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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Full name | José Villalonga Llorente | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 December 1919 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Córdoba, Spain | |||||||||||||
| Date of death | 7 August 1973 (aged 53) | |||||||||||||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||
| 1954–1957 | Real Madrid | |||||||||||||
| 1959–1962 | Atlético Madrid | |||||||||||||
| 1962–1966 | Spain | |||||||||||||
Medal record
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José "Pepe"Villalonga Llorente (12 December 1919 – 7 August 1973) was a Spanishfootball manager during the 1950s and 1960s. He coachedReal Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and theSpain national team, winning major trophies with all three.
Villalonga was appointed manager ofReal Madrid during the middle of the 1954–55 season and subsequently coached a team that includedAlfredo Di Stéfano,Francisco Gento,Miguel Muñoz,Hector Rial and later,Raymond Kopa. During his first season they achieved adouble, winning bothLa Liga and theLatin Cup. In 1956, Villalonga became the first manager to win theEuropean Cup. At 36 years and 184 days at the time, he also remains to date the youngest manager to win the title. During his final season at Real he guided the team to atreble:La Liga/Copa Latina/European Cup.
In 1959, Villalonga became manager at Atlético Madrid. With Villalonga in charge and with a team that includedEnrique Collar,Miguel Jones andAdelardo, Atlético defeated Real in two successiveCopa del Generalísimo finals in 1960 and 1961. They finished as runners-up in1961 La Liga. In 1962, they won theEuropean Cup Winners Cup, beatingFiorentina 3–0 after a replay.
In 1962, Villalonga was appointed manager ofSpain. In 1964, the team won theEuropean Championship title. With a squad that includedLuis Suárez,Francisco Gento,Josep Maria Fusté andJosé Ángel Iribar, Spain beatRomania,Northern Ireland and theRepublic of Ireland in the qualifying rounds before hosting the semi-finals and final. In the semi-final, Spain beatHungary 2–1. In the final, Spain successfully contested theUSSR 2–1 in front of a crowd of 125,000 at theBernabéu.Chus Pereda put Spain ahead after six minutes but a lateMarcelino Martínez header was needed to win afterGalimzian Khusainov equalised with a free-kick.
Villalonga took Spain to a less successful1966 World Cup in England. Two consecutive defeats toGermany andArgentina after a 2–1 win overSwitzerland left Spain and Villalonga to an early return home. The loss to Germany was his last of 22 games in charge of Spain.
Villalonga devoted his time to teaching at the technical level. In 1967, he was appointed director of the National Coaches School, a position he held until his death in 1973, and was the first Teacher of Football in the INEF Madrid.[citation needed]
He died in Madrid, as a result of amyocardial infarction on 7 August 1973, at the age of 53.
Real Madrid
Atlético Madrid
Spain
Spain squads | |||||||
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