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.
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