Emilio Butragueño

Emilio Butragueño Santos (Spanish pronunciation: [eˈmiljo βutɾaˈɣeɲo ˈsantos]; 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.

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 turnaround, after Real trailed by 2–0. On 12 December that year he made his European competition debut, contributing with a hat-trick to a 6–1 home victory over R.S.C. 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.

At the time, Real Madrid's form was so patchy the first team's attendances were smaller than those of the reserve side. 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, while also being instrumental in the capital club's five La Liga trophies, two Copa del Rey and two consecutive UEFA Cups.