Historic Real Madrid player Francisco "Paco" Gento dies at 88

Francisco «Paco» Gento, a former Real Madrid player, died on Tuesday at the age of 88.
The former player is the only person in football history to have won 6 European Cups.
His cause of death is unknown.

Sad news for the world of soccer. Francisco “Paco” Gento, a legendary former Real Madrid player, died on Tuesday at the age of 88. Paco Gento is listed as the only footballer to win six European Cup titles, the Associated Press reported.

Real Madrid announced Gento’s death on Tuesday through a press release, however, they did not indicate his cause of death. Gento played for Madrid for 18 seasons, from 1953 to 1971. He won 23 titles with the club in official competitions, a record he shares with Brazilian defender Marcelo, who tied him on Sunday when he won the Spanish Super Cup.

Who was Paco Gento?

In addition to six European Cups, Gento also helped Madrid win 12 Spanish league titles. He played 600 games for the club, scoring 182 goals. He was later named honorary president of Real Madrid. Gento also made 43 appearances for the Spanish national team at the international level.

“The figure of Paco Gento faithfully represents all the values of Real Madrid, and has been and will continue to be a benchmark for Real Madrid and for the world of sport. Madridistas and all football fans will always remember him as one of their great legends,» said the emblematic football team in their press elease. Filed Under: Francisco Gento dies.

Real Madrid announces what it will do to honor the former player

At 7:00 p.m. CET, Real Madrid will open the funeral chapel with the mortal remains of Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento, who died on Tuesday at the age of 88, in the presidential box of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. This is so that fans and and others can pay their respects to the club legend, reported the Efe agency.

Gento played for Real Madrid for 18 seasons, from 1953 to 1971. In this time he won, in addition to the six European Cups that make him the player with the most titles in this competition, 12 Leagues, two Spanish Cups, an Intercontinental Cup, two Latin Cups and a small World Cup. Filed Under: Francisco Gento dies.

A moment of silence

The first team and coaching staff of Real Madrid soccer held an emotional moment of silence in memory of Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento, on Tuesday before beginning training. The former player for the White Club and Spanish International and the only one in the world with six Europa Cups, died at the age of 88.

“This morning we got the bad news that a club legend has passed away: Paco Gento. He played for 18 years with this club winning six European Cups and 12 Leagues. We show him our respect and we observe a moment of silence in his memory,» Italian Carlo Ancelotti told the squad, according to Efe.

A legend in the world of football

Luka Modrić, one of Real Madrid’s star players, used his Twitter account to offer his condolences for the death of Francisco Gento. “Don Paco Gento. Legend of our club. Thank you for everything you did for Real Madrid. Eternal. RIP,» he wrote.

Real Madrid returned to to train, after winning the Super Cup on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, with their sights set on the Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Elche next Thursday. Gento is survived by his wife Mari Luz, his sons Francisco and Julio, and his granddaughters Aitana and Candela.

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