cup: 1984–85, 1985–86[7]
- Copa Iberoamericana: 1994
Spain
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 1984[12]
Spain Under-21
- UEFA Under-21 European Championship runner-up: 1984[31]
Individual
- Bravo Award: 1985, 1986[32]
- Ballon d'Or third place: 1986, 1987[33]
- Pichichi Trophy: 1990–91[6]
- FIFA World Cup Silver Boot: 1986[34]
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986[34]
- Guerin Sportivo All-Star Team: 1986[35]
- FIFA 100[36]
References
- ↑ Suárez, Orfeo (23 March 2013). "La Quinta entra en los 50" [The Cohort hits 50]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ↑ "Final de infarto en Cádiz" [Mad finale in Cádiz]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 6 February 1984. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ↑ Alcaide, J. (13 December 1984). "Butragueño (3 goles) fue el gran heroe" [Butragueño (3 goals) was the big heroe]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Butragueño" (in Spanish). Real Madrid Fans. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
- ↑ Biscayart, Eduardo (1 September 2005). "Perfiles" [Profiles] (in Spanish). ESPN Deportes. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bravo, Luis Javier; Sillipp, Bernhard; Torre, Raúl; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Spain – List of Topscorers ("Pichichi") 1929–2015". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 "A genius, a legend, a true gentleman". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ Carrillo, Omar (27 April 2018). "El histórico equipo en el que se retiraron Hugo, Michel y Butragueño: Atlético Celaya" [The historic team where Hugo, Míchel and Butragueño retired: Atlético Celaya] (in Spanish). TUDN. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ "Los seis grandes jugadores que nunca recibieron una tarjeta roja" [The six great players who were never shown a red card] (in Spanish). Radio Programas del Perú. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ Ortego, Enrique (1 May 2020). "La 'Quinta del Buitre', de héroes a villanos" [The 'Vulture's Cohort', from heroes to villains]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Pierrend, José Luis. "Emilio Butragueño – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jiménez, Jesús (24 June 2009). "Se cumplen 25 años de la final de la Eurocopa de Francia (27 de Junio de 1984)" [25th anniversary of the Eurocup final in France (27 June 1984)] (in Spanish). RTVE. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ Pascual, Alfredo (21 May 2016). "Del utillero falangista al positivo de Calderé: nuestro Mundial 86 en diez episodios" [From the falangista kit man to Calderé's positive: our 86 World Cup in ten episodes]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ↑ Astruells, Andrés (19 June 1986). "5–1: ¡Buitre, que grande eres!" [5–1: Vulture, you're so great!]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ↑ "Olsen's World Cup nightmare". BBC Sport. 13 April 2002. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ↑ "La prensa italiana se ensaña con Butragueño por sus errores" [Italian press destroy Butragueño for his mistakes]. El País (in Spanish). 28 June 1990. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ López Frau, Alberto (8 November 2021). "Cuando la mente nos lleva al 93" [When the mind takes us to 1993] (in Spanish). Sphera Sports. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
- ↑ Tighe, Sam (14 February 2014). "Ranking the Top 60 Strikers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ↑ Lane, Barnaby (7 February 2025). "The 50 Best Soccer Forwards of All Time: Ranked". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ↑ "Top 100 Strikers / Centre-Forwards of All-Time". Iconic Football. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ↑ López, Darío (19 October 2004). "Butragueño to the rescue". UEFA. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ↑ "Capello makes Bernabéu comeback". UEFA. 5 July 2006. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ↑ Díaz, Arancha (28 January 2010). "Emilio Butragueño, galardonado" [Emilio Butragueño, awarded] (in Spanish). Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ↑ "Butragueño: "Karanka representa los valores de la casa"" [Butragueño: "Karanka is what Real Madrid stands for"]. Marca (in Spanish). 7 June 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ↑ Plaza, Santi (6 February 2008). "Juegos de fútbol: Emilio Butragueño Fútbol" [Football games: Emilio Butragueño Fútbol] (in Spanish). Notas de Fútbol. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
- ↑ Template:BDFutbol
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Sánchez-Flor, Ulises (1 October 2022). ""Yo tenía valentía". La historia de Amancio, el nuevo presidente de honor del Real Madrid" ["I was brave". The story of Amancio, Real Madrid's new honorary president]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ Menéndez, Ángel Luis (3 February 2023). "El febrero que alumbró el mito de Butragueño" [The February that lit up Butragueño's myth]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ "England 2–0 Spain". UEFA. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ↑ Pierrend, José Luis. "The "Bravo" Award". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ Di Maggio, Roberto; Moore, Rob; Stokkermans, Karel. "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Contreras González, Michel (21 May 2014). "XIII Copa del Mundo: México 1986" [World Cup XIII: Mexico 1986] (in Spanish). Cuba Hora. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- ↑ "Guerin Sportivo World Player of the Year awards 1979–1986". BigSoccer. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ↑ "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emilio Butragueño. |
- CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
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- 1963 births
- Living people
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