Curro (footballer, born 1943)

Miguel Gómez Burgos (born 31 December 1943), known as Curro, is a Spanish former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Curro
Personal information
Full name Miguel Gómez Burgos
Date of birth (1943-12-31) 31 December 1943 (age 80)
Place of birth Mérida, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Imperio Mérida
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1965 Elche B
1965–1971 Elche 81 (9)
1971–1972 Español 2 (0)
1972 Atlético Español
1972–1973 Salamanca 21 (4)
1973–1974 Cacereño 36 (8)
Total 138+ (21+)
Managerial career
1974–1975 Cacereño
Don Benito
Atlético Marbella
1978–1979 Mérida Industrial
1979–1984 Ibiza
1990–1991 Ibiza
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played 81 games and scored 9 goals in La Liga for Elche and Español, helping the former to the Copa del Generalísimo final in 1969.

Career

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Born in Mérida in Extremadura, Curro was a youth player at Imperio de Mérida. He helped the team to the regional youth championship in 1959 and 1962, before heavy defeats to Sevilla and Real Valladolid in the national phases, respectively.[1]

After three months on trial at Real Madrid did not yield a contract, Curro signed for Elche, beginning with the reserve team, Ilicitano. On 6 April 1969, he scored the only goal of a home win over Real Madrid to end that team's 27-game unbeaten run from the start of the season; on 15 June he played their defeat to Atlético Bilbao in the Copa del Generalísimo final.[1][2][3]

Curro left for Español in 1971, following Elche's relegation. Affected by injury in his only season, he moved to Mexico to play for Atlético Español. When he returned to Spain he signed for Salamanca to be nearer his home region, and in 1973 he chose Cacereño over an offer from Badajoz.[1]

Curro began managing at Cacereño, followed by Don Benito, Atlético Marbella and Mérida Industrial. In 1979 he took over at Ibiza, and settled on the island for the coming decades. He was given the title of "Legend of Spanish Football" by the Balearic Islands Football Federation in 2015.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Valadés, Alfonso (26 August 2022). ""El emeritense Curro hizo historia el los mejores años del Elche CF"" ["Mérida-born Curro made history in the best years of Elche CF"] (in Spanish). Mérida Digital. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b Natera, Paco (26 October 2015). "Merecido homenaje a Curro Gómez" [Deserved homage to Curro Gómez] (in Spanish). Fútbol Pitiuso. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  3. ^ ""Curro", uno de los históricos del Elche C.F, lamenta la situación del club" ["Curro", one of the historic footballers of Elche C.F., laments the situation of the club]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 July 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
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