Txetxu Rojo - 257.60 Performance Pts
Born: 28/01/1947 Bilbao, Spain Died: 23/12/2022 Leioa, Spain
Position: Forward Height: 1.77m Weight: 70kg
Athletic
Bilbao have a proud and successful history, with 8 La Liga titles to their
name. Unfortunately for Rojo, his career coincided with a relatively barren
period, at least in terms of the league. Rojo made consecutive Copa del Rey
final appearances in his first 2 years (1966 and 1967), but Athletic were
beaten both times. He got his hands on the trophy 2 years later in 1969, having
gained the first of his 18 international caps a couple of months earlier, and
celebrated another cup success in 1973. 1977 was an eventful year for the club,
but ultimately ended in disappointment, despite a creditable 3rd place finish
in La Liga. Defeat to Juventus on away goals in the UEFA Cup final was followed
by another Copa del Rey final defeat, this time on penalties to Real Betis,
despite Rojo scoring his spot-kick. Bilbao came closest to title success in
Rojo's era in 1970, missing out by a single point to Atletico Madrid. Rojo
contributed 7 goals during that title challenge, but it was his sending off in
a 2-0 defeat against Real Sociedad in March that year that hampered their
chances. Bilbao picked up their 8th title (and most recent to date) in 1984 - 2
years after Rojo finished playing; he'd been a loyal one-club man, having made
over 400 league appearances. He also had a long managerial career, which
included 2 spells back at Bilbao. His most notable achievement was winning
promotion with Celta Vigo in 1992. His brother, Jose Angel was also a Bilbao
player, and they were team-mates for many years during the 1970s, including
sharing in the 1973 Copa del Rey success together.
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