Enrique Collar

Lore & Background

Collar was born in San Juan de Aznalfarache in the Province of Seville, to a father from Tomelloso and a mother from Bilbao. He began playing for Imperial in his hometown, then moved to Madrid at age 12. He joined Atlético Madrid's youth teams in 1949 after a trial where he barely touched the ball but was asked to demonstrate a corner kick. He signed his first professional contract on 3 November after turning 18 and was loaned to Cádiz. He later had another loan to Real Murcia, scoring 7 goals in 11 games as Murcia won promotion as champions. At Atlético, he formed the 'Ala infernal' (Wing of Hell) with Joaquín Peiró. He was the first of several Atlético players nicknamed 'El Niño'.

Reader's Guide

Collar made his Atlético debut on 13 September 1953 against Espanyol. He played 470 games in all competitions for Atlético – joint fifth at the time of his death with Antoine Griezmann – and scored 105 goals. He was captain from 1960 to 1969, the longest captaincy in the club's history at the time of his death. He won La Liga (1965–66), the Copa del Generalísimo (1960, 1961, 1965) and the European Cup Winners' Cup (1962). He played his final season for Valencia in 1969–70. A testimonial match for him was held by Atlético against Bayern Munich on 28 May 1972.

Did You Know?

• Collar earned 16 caps and scored 5 goals for Spain from 1955 to 1963, playing in the 1962 FIFA World Cup.
• He appeared as himself in the 1960 film 'The Economically Handicapped', a comedy themed around football.
• Collar was president of Atlético Madrid's charitable foundation until 2011.
• In December 2023, the town council in his birthplace renamed the local football stadium in his honour.
• He lived his final years with Alzheimer's disease; his son said in 2023 that he could recognise Atlético Madrid's badge and kit.