Sotero Aranguren Labairu (7 May 1894 – 26 February 1922), was an Argentine footballer born in Buenos Aires who spent his youth in Basque Country. He was a midfielder and played most of his career for Real Madrid CF. He and his brother Eulogio were team-mates at Real Madrid.

Sotero
Sotero Aranguren in 1910s
Personal information
Full name Sotero Aranguren Labairu
Date of birth (1894-05-07)May 7, 1894
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of death (1922-02-26)February 26, 1922
Place of death San Sebastián, Spain
Position(s) Midfielder

Biography

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He played for Real Madrid for seven years, between 1911 and 1918, scoring 4 goals in 60 matches.

He is considered "the first white symbol" by the Real Madrid official website.[1]

His premature death at the age of 28 led the club to build a statue representing Sotero and one of his team-mates, Machimbarrena (who also died young) at the entrance of the first team's locker room.[citation needed] The statue, added in 1925, now stands at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and is seen as a totem of inspiration for Real Madrid's coming generations of footballers.[citation needed]

Sotero and Eulogio Aranguren were the first Argentine men's footballers who played for Real Madrid.[citation needed]

Honours

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Real Madrid

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References

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  1. ^ "Sotero Aranguren, Jugador Legendario" (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 June 2011.