370. Quini

Quini - 267.11 Performance Pts

Born: 23/09/1949    Oviedo, Spain        Died: 27/02/2018    Gijon, Spain            

Position: Forward     Height: 1.76m    Weight: 74kg

The Pichichi trophy, awarded to the top La Liga goalscorer each season, was won 5 times by Quini - 3 times with Sporting Gijon, and twice with Barcelona. He started out with Gijon in the 1970-71 season and won his first Pichichi in 1974. His 2nd award, 2 years later, would have been bittersweet, as his 21 goals couldn't save Gijon from relegation. His final season with Gijon, 1980, saw him win the award again; he also won it the following 2 years with his new club, Barcelona, completing an impressive Pichichi hat-trick. The 1981 award came after he was kidnapped in March, causing him to miss 4 matches, not to mention the mental strain this would have put on him. Another bittersweet career moment came at the end of that season, as Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, beating, of all teams, Gijon 3-1 in the final, largely thanks to 2 goals from Quini. His brother, Jesus, was a goalkeeper, and another loyal servant of Gijon. Jesus didn't play against his brother in this final, but exactly 6 months earlier had been beaten twice by goals from Quini in a league match as Barca beat Gijon by the same 3-1 scoreline. Quini also scored the winning goal in the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup final victory over Standard Liege. Despite no league titles, Quini can certainly claim to have had a successful career, with the cup triumphs with Barcelona, plus the individual awards. His international career wasn't quite so successful, with 8 goals in his 35 appearances. His last appearance was in the 2-1 defeat to West Germany at the 1982 World Cup, which saw Spain eliminated at the 2nd group stage. Quini was undoubtedly one of Gijon's favourite sons, their record goalscorer, and arguably their greatest ever player. Sporting Gijon decided to name their stadium in his honour following his untimely death in 2018, aged 68.