Jesus Maria Pereda of Spain was one of the top scorer of European Nation’s Cup 1964, currently known as
EURO Cup held in Spain. He holds the record of scoring 2 goals alongwith Ferenc
Bene and Dezso Novak (Hungary) (2 goals each). He was a star striker of Spain,
guided his team towards their first EURO triumph.
Jesus Maria Pereda Ruiz Temano was born
at Medina Tomar in Spain on 15th June 1938. He started his career as
a midfielder. In his 16-year
professional career, he played mainly for Barcelona, amassing La Liga totals of 197 games and 55 goals for
four teams - including Real Madrid. In
1964, he helped Spain win the European Championship, being an international throughout the decade.
In front of a boisterous Santiago
Bernabeu crowd which included President Franco, the hosts took an early lead
through Jesus Maria Pereda. The USSR were soon level courtesy of Galimzyan
Khusainov but the winner came when Suarez sent another pass out to the right,
Pereda crossed, and Marcelino's superb stooping header went low inside the near
post. Even the great Lev Yashin, still superb at 34, was just a spectator.
Although born in Medina
de Pomar, Burgos, Castile and Leon, Pereda was raised in Balmaseda in Biscay, Basque Country and, as a schoolboy, he captained the
provincial U-16 team. He began his senior career with Bilbao club SD Indautxu, where his teammates included veteran
goalkeeper Raimundo
Lezama and Miguel Jones, Pereda and Jones, and later a third
club player, Jose Eulogio Garate, were all controversially rejected by Athletic Bilbao because of their birthplaces, with Pereda
moving to Real Madrid and
the others to Atletico Madrid.
With the Merengues, Pereda only appeared in
two La Liga games,
scoring once in a 3–0 home win against Real Zaragoza, as the team won the national
championship. During his spell
in the Spanish capital,
he was also loaned to Real Valladolid
in Segunda Division -
after falling out with coach Luis Carniglia- returning to the top flight with Sevilla FC, and scoring 11 goals in his
first season.
In the 1961 summer, Pereda
joined FC Barcelona,
going on to appear in 293 official games during eight years (104 goals). During
that time, he won the Copa del Generalisimo twice, scoring the opening goal in the 1963 final, a 3–1
win against Zaragoza at the Camp Nou.
Aged 31, Pereda left
Barcelona and joined Catalonia neighbours CE Sabadell FC,
appearing rarely during the top flight season. He closed out his career after two second level
campaigns with RCD Mallorca.
In 1995–96, Pereda had his first and only head
coaching experience at club level, leading Xerez CD to the 11th position in Senguda
Division B.
Pereda scored six goals in 15
appearances for Spain
during eight years. His debut was on 15 May 1960, in a 3–0 friendly win with England at the Santiago Bernabou
Stadium.
Two of Pereda's international
goals came at the 1964 European Nations' Cup, in which he appeared alongside Barcelona teammate Joseph
Maria Fuste, he scored in both
the semi-final against Hungary and the final
against the Soviet Union,
as the national team won the tournament on home soil.
During 15 years, Pereda
managed both the Spanish under-20 and under-21 teams,
leading the former side to the second place in the 1985 FIFA World
Championship in the Soviet Union.
In 1988, in was in charge of the Castile and Leon autonomous football
team for one game, a 1–1 draw
with Aragon. Four years
later, he replaced Vicente Miera at the helm of the Spanish senior team for one match - he worked in his coaching staff as an
assistant. The great legend passed away in the age of 73 at a hospital in
Barcelona on 27th September 2011.
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