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Venancio
Personal information
Full name	Venancio Pérez García
Date of birth	22 April 1921
Place of birth	Sestao, Spain
Date of death	28 November 1994 (aged 73)
Place of death	San Sebastián, Spain
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team
1943–1945	Erandio
1945–1955	Athletic Bilbao
1947–1949	→ Barakaldo (loan)
1955–1956	Barakaldo
Total
International career
1949–1954	Spain
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Venancio Pérez García (22 April 1921 – 28 November 1994), known simply as Venancio, was a Spanish footballer who played mainly as a forward.

Early life

From a poor family in Sestao, Biscay, Venancio started working at a young age in the Altos Hornos de Vizcaya factory. Tall and powerfully built, he played pelota mano (an offshoot of Basque pelota) in his youth, and only became a full-time professional footballer at the age of 24.^[1]

Club career

Venancio started playing the sport as a hobby, whilst he was performing his military service in Vitoria-Gasteiz.^[1] After starting out at SD Erandio Club^[2] he signed with Athletic Bilbao in early 1945 for 25.000 pesetas, but appeared sparingly in his first seasons, being loaned to Barakaldo CF from Segunda División.^[1]

In February 1949, Venancio was recalled. In his first game upon his return, he scored twice in a 3–0 home win against CD Alcoyano. He finished the campaign with a further five in only six appearances, and went on to be part of one of the most legendary attacking lines in the club's history alongside Agustín Gaínza, Rafael Iriondo, José Luis Panizo and Telmo Zarra, winning four titles which included three Copa del Generalísimo.^[1]

Venancio left the San Mamés Stadium in 1955, aged 34, retiring after a spell in the second tier with former team Barakaldo. With his main club, he amassed overall totals of 208 games and 91 goals over one decade, and was often deployed as a central defender in his last years.^[3]

International career

Venancio earned 11 caps for Spain in slightly less than five years. His debut came on 12 June 1949, in a 4–1 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.^[4]

On 6 January 1954, Venancio scored the last of his four goals for the country to help to a 4–1 defeat of Turkey for the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but the opposition would eventually reach the finals in Switzerland after a drawing of lots.^[5]

Post-retirement and death

After retiring, Venancio settled in Bilbao and opened a metal shop. Married with two sons,^[6] he died in San Sebastián on 28 November 1994, at 73.^[1]

Honours

Athletic Bilbao

Copa del Generalísimo: 1945, 1950, 1955
Copa Eva Duarte: 1950

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Ha muerto Venancio, el fruto más tardio de la "delantera de fuego" de Athletic" [Venancio, last one to bloom from Athletic's "fiery forwards", has died]. ABC (in Spanish). 29 December 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^ "Sociedad Deportiva Erandio Club – "La historia de un triunfador"" [Sociedad Deportiva Erandio Club – "The story of a winner"] (in Spanish). Erandio Club. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^ "Leyendas del Athletic Club de Bilbao – Venancio" [Athletic Club de Bilbao legends – Venancio]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^ Miquelarena, Jacinto (14 June 1949). "La selección española de fútbol venció, en Dublin, a Irlanda, por cuatro goles a uno" [The Spanish national football team defeated Ireland in Dublin, by four goals to one]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^ López, José David (28 March 2009). "Cuando Franco entristeció a España" [When Franco made Spain sad] (in Spanish). Soitu. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
^ "Venancio, pesimista: "No tenemos nada que hacer contra Inglaterra"" [Venancio, pessimistic: "We don't stand a chance against England"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 3 April 1968. Retrieved 9 February 2016.