Raimundo Pérez Lezama
Encyclopedia
Raimundo Pérez Lezama was a Spanish
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After beginning his professional career in England
, he returned to his country, going on to later represent, mainly, Athletic Bilbao
.
, Biscay
but moved to England
as a refugee at the age of 14. He entered at the port of Southampton
on board the Habana on 23 May 1937. Lezama and his brother, Luis, were among 3,889 Basque
children fleeing the Spanish Civil War
.
While in Southampton, he played for his school, Nazareth House (less than half a mile from The Dell
), where he was spotted by Southampton F.C.
and signed for the club as a trainee, eventually progressing to the "B" team, before making his first-team debut on 1 June 1940, in a 0–5 away defeat against Arsenal
. His next game was at Craven Cottage
, when the "Saints" fielded five Arsenal players (Ernie Collett
, Leslie Compton
, Eddie Hapgood
, Leslie Jones
and Bernard Joy
) in a 2–1 victory over Fulham
. Despite the plethora of stars, both Saints goals were scored by local boy, Eric Webber
.
Lezama played one further game, a 1–3 defeat at Charlton Athletic
at the end of an extended wartime season. Despite being underage, he briefly worked as a driver for the Royal Air Force
.
in 1940, Lezama joined Arenas Club de Getxo
in Segunda División
. In 1941 he signed for Athletic de Bilbao
and made his La Liga
debut on 27 September 1942, in a 5–0 home win against Real Betis
. The 1942–43 season saw the side, with a team that also included Telmo Zarra, José Luis Panizo and Agustín Gaínza
, win a double (league and Copa del Rey
); he helped Athletic retain the cup in both 1944 and 1945, winning it again in 1950.
While at Bilbao, Lezama also won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy
as best goalkeeper during 1946–47, adding his only cap for Spain
in a 4–1 win over Portugal
, on 26 January 1947.
Throughout the rest of his career at Athletic, Lezama was only a squad player, making only 12 league appearances in his last five seasons combined. After playing 197 games, he left the club in 1957.
in the second level, where his teammates included emerging youngsters Jesús María Pereda
and Miguel Jones
. He played two further seasons in the category with Sestao Sport Club
, before rejoining first team in Spain Arenas de Getxo, in 1960.
Lezama died of heart failure in Bilbao
, at the age of 84. It is sometimes thought that Athletic's youth system's facilities
were named after him, but in fact these are named for their location, the village of Lezama near Bilbao.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
After beginning his professional career in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he returned to his country, going on to later represent, mainly, Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
.
Refugee in England
Lezama was born in BarakaldoBarakaldo
Barakaldo , is a municipality in the Basque Country in Spain. It is located in the Biscay province, administratively included in the "Basque Autonomous Community", on the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao.Barakaldo is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area , and its official population...
, Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
but moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a refugee at the age of 14. He entered at the port of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
on board the Habana on 23 May 1937. Lezama and his brother, Luis, were among 3,889 Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
children fleeing the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
While in Southampton, he played for his school, Nazareth House (less than half a mile from The Dell
The Dell (Southampton F.C.)
The Dell in Milton Road, Southampton, England was the home ground of Southampton Football Club, between 1898 and 2001.-New stadium:Since 1896, Southampton had been tenants of Hampshire County Cricket Club at the County Ground, having vacated the Antelope Ground in the summer of 1896...
), where he was spotted by Southampton F.C.
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and signed for the club as a trainee, eventually progressing to the "B" team, before making his first-team debut on 1 June 1940, in a 0–5 away defeat against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. His next game was at Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage is the name of a football stadium in the Hammersmith and Fulham area that has been the home ground of the association football team Fulham F.C. since 1896....
, when the "Saints" fielded five Arsenal players (Ernie Collett
Ernie Collett (footballer)
Ernest "Ernie" Collett was an English football player and coach, mostly associated with Arsenal.Collett was born in Sheffield and played for his working men's club team in Oughtibridge, before moving to Arsenal in 1933. He would remain on the club's book for sixteen years, although he only played...
, Leslie Compton
Leslie Compton
Leslie Harry Compton was an English footballer and cricketer who played for Arsenal and Middlesex respectively...
, Eddie Hapgood
Eddie Hapgood
Edris Albert "Eddie" Hapgood was an English footballer, who captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s....
, Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones (footballer)
Leslie Jenkin Jones was a Welsh professional footballer-Career:Born in Aberdare, as a youngster Jones began his career at his local side Aberdare Athletic, while also working at his fathers butchers shop, before signing for Cardiff City in 1929, He made his debut in a 1-0 defeat during a South...
and Bernard Joy
Bernard Joy
Bernard Joy was an English footballer and journalist. He is notable for being the last amateur player to play for the England national football team.-Biography:...
) in a 2–1 victory over Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. Despite the plethora of stars, both Saints goals were scored by local boy, Eric Webber
Eric Webber
Eric Victor Webber was an English footballer, playing as a centre-half, and manager.-Early days:Although he was born at Shoreham in West Sussex, Webber's family moved into Hampshire when he was a child and he played for Fareham Senior School, before joining Fareham Town and then Gosport Borough...
.
Lezama played one further game, a 1–3 defeat at Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
at the end of an extended wartime season. Despite being underage, he briefly worked as a driver for the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
.
Athletic Bilbao
On returning to SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1940, Lezama joined Arenas Club de Getxo
Arenas Club de Getxo
Arenas Club de Getxo is a Spanish football club based in the town of Getxo, near Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1914, it currently plays in Tercera División, holding home games at Campo Municipal de Gobela, with a 1,200-seat capacity.It was among the pioneering...
in Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
. In 1941 he signed for Athletic de Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
and made his La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
debut on 27 September 1942, in a 5–0 home win against Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
. The 1942–43 season saw the side, with a team that also included Telmo Zarra, José Luis Panizo and Agustín Gaínza
Agustín Gaínza
Agustín Gaínza Vicandi was a Spanish/Basque footballer and coach born in Basauri, Vizcaya. Also known as Piru. He played as a left sided winger or forward for Atlético Bilbao and Spain. Between 1940 and 1959 he made 381 La Liga appearances, scoring 120 goals...
, win a double (league and Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
); he helped Athletic retain the cup in both 1944 and 1945, winning it again in 1950.
While at Bilbao, Lezama also won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy
Ricardo Zamora Trophy
The Ricardo Zamora Trophy is a football award, established by Spanish newspaper MARCA in 1958. The award goes to the goalkeeper who has the lowest "goals-to-games" ratio. It is named after legendary Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora....
as best goalkeeper during 1946–47, adding his only cap for Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in a 4–1 win over Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, on 26 January 1947.
Throughout the rest of his career at Athletic, Lezama was only a squad player, making only 12 league appearances in his last five seasons combined. After playing 197 games, he left the club in 1957.
Later career
The following season, Lezama joined SD IndautxuSD Indautxu
Sociedad Deportiva Indautxu is a Spanish football club based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1924, it currently plays in División de Honor, holding home games at Campo Iparralde....
in the second level, where his teammates included emerging youngsters Jesús María Pereda
Jesus María Pereda
Jesús María Pereda Ruiz de Temiño , also known as Chus Pereda, was a Spanish football midfielder and manager....
and Miguel Jones
Miguel Jones
Miguel Jones Castillo is a former Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for SD Indautxu and Atlético Madrid during the 1950s and 1960s. Although born in Spanish Guinea, now known as Equatorial Guinea, Jones grew up in Bilbao...
. He played two further seasons in the category with Sestao Sport Club
Sestao Sport Club
Sestao Sport Club was a Spanish football club based in Sestao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded it 1916, it held home matches at Campo Municipal de las Llanas, with a capacity of 8,900 seats.-History:...
, before rejoining first team in Spain Arenas de Getxo, in 1960.
Lezama died of heart failure in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, at the age of 84. It is sometimes thought that Athletic's youth system's facilities
Lezama
Lezama is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It is home to the training headquarters of the football team Athletic Bilbao, and is accessible by bus - BizkaiBus - from Bilbao.-External links:*...
were named after him, but in fact these are named for their location, the village of Lezama near Bilbao.
Team
- Spanish LeagueLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1942–43, 1955–56 - Copa del GeneralísimoCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1943, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1955, 1956