Benito Rubiñán Soutullo (born 11 September 1949) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a defender.

Benito Rubiñán
Personal information
Full name Benito Rubiñán Soutullo
Date of birth (1949-09-11) 11 September 1949 (age 75)
Place of birth Redondela, Spain
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969–1970 Orense 30 (5)
1970–1973 Deportivo La Coruña 84 (9)
1973–1977 Real Madrid 70 (6)
1977–1980 Burgos 58 (3)
1980–1981 Murcia 28 (0)
Total 270 (23)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He played 212 games and scored 15 goals in La Liga for Deportivo La Coruña, Real Madrid, Burgos and Murcia. He won the league title and the national cup twice each with the second of those clubs, including a double in 1975.

Career

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Early career

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Born in Redondela, Province of Pontevedra, Rubiñán began his career in his native Galicia with Orense and Deportivo de La Coruña, both in the Segunda División. He achieved promotion to La Liga with the latter in 1970–71. After Depor were relegated in 1973, he transferred to Real Madrid.[1]

Real Madrid

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In the first round of the UEFA Cup on 19 September 1973, Rubiñán deflected Mick Mills's shot into his own net as Real Madrid lost 1–0 away to Ipswich Town in England; a goalless draw in the second leg saw his team eliminated.[2]

On 17 June 1974, Rubiñán scored in a 5–0 home win over Las Palmas in the semi-finals of the Copa del Generalísimo;[3] Twelve days later, he scored in a 4–0 final win over Barcelona in an El Clásico fixture.[4] He was part of the Real Madrid team that won the double in 1974–75, scoring his attempt in the penalty shootout win over Atlético Madrid in the cup final on 5 July.[5] During his time in the Spanish capital, Rubiñán shared a flat with Vicente Del Bosque, later manager of the Spain national football team.[1]

Rubiñán scored an own goal to eliminate his team from Europe for a second time on 3 November 1976, in a 2–0 loss at Club Brugge in the European Cup second round.[6]

Later career

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In 1977, Rubiñán received an offer from Celta Vigo of his native province, but was obliged to move to Burgos as Juanito had moved in the other direction to Real Madrid.[1] In May 1980, he appeared before a committee due to allegations that Burgos players had accepted 200,000 Spanish pesetas each from Real Madrid to beat the latter's title rivals Real Sociedad; he said "I wish we had received that money! We haven't made that much this year with bonuses from Burgos!".[7]

After Burgos's relegation, Rubiñán moved in August 1980 to Real Murcia on a one-year deal. He received a 2 million peseta payment for signing, with a bonus of the same amount if he were to make 25 appearances.[8] For the second consecutive season, he suffered relegation from the top flight.[9]

As of 2014, Rubiñán was working for Real Madrid as an ambassador and a scout. He said that 100-150 children trialled for the club every week, of which the scouts chose two or three.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Alonso, Santi (10 February 2014). "Un redondelano en la corte blanca" [A Redondela native in the white court]. Atlántico Diario (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  2. ^ Heath, Mark (28 May 2022). "The night Town beat Real Madrid - and why they're still part of elite club". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  3. ^ Pina, Nivardo (19 June 1974). "5-0: El Madrid sigue su marcha arrolladora hacia la final" [5-0: Madrid continue their overwhelming march towards the final]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  4. ^ Estape, Antonio (30 June 1974). "Molowny: "Ha sido un triunfo del conjunto"" [Molowny: "It was a win as a team"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  5. ^ Roncero, Tomás (16 August 2017). "Inolvidable aquel gol de Raúl ante 'Superlópez'" [That goal by Raúl against 'Superlópez' was unforgettable]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  6. ^ Siguero, Santiago (1 October 2019). "The last meeting between Real Madrid and Club Brugge that ended in Los Blancos' elimination". Marca. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Minguella y Rubiñán, ante el Comité de Competición" [Minguella and Rubiñán, facing the Competition Committee]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 10 May 1980. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Rubiñán ya es del Murcia" [Rubiñán is now a Murcia player]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). EFE. 22 August 1980. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  9. ^ "El Murcia tiene mejor equipo que en Primera" [Murcia have a better team than when they were in Primera]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 5 July 1981. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
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