Name Luis Sol Playing position Role Football player | Height 1.72 m Years Team Position Midfielder | |
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Full name Luis del Sol Cascajares Date of birth (1935-04-06) 6 April 1935 (age 80) | ||
Luis del Sol Cascajares (born 6 April 1935) is a Spanish retired football midfielder and manager.
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He played in 112 La Liga games for Betis and Real Madrid combined (28 goals scored), winning five major titles with the latter side and earning several Ballon d'Or nominations. He later had brief spells as manager with the former club.
Del Sol represented Spain in two World Cups, in the 1960s.
Betis / Real Madrid
Del Sol was born in Arcos de Jalón, Province of Soria, relocating with his family to Andalusia at age two months. In his country, he played for Real Betis and Real Madrid; with the former club he was part of the squads that promoted to Segunda División (1954) and La Liga (1958), appearing in 40 games with in the latter level over the course of one-and-a-half seasons and scoring six goals.
Signing with the Merengues in April 1960 for 6 million pesetas, del Sol netted a career-best 17 times in his first full season, while not missing one single minute of action in his 29 appearances as his team won the national championship, after starting the year with the Intercontinental Cup triumph against Peñarol.
Italy
In the 1962 summer, aged 27, del Sol moved abroad and signed for Juventus FC, becoming the club's first ever Spanish player. He was assigned the number 10 shirt in 1965 following Omar Sívori's departure to S.S.C. Napoli, and appeared in a total of 292 matches during his spell in Turin (228 in Serie A, 26 in the Coppa Italia and 38 in European competitions), scoring 29 goals (20/6/3), winning the domestic cup in 1965 and the league title two years later.
In 1970, del Sol joined A.S. Roma, collecting 57 appearances and scoring four goals during his two-year stint in the Italian capital and also serving as team captain, just as compatriot had Joaquín Peiró before him. In total, he remained one full decade in Italy.
Later years
Del Sol returned to Betis for the 1972–73 campaign. After suffering top flight relegation the 38-year-old decided to retire from football, going on to later coach the club on several spells, starting with its youth sides and being in charge for 13 games as they returned to division one in 2001.
International career
Del Sol won 16 caps for the Spain national team, scoring three goals. His debut came on 15 May 1960 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, playing the second half of a 3–0 friendly win with England.
Del Sol represented the country at the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups (playing four matches in total), and was also part of the championship-winning squad at the 1964 European Nations' Cup, although he did not appear in the final stages.
Style of play
A complete midfielder, del Sol was considered to be one of the best players in the world in his position during the 1960s. A physically strong, dynamic, intelligent and technically skilful player, he was mainly known for his pace, work-rate, tenacity and stamina, and was also noted for his ability to chase down opponents, break down the opposition's moves and subsequently start attacking plays for his team, courtesy of his movement off the ball and distribution. In addition to his abilities as a footballer, he was also known for his strong character, leadership, temperament and dedication on the pitch.
Because of his ability to cover the pitch, del Sol's Real Madrid teammate Alfredo Di Stéfano gave him the nickname the postman.