Diehard fans of football need to be familiar with Telmo Zarra, as he is one of the greatest ever players that Spanish football has ever seen. Such has been his impact in Spain, the prestigious Zarra Trophy that's awarded for the best Spanish goalscorer in La Liga is awarded in his honour.
Zarra spent 15 years at Athletico Bilbao, where he became a legend by scoring a club-record 335 goals. The former Spanish forward's excellence deserves to be known all around the Footballing world, so let us look back at his glorious career.
Early years, Bilbao move, and individual excellence
Telmo Zarra began his footballing years with Second Division club SD Erandio Club, where he got into the first-team during the 1937–38 season. He later took part in a friendly match with a team from Biscay to face side assembled from Guipuzcoa. This match ended in a 9-0 victory for Zarra's side, with the Spaniard scoring 7 of those.
It was during this period that Athletico Bilbao were looking to rebuild their side with young promising players, with the club looking to recover from the devastating aftereffects of the Civil War. This eventually led to Zarra's signing by Athletico.
Zarra showcased his excellence from day 1 at Athletico, as he scored a brace in their 2-2 draw against Valencia on 29th September 1940. A year later in 1941, Zarra took a temporary leave from Athletico to join the Army. The Spaniard took part in several friendly games during this phase.
Upon his return to Athletico, Zarra and his men were ready to take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. The match ended in disaster for Athletico though, as they lost the match to the Blaugrana. It was a nightmare event for Zarra, who missed a glorious chance in extra time to achieve glory with his team.
The years that followed saw Athletico and Zarra achieve redemption, as they won the Copa del Rey on 2 occasions after the debacle against Barca. Their dominance was extended to the league as well, with Zarra and his men winning the Spanish League.
Zarra's heroics in the 1944-45 season in particular were highly commendable, as he ended the campaign with 20 goals in 26 games to win the Pichichi Trophy. This was the first of many Pichichi accolades for the Spaniard, who went on to win it 5 more times (1946, 1947, 1950, 1951 and 1953).
National team debut, 1950's excellence , and retirement
The year of 1945 saw Zarra finally called up to the national side, for whom he has an outstanding record of scoring 20 goals in 20 appearances. His debut match was a friendly against Portugal in Lisbon.
Fast forward to 1950, Zarra and Athletico reached yet another Copa del Rey final. The mighty Real Madrid were their final obstacle this time around. Zarra showcased his very best at the final, scoring a sensational 4 goals to seal the trophy for his side. Those 4 goals also gave him the record for highest number of goals scored in a Cup final.
Zarra's performance in the 1950 FIFA World Cup was worthy of praise as well, with his goal against England in the quarter-finals seen as his most career important goal. It was Zarra's legendary goal on that night which sealed Spain's first ever semi-final entry in a World Cup.
His goalscoring excellence at Athletico continued in the 1950-51 season, where he ended the campaign with 38 leagues in just 30 appearances. The following season saw Zarra suffer a serious leg injury, which required an operation and forced him out for the season's remainder. He returned in the 1952-53 season, scoring a commendable 25 goals in 29 games.
The 1954–55 season was his last as a footballer, as it was time for Zarra to leave the beautiful game and let the youngsters take his legendary place.
On 29th April 1954, Zarra received a tribute and benefit match in Madrid as recognition of his long career and achievements in Spanish football. The match was attended by several legendary names of the game, as the Spanish footballing world bid farewell to one of its greatest ever players.
