Marañón (footballer)

Marañón

Personal information
Full name	Rafael Carlos Pérez González
Date of birth	July 23, 1948 (1948-07-23) (age 63)
Place of birth	Olite, Spain
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1966–1967	Oberena
1967–1968	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1968–1969	→ Ontinyent (loan)	?	(?)
1969–1970	→ Sporting Gijón (loan)	?	(?)
1970–1974	Real Madrid	47	(5)
1974–1983	Español	262	(111)
1983–1986	Sabadell	?	(?)
National team
1977–1978	Spain	4	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Rafael Carlos Pérez González (born 23 July 1948), aka Marañón, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.

Even though he started professionally at Real Madrid, his career was mainly associated with Español.

Club career

Born in Olite, Navarre, Marañón arrived in the Real Madrid youth system at the age of 19, making his professional debuts, on loan, with Ontinyent CF, then in Segunda División (a similar move occurred in the following season, with Sporting de Gijón). He joined the Merengue's first team permanently in 1970, but never imposed himself at the club during his four-year spell (a maximum of 19 La Liga matches in 1973–74).

Marañón's sporting fate changed in 1975, as he signed with RCD Español; after two slow seasons, he would never score in single digits again, also playing European competition with the Catalans, gaining club captaincy and reaching the national team.

Marañón retired in 1986 at nearly 38, after three seasons with Español neighbours CE Sabadell FC, helping it promote to the second level in his first year. He finished his career as the former's top scorer in the top division, with a total of 111 goals; his record would stand for 24 years, until another club legend, Raúl Tamudo, broke it in 2007, during a 2–2 draw at FC Barcelona.

International career

Capping off his best season at Español - 22 goals, good enough for joint-second, behind Valencia CF's Mario Kempes, as the club nearly qualified for Europe - Marañón made his debut for Spain, appearing in a friendly with Hungary in Alicante, on 27 March 1977 (1–1).

Subsequently, he was picked for the squad for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, but did not play in the finals, earning a total of four caps in roughly one year.

Honours

• Spanish League: 1971–72
• Spanish Cup: 1973–74
• Third Division: 1983–84

External links

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Espanyol archives (Spanish)

Persondata
Name	Maranon
Alternative names	Rafael Carlos Perez Gonzalez
Short description	Spanish footballer
Date of birth	23 July 1948
Place of birth	Olite, Spain
Date of death
Place of death