Telmo Zarraonaindia Montoya, the mythical Zarra, would have turned 100 today. A date that has not gone unnoticed for Athletic, a club in which He played 15 seasons and remains the top scorer in its history. His shooting background is certainly spectacular: 335 goals in 354 games.
”He is the top scorer in the history of the club and the outstanding finisher of an unforgettable forward that the rojiblanca family recites from memory: Iriondo, Venancio, Zarra, Panizo and Gainza, and whose legacy is transmitted between generations ”, recalls Athletic itself on its website.
Athletic's tribute to the mythical Zarra includes the testimony of two members who attended his official debut in San Mamés and a sample of photos and videos about Zarra from the Athletic Club Museoa funds. Telmo Zarra, born in Asua and son of the Sondika train station chief, was signed by the rojiblanco club after scoring seven of the nine goals that the Bizkaia team endorsed against the Gipuzkoa team in San Mamés.
“His career at the rojiblanco club is one of the most glorious in history, and after his retirement in the 1954/55 season, he still played as an amateur for Indautxu and Barakaldo CF. I
On twenty occasions with the Spanish national team, he scored twenty goals, the most famous of which was the one he achieved against England in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. He died on February 23, 2006. In Lezama, a bust of Zarra recalls his legendary figure, a mirror for all future generations of Athletic Club ”, they report from the Ibaigane entity.