Pruden

Early years

Prudencio Sánchez was born on 1 September 1916 in the town of Babilafuente, in the province of Salamanca. His career started in his hometown club Salamanca, in the club's first-ever season in 1934–35, aged 18. In the following season, Pruden helped the club achieve promotion to Segunda División, the second tier in Spain, before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. When the conflict ended in 1939, he stayed at Salamanca for one more season until he received a proposal from Atlético Aviación in 1940. In the rehearsal he convinced the coaching staff and the managers and a month later the agreement for his signing was closed.

Atlético Aviación

In 1940, Pruden joined Atlético Aviación, which was the reigning Spanish champions, and as the league winners, they contested the 1940 Spanish Super Cup against the Copa del Rey winners, RCD Espanyol, in a two-legged game in September. Pruden did not play in the first leg, which ended in a 3–3 draw, but he then made his debut in the second leg, scoring a hat-trick to help Atlético Aviación to a 7–1 victory (10–4 on aggregate). It was at Atlético Aviación, under coach Ricardo Zamora, that Pruden began to stand out as a great goal scorer, winning the Pichichi Trophy after scoring 33 league goals in just 22 matches, a tally never reached by any other footballer at the time as he broke Isidro Lángara's previous record by two goals. He was thus a crucial player in helping the club win the 1940–41 La Liga…

"Pruden was a player of great opportunism and efficiency, with a good shot with both legs and a powerful header. He liked to go to the clash in each play and always bothered the rival defenders due to his strength and vigor." He was not a technical prodigy and his style was not very aesthetic, which is why he always looked for the opposite goal without ornaments or fancy moves.

Atlético Aviación

La Liga: Winners (1): 1940–41. Spanish Super Cup Winners (1): 1940. Real Madrid

Copa del Rey: Winners (2): 1946 and 1947 Copa Eva Duarte: Winners (1): 1947.