Rubén Cano

Rubén Cano
Personal information
Full name Rubén Andrés Cano Martínez
Date of birth (1951-02-05) 5 February 1951
Place of birth San Rafael, Argentina
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Striker
Youth career
San Rafael
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1970–1974 Atlanta 161 (47)
1974–1976 Elche 60 (12)
1976–1982 Atlético Madrid 168 (82)
1982–1985 Tenerife 46 (19)
1985–1987 Rayo Vallecano 49 (19)
Total 484 (179)
National team
1977–1979 Spain 12 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Rubén Andrés Cano Martínez (born 5 February 1951) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.

He played in 228 La Liga matches during eight seasons (94 goals) in representation of two teams, mainly Atlético Madrid.

Cano appeared for Spain at the 1978 World Cup.[1]

Club career

Born in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina to Spanish parents, Cano started his professional career with Buenos Aires-based Club Atlético Atlanta, remaining four years with the team. In 1974, he returned to the land of his ancestors and joined Elche CF, making his La Liga debut on 14 September 1974 in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Madrid and finishing his first season with six goals in 32 games as the Valencians ranked in eighth position.

In the 1976 off-season, Cano signed for precisely Atlético Madrid, scoring 20 times in his first year – fifth-best in the competition – as the Colchoneros won the national championship, one point ahead of FC Barcelona. He added 40 in the following two seasons combined, and formed an efficient forward partnership during his spell with another Argentine-born player, Rubén Ayala.[2]

After only 12 matches (one goal) in 1981–82, 32-year-old Cano left Atlético and joined CD Tenerife in the third division, helping the Canary Islands side promote in his debut season and remaining with the club for a further two second level campaigns; he closed out his career at the age of 36 after a couple of years with another team in Madrid, division two's Rayo Vallecano.

International career

Cano chose to represent Spain internationally, going on to win 12 caps in two years. His debut occurred on 16 April 1977 in a 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Romania (0–1 loss in Bucharest); also in that competition, he scored the game's only goal in Belgrade on 30 November to help his adopted nation defeat Yugoslavia and top its group.[3]

Picked for the finals in Argentina, Cano appeared in the 1–2 defeat against Austria,[4] in an eventual group stage exit.

References

  1. ↑ "Los 11 jugadores nacidos fuera de España con más partidos" [The 11 players born outside of Spain with the most matches]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 5 September 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "El gol del Atlético" [Atlético's goal]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 22 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "El fútbol y la 'españolía'" [Football and ‘Spanishness’]. El País (in Spanish). 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "1–2: Para empezar, naufragio ante Austria" [1–2: For starters, shipwreck against Austria]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 4 June 1978. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
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