Isacio Calleja

Isacio Calleja García (6 December 1936 – 4 February 2019) was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a defender.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Calleja and the second or maternal family name is García.
Isacio Calleja
Calleja in 1971
Personal information
Full name Isacio Calleja García
Date of birth (1936-12-06)6 December 1936
Place of birth Valle de Cerrato, Spain
Date of death 4 February 2019(2019-02-04) (aged 82)
Place of death Madrid, Spain
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Artes Gráficas
Femsa
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1958–1972 Atlético Madrid 300 (6)
1958 → Guadalajara (loan)
National team
1961 Spain B 1 (0)
1961–1972 Spain 13 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Calleja was born in Valle de Cerrato, Province of Palencia. Save for a very brief loan spell with CD Guadalajara in the third division he spent his entire 14-year professional career with Atlético Madrid, making his La Liga debut on 4 January 1959 in a 0–1 away loss against Real Oviedo and finishing his first season with only nine games (albeit all complete).[1]

From there onwards, Calleja became an important defensive member for the Colchoneros, helping the team to back-to-back Copa del Rey trophies from 1959 to 1961, both won against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. In the 1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup, which also ended in conquest, he contributed with nine appearances.[2]

On 19 April 1970, Calleja scored his only goal of the campaign in a 2–0 win at CE Sabadell FC, which granted Atlético the national championship. He retired from football in July 1972 at the end of 1971–72 after winning his fourth Spanish Cup, at the age of 35;[1] during his spell with his main club, he appeared in 425 official matches (76 in the domestic cup and 45 in European competition).[2]

International career

Calleja was a Spanish international for more than one decade. He made his debut on 19 April 1961, in a 2–1 win in Wales for the 1962 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.[3]

Calleja helped the national side win the 1964 European Nations' Cup on home soil, contributing with four matches the qualifying phase and the finals combined. In total, he earned 13 caps.[2]

Post-retirement and death

After retiring, Calleja, who majored in law, worked as a solicitor.[1] On 4 February 2019, he died at the age of 82 in Madrid.[4]

Honours

Club

Atlético Madrid[2]

International

Spain[2]

References
  1. Guijarro, Miguel Ángel (5 November 2004). "El 'Chato', el escudo en el corazón" ['Chato', emblem in heart]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  2. "Fallece Isacio Calleja, el quinto jugador con más partidos oficiales con el Atlético" [Death of Isacio Calleja, fifth player with the most official matches with Atlético] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  3. L. Jimeno, Emilio (20 April 1961). "País de Gales, 1 – España, 2" [Wales, 1 – Spain, 2]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  4. G. Medina, David (4 February 2019). "Muere Isacio Calleja, una de las grandes leyendas del Atlético de Madrid" [Death of Isacio Calleja, one of Atlético de Madrid's greatest legends]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 February 2019.
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