Role Footballer Playing position Position Forward | 1921–1926 Union San Sebastian Awards Pichichi Trophy Name Paco Bienzobas | |
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Full name Francisco Bienzobas Ocariz Date of birth (1909-03-26)26 March 1909 Date of death 30 April 1981(1981-04-30) (aged 72) Died April 30, 1981, Donostia / San Sebastian, Spain | ||
Francisco 'Paco' Bienzobas Ocáriz (26 March 1909 – 30 April 1981) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward.
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Having spent most of his 16-year career with Real Sociedad – 196 official games and 109 goals– he was the first player to win the Pichichi Trophy award, given to the top scorer in La Liga.
Club career
Born in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Bienzobas arrived at local Real Sociedad at the age of 17, from amateurs Unión Deportiva de San Sebastián, helping the Basques win the regional championship in his first year. He reached his first Copa del Rey final with the former in 1928, facing FC Barcelona in three games (two 1–1 draws and a 1–3 loss).
In 1929, a national league was created and Real Sociedad participated in La Liga's first edition, finishing fourth out of the ten teams competing. Bienzobas scored 14 goals during the season, being the first player to be crowned Pichichi; he spent a further four years with the club, netting 39 goals in 65 league matches.
In 1934, Bienzobas joined CA Osasuna, at the time in Segunda División, helping the Navarrese immediately achieve promotion but being immediately relegated back. The Spanish Civil War put a stop to his career for several years and, subsequently, he returned to Real Sociedad, retiring from football at the end of 1941–42 (aged 33) after making only five appearances during the campaign, and amassing Spanish top division totals of 92 games and 50 goals.
International career
Bienzobas appeared for Spain on two occasions, scoring as many goals. His debut came on 4 June 1928, as the national team lost 1–7 against Italy in the Summer Olympics.
Coaching and refereeing
After his retirement, Bienzobas worked briefly as a manager with Osasuna. In 1942 he began a referee spell that would eventually feature him in 48 Spanish top flight games, his debut coming in 1948.