Uruguayan Soccer Legend "The Wall" Celebrates 96th Birthday

Uruguay is an inexplicable football phenomenon. This tiny South American country, with just three million inhabitants, has won two World Cups, two Olympic tournaments, and an astonishing 15 Copa América titles. José Santamaría, a star of Real Madrid in the 1950s, is one of the players who emerged from this remarkable system. Today, he celebrates his 96th birthday.

José Emilio Santamaría Iglesias was born on July 31, 1929, in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The city’s name in Portuguese translates to “I see a mountain,” and Iglesias was never intimidated by any mountain.

He began his career as a center-back for Nacional, one of the two dominant clubs in the small nation. He played for the team for nine years, winning five Uruguayan championships.

Santamaría was called up to Uruguay’s national team ahead of the 1950 World Cup, but Nacional blocked his participation because the national team coach, Juan López Fontana, wanted him to play as a striker.

He had to wait for his debut, which came in a 6-1 victory over Panama. His first major tournament was the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. He started in all of Uruguay’s matches, and the team finished the tournament in fourth place.

Thanks to his impressive performances, he was the only Uruguayan player selected for the tournament’s All-Star team. He also appeared in the 1957 Copa América, which marked his final games for the South American national team. Santamaría represented Uruguay in 20 matches over five years.

In 1957, at the age of 28, he crossed the ocean and signed with Real Madrid, which was beginning its dominance in the European Cup with its first two titles. With his move to Real, he also began representing the Spanish national team, where he played for four years, making 16 appearances, including two at the 1962 World Cup.

Under another South American, Luis Carniglia, Santamaría achieved a double in his first season with Real Madrid, winning both the Spanish league and the European Cup. With that victory, he became the first Uruguayan player to win the prestigious title.

He earned the nickname “The Wall” due to his outstanding performances as the team’s center-back. Santamaría continued to collect trophies with Real Madrid, securing two more consecutive European Cups, for a total of three, as Real itself completed an unprecedented five consecutive titles.

In 1960, he played in the first-ever Intercontinental Cup against Peñarol, Nacional’s great Uruguayan rival from his youth. With Santamaría in the lineup, Real thrashed Peñarol 5-1, becoming the first team to win the title.

Throughout his time at Real, Santamaría was known as “The Wall” for his consistent and stellar performances as a center-back. He played in the Spanish capital until the 1965/66 season, when he won the European Cup for the fourth time in his career. He featured as a substitute in two matches during the tournament. At the end of the season, nearing the age of 39, he retired from professional football after 337 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions.

Two years after retiring, he was appointed coach of Spain’s youth and Olympic teams, which he led for three years. In 1971, he became the manager of Espanyol in the Spanish top flight, coaching the team for six seasons. His peak achievement was a third-place finish, just three points behind champions Atlético Madrid.

He was sacked by Espanyol in 1977 after a 4-0 defeat to Racing Santander and returned a year later to coach Spain’s youth team. In 1980, he was appointed manager of the Spanish senior national team, leading them at the 1982 World Cup, where they reached the second group stage.

That was his final role before leaving the world of football to focus on business. Did he pave the way for other Uruguayan players?