Full name Eugenio Leal Vargas 1971–1982 Atletico Madrid Position Midfielder Years Team Height 1.78 m | Playing position Role Footballer Name Eugenio Leal | |
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Date of birth (1954-05-13) 13 May 1954 (age 61) Profiles | ||
Eugenio Leal Vargas (born 13 May 1954) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.
Contents
- Jose eugenio leal palestra na puc sobre metr linha 4
- Club career
- International career
- Honours
- References
He spent most of his 12-year professional career with Atlético Madrid, appearing in more than 230 competitive games and winning two La Liga championships.
A Spain international for one year, Leal represented the country at the 1978 World Cup.
Jose eugenio leal palestra na puc sobre metr linha 4
Club career
Born of Carriches, Province of Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Leal finished his youth career with Atlético Madrid. After alternating between the first team and the amateur reserves in his beginnings, he was loaned to fellow La Liga team Sporting de Gijón, returning to the Vicente Calderón Stadium late into the 1973–74 season to play the Copa del Rey as the foreign players were not eligible for the tournament; he started playing football as a forward, but manager and former teammate Luis Aragonés reconverted him in a midfielder.
In a derby against Real Madrid in 1979, Leal suffered a knee ligament injury following a challenge from Juan Sol from which he never fully recovered. He left the Colchoneros in June 1982 after only a combined eight games in two years and, after a few months at CE Sabadell FC to help them prevent relegation from Segunda División, which eventually did not befell, he retired at the age of 29.
Leal helped Atlético to the 1973 and 1977 domestic leagues, contributing with a total of 42 matches and four goals to the achievements. After retiring, he settled in Granada and worked as a stockbroker.
International career
Leal earned the first of his 13 caps for Spain on 16 April 1977, in a 0–1 away loss against Romania for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Six months later, in the same phase and facing the same opponent, he scored in the 2–0 win in Madrid.
Selected to the finals in Argentina by coach László Kubala, Leal featured in three games in an eventual group stage exit.