Luis Molowny

Molowny was born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands; his surname originated from County Clare in Ireland, being most often spelt Maloney in later years. He trialled for CD Tenerife as a youngster, but was not allowed to play in the scouting match. He positioned himself behind one of the goals in order to act as a ball boy and retrieve lost balls and return them, and after a display of skills he was signed by Santa Cruz CF but, not being 18 at the time, he was limited to appear in friendly games. In 1946, after winning the Canarian regional championships with Marino FC, Molowny caught the eye of both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The former club sent an emissary by boat to sign him, and the latter's president, Santiago Bernabéu, upon reading the developments in La Vanguardia whilst he was travelling to Reus, telephoned to director Jacinto Quincoces and ordered that the player be signed; after he performed poorly in a match where he was due to showcase his talent, Bernabéu was still adamant, and a deal was eventually closed for 250.000 pesetas and a 3.000 monthly salary. Molowny made his debut for his new team on 1 December 1946, scoring through a 79th-minute header in a 2–1 La Liga home win against Barcelona. He finished his first season with a further ten goals in 15 appearances, winning the Copa del Generalísimo. During his 11-year stint in Madrid, Molowny appeared in 208 games in all competitions, scoring 104 times. He claimed five titles with his main club,…

Molowny earned seven caps for Spain in five years. His first came on 2 April 1950, and he contributed with one of his two international goals to a 5–1 win over Portugal for the 1950 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, at the Nuevo Chamartín. Selected by manager Guillermo Eizaguirre for the finals in Brazil, Molowny appeared in the 2–2 second group stage draw against Uruguay, helping to a final fourth place.

Molowny retired in January 1958 at the age of 32, and immediately started coaching UD Las Palmas where he had last played. Over the following seasons he often acted as interim manager, not being able to prevent top-flight relegation in 1960; in the 1968–69 campaign, already as a full-time coach, he led the team to a best-ever runner-up finish only behind champions Real Madrid. From March to June 1969, Molowny was in charge of the Spanish senior side whom he coached for four games. During his tenure, he won twice, drew once and lost to Finland. Late into 1973–74 Molowny, who was working with Real Madrid in directorial capacities (where he remained until 1990), replaced Miguel Muñoz at the helm of the first team. He won the domestic cup that year, and successively took the place of Miljan Miljanić, Vujadin Boškov and Amancio Amaro after they were fired, being crowned champion in 1978 and 1979; additionally, he was on the bench as the Merengues won consecutive UEFA Cups in 1984–85 and 1985–86.

Player

Real Madrid

La Liga: 1953–54, 1954–55 Copa del Generalísimo: 1947 Copa Eva Duarte: 1947 European Cup: 1955–56 Latin Cup: 1955

Manager

Real Madrid

La Liga: 1977–78, 1978–79, 1985–86 Copa del Rey: 1973–74, 1981–82 Copa de la Liga: 1985 UEFA Cup: 1984–85, 1985–86 Individual

Don Balón Award (La Liga Coach of the Year): 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80