Spain national football B team
| Association | Spanish Football Federation |
|---|---|
| Most caps | Pepillo (9) |
| Top scorer | Manuel Badenes (8) |
| First international | |
 Spain B 5–2 Portugal B  (A Coruña, Spain; 20 March 1949) | |
| Biggest win | |
Spain B 7–1 Greece  (Madrid, Spain; 13 March 1955) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
 West Germany B 5–2 Spain B (Dortmund, West Germany; 14 June 1953) Spain B 2–5 West Germany B (Barcelona, Spain; 31 May 1956) | |
Spain B was a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Spain national football team. They commonly played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations, from 1949 to 1981.[1][2]
Early history[edit]
Spain B's first game is considered by some to be the one on 29 May 1927 at the Metropolitan Stadium in Madrid, where they beat the Portugal A team 2-0, thanks to second-half goals from Francisco Moraleda and Manuel Valderrama. The team that started that day was Guillermo Eizaguirre, Miguel Garrobé, Emilio Perelló, Ramón Polo Pardo, Manuel Valderrama, Gonzalo, Domingo Carulla, Enrique Molina, Pedro Regueiro, Emili Sagi-Barba and Óscar, and the two substitutes that came after the break were Matías Aranzábal and Francisco Moraleda, with the latter scoring the opening goal.[3][4][5] However, the Spain B team was only officially created 22 years later, in 1949, by the hands of the then national coach, Guillermo Eizaguirre, who had been the starting goalkeeper in the 1927 match. A Coruña was the city chosen to host this team's first-ever match against the Portuguese, and the Spanish B team won again, 5-2. And those who have played for the Spanish side that day include the likes of a young Estanislau Basora, Silvestre Igoa (scored twice) and Miguel Muñoz, all of whom future Spanish stars.[6] The next game was played only four years later, in 1953, this time thanks to Ricardo Zamora (the then Spain coach), to give the possibility to test under-21 or less experienced players, in addition to those involved with the senior national team.
Mediterranean Cup[edit]
Between 1953 and 1960 was when more games were held. A total of 17, divided between 8 friendlies and 9 Mediterranean Cup games. Spain B participated in the 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup, where they faced the A teams of Turkey, Egypt and Greece home and away, as well as the B teams of Italy and France, but Spain showed great character and won the tournament with 5 points to spare, finishing with 8 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat, with their only loss in the tournament coming at the hands of Greece (0-2) in Athens on 13 March 1957, which was a huge upset as Spain had beat them 7-1 at home.[7] The top goal scorer of the tournament was Manuel Badenes with 8 goals courtesy of two pokers, the first in a 7-1 win over Greece on 13 March 1955 and the other in a 5-1 win over Egypt on 27 November of the same year. These 8 goals also makes him the all-time top goal scorer of the Spain B team.
1982 World Cup[edit]
Preparing the squad for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, the then Spanish coach, José Santamaría and the then Spanish U-21 coach, Luis Suárez, put together a block of 7 Friendly tests throughout 1980 and 1981, and in this block, Javier Urruticoechea established himself as a goalkeeper, playing 5 of the 7 games. The squad of this B side was Javier Urruticoechea, Francisco García, Marcos Alonso, Juan José Rubio, Ricardo Gallego, Francisco Pineda, Antonio Maceda, Manuel Jiménez, Víctor Muñoz, Cundi, Periko Alonso, Pichi Alonso, Dani, Julio Alberto, Gerardo Miranda, Santillana and Juan José. The most recent fixture was a friendly against Poland B on 18 November 1981, which ended in a 2-0 with two goals from Pichi Alonso.[8]
Results[edit]
| 29 May 1927 Friendly[a] | Spain  [a] | 2 – 0 | Portugal | Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid |
| 17:30 (UTC+1:00) | Moraleda  61'Valderrama 81' |
Report | Attendance: 30,000 Referee:  Thomas Crewe |
| 20 March 1949 Friendly | Spain | 5–2 | Portugal | Riazor, A Coruña |
| Ontoria 7' Igoa 15', 60'Bazán 35'Escudero 43' |
Report | Caiado 11' Bentes 84' |
Referee: Léon Boes (France) |
| 6 May 1953 Friendly | Spain | 2–0 |  Luxembourg | Mestalla, Valencia |
| 18:00 | Manchón 25' Buqué 28' |
Report | Referee: Raymond Vicenti (France) |
| 14 June 1953 Friendly | West Germany | 5–2 | Spain | Rote Erde, Dortmund |
| Pfaff 32', 44' Schäfer 34', 54', 58' |
Report | Ramoní 36', 39' |
Referee: Karel van der Meer (Netherlands) |
| 30 May 1954 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | France  | 0–2 | Spain | Saint Léon, Bayonne |
| Report | Tejada 6' Arieta 88' |
Referee: José Vieira da Costa (Portugal) |
| 13 March 1955 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Spain | 7–1 | Greece | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid |
| Badenes 7', 35', 51', 58' Olmedo 33', 68'Maguregui 82' |
Report | Emmanouilidis 37' |
Referee: Maurice Frédéric Guigue (France) |
| 10 November 1955 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Spain | 3–1 | France | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid |
| Domingo 15' Agustín 17'Collar 28' |
Report | Dalla Cieca 8' |
Referee: Eduardo Gouveia (Portugal) |
| 27 November 1955 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Spain | 5–1 |  Egypt | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid |
| Tejada 43' Badenes 47', 70', 73', 87' |
Report | El-Hamouly 8' |
Referee: Armando Marchetti (Italy) |
| 31 May 1956 Friendly | Spain | 2–5 | West Germany | Les Corts, Barcelona |
| 17:30 | Bosch 56' Villaverde 85' |
Report | Biesinger 20' Gerritzen 30'Szymaniak 53'Schönhöft 77'Schröder 88' |
Referee: Joaquim Campos (Portugal) |
| 8 December 1956 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Italy  | 0–1 | Spain | Amsicora, Cagliari |
| Report | Tejada 61' |
Referee: Sulhi Garan (Turkey) |
| 8 March 1957 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Egypt | 0–1 | Spain | Cairo |
| Report | Pepillo 10' |
Referee: Giannis Daskalakis (Greece) |
| 13 March 1957 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Greece | 2–0 | Spain | Leoforos Alexandras, Athens |
| Yfantis 2' Panakis 43' |
Report | Referee: Mario Maurelli (Italy) |
| 6 November 1957 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Turkey  | 0–0 | Spain | Mithatpaşa, Istanbul |
| Report | Referee: Jacob Schrieber (West Germany) |
| 24 November 1957 Friendly | Luxembourg | 1–4 | Spain | Municipal, Luxembourg City |
| Mond 39' (pen.) |
Report | Pepillo 16' Peiró 20'Tejada 50', 75' |
Referee: Daniel Mellet (Switzerland) |
| 13 April 1958 Friendly | Portugal | 0–0 | Spain | Nacional, Oeiras |
| Report | Referee: Jean-Louis Groppi (France) |
| 5 July 1958 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Spain | 2–0 | Turkey | Atotxa, San Sebastián |
| Peiró 40' Pepillo 82' |
Report | Referee: Marcel Lequesne (France) |
| 16 October 1958 1953-58 Mediterranean Cup | Spain | 3–1 | Italy | La Romareda, Zaragoza |
| Peiró 25', 49', 50' |
Report | Stacchini 59' |
Referee: Jean-Louis Groppi (France) |
| 15 May 1960 Friendly | Morocco  | 3–3 | Spain | Honneur, Casablanca |
| Chicha 45' (pen.) Baba 71'Abdallah 74' |
Report | Ruiz Sosa 16' Ribelles 56'Paredes 58' |
Referee: Francisco Guerra (Portugal) |
| 12 October 1960 Friendly | Spain | 4–3 | Morocco | Los Cármenes, Granada |
| 16:30 | Mateos 15', 23', 29' Pepillo 17' |
Report | Akesbi 35', 80' El Filali 39' |
Referee: Abel Campos (Portugal) |
| 2 April 1961 Friendly | France | 0–2 | Spain | Municipal, Grenoble |
| Report | Aguirre 14' Marcelino 68' |
Referee: Albert Guinard (Switzerland) |
| 10 December 1961 Friendly | Spain | 3–2 | France | La Romareda, Zaragoza |
| Adelardo 7' Bueno 11' (pen.)Marcelino 53' |
Report | Lafranceschina 54' Rustichelli 85' |
Referee: Abel da Costa (Portugal) |
| 15 November 1964 Friendly | Spain | 3–0 | Portugal | El Arcángel, Córdoba |
| José María 26' (pen.), 80' (pen.) Arieta 85' |
Report | Referee: Andries van Leeuwen (Netherlands) |
| 24 September 1980 Friendly | Spain  | 2–2 |  Hungary | Nou Estadi, Valencia |
| Rubio 48' (pen.), 63' (pen.) |
Report | Nagy 35' Soos 44' |
Referee: Paolo Casarin (Italy) |
| 15 October 1980 Friendly | Spain | 0–0 |  East Germany | Lluís Sitjar, Palma |
| Report | Referee: Daniel Lambert (France) |
| 12 November 1980 Friendly | Poland  | 0–0 | Spain | Stali Mielec, Mielec |
| Report | Referee: Manfred Roßner (East Germany) |
| 18 February 1981 Friendly | France | 0–0 | Spain | Municipal, Toulouse |
| Report | Referee: Enzo Barbaresco (Italy) |
| 25 March 1981 Friendly | Spain | 3–2 | England | Los Cármenes, Granada |
| Alonso 20' Rubio 37'Santillana 48' |
Report | Statham 66' Martin 76' |
Referee: Hendrik van Ettekoven (Netherlands) |
| 15 April 1981 Friendly | Hungary | 1–3 | Spain | Gyöngyös |
| Borostyan 35' |
Report | Dani 14' Morán 23', 50' |
Referee: Josef Marko (Czechoslovakia) |
| 18 November 1981 Friendly | Spain  | 2–0 | Poland | La Romareda, Zaragoza |
| Alonso 27', 88' (pen.) |
Report | Referee: Franz Gächter (Switzerland) |
Spain national football B team head to head[edit]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | Win %[b] | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France
|
1954 | 1981 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 90% | 10 | 3 | +7 |
| Portugal
|
1949 | 1964 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 83.33% | 8 | 2 | +6 |
| Luxembourg
|
1953 | 1957 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 6 | 1 | +5 |
 Egypt
|
1955 | 1957 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 6 | 1 | +5 |
| Italy
|
1956 | 1958 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| Hungary
|
1980 | 1981 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 75% | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| Turkey
|
1957 | 1959 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 75% | 2 | 0 | +2 |
 Poland
|
1980 | 1981 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 75% | 2 | 0 | +2 |
| Morocco
|
1960 | 1960 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 75% | 7 | 6 | +1 |
 Greece
|
1955 | 1957 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 7 | 3 | +4 |
| West Germany
|
1953 | 1956 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 4 | 10 | –6 |
| England
|
1981 | 1981 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| East Germany
|
1980 | 1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 76.79% | 64 | 32 | +32 |
Player records[edit]
Top appearances[edit]
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pepillo | Sevilla, Real Madrid | 1955–1960 | 9 |
| 2 | Enrique Collar | Atlético Madrid | 1955–1959 | 7 |
| Manuel Mestre | Valencia | 1957–1960 | 7 | |
| 4 | Justo Tejada | Barcelona | 1954–1960 | 6 |
| Ferran Olivella | Barcelona | 1956–1958 | 6 | |
| Francisco García | Real Madrid | 1980–1981 | 6 | |
| Manuel Jiménez | Sporting Gijón | 1980–1981 | 6 | |
| 8 | Campanal | Sevilla | 1953–1957 | 5 |
| Antonio Argilés | Espanyol | 1953–1956 | 5 | |
| Joaquín Peiró | Atlético Madrid | 1956–1959 | 5 | |
| José Vicente | Espanyol | 1957–1960 | 5 | |
| Juan José Rubio | Atlético Madrid | 1980–1981 | 5 | |
| Javier Urruticoechea | Espanyol | 1980–1981 | 5 |
Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Bs.
Top goalscorers[edit]
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Badenes | Valencia | 1955 | 8 |
| 2 | Justo Tejada | Barcelona | 1954–1960 | 5 |
| Joaquín Peiró | Atlético Madrid | 1956–1959 | 5 | |
| 4 | Pepillo | Sevilla, Real Madrid | 1955–1960 | 4 |
| 5 | Enrique Mateos | Real Madrid | 1957–1960 | 3 |
| Juan José Rubio | Atlético Madrid | 1980–1981 | 3 | |
| 7 | Silvestre Igoa | Valencia | 1949 | 2 |
| Ramoní | Sevilla | 1953 | 2 | |
| Pablo Olmedo | Celta Vigo | 1955 | 2 | |
| Marcelino Martínez | Zaragoza | 1961 | 2 | |
| José María García | Oviedo | 1964 | 2 | |
| Pichi Alonso | Zaragoza | 1981 | 2 | |
| Enrique Morán | Betis | 1981 | 2 |
Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Bs.
Honours[edit]
Mediterranean Cup Champion: 1953-58
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b In May 1927, Spain played a friendly against Portugal in Madrid[3][4][5] on the same day as they played Italy in Rome.[9][10][11][12] The squad for the Italy game was more experienced and considered to be stronger, while several players in the Portugal match made their debuts; consequently the Spain team is considered to have been equivalent to its B team[2] (although they won their match while the A team lost theirs)[12] and thus not a full international, although the match is included in some media articles relating to the rivalry and in some statistical tallies of caps for the players involved.[13][14][15][16]
- ^ A draw counts as a ½ win
References[edit]
- ^ "Spain national team: Selection B". BDFutbol. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ^ a b "¿Sabes qué era la Selección Absoluta B?" [Do you know what the Senior B Team was?]. SEFútbol (in Spanish). RFEF. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ a b "International football match: 29.05.1927 Spain* v Portugal". EU-football.info. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ a b "29/05/1927: España 2 - 0 Portugal". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Spain v Portugal, 29 May 1927". 11v11.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ "Selection B · Friendly · Sunday 20/03/1949". bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ "Mediterranean Cup 1953-1957 results". football.eu. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ "España B Amistosos 1980". bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ "International football match: 29.05.1927 Italy v Spain". EU-football.info. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ "29/05/1927: Italia 2 - 0 España". BDFutbol. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ "Italy v Spain, 29 May 1927". 11v11.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Los españoles, gandaores en el Stadium y derrotadoes en Bolonia por tanteo de 2 a 0" [The Spaniards, winners in the Stadium and defeated in Bologna by score of 2 to 0]. La Voz (digital archive) (in Spanish). 30 May 1927. p. 11. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ "España vs. Portugal: rivalidad y revancha" [Spain vs. Portugal: rivalry and revenge]. Marca (in Spanish). 26 June 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ "Regueiro: Pedro Regueiro Pagola [List of matches / Spain National Team]". BDFutbol. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
- ^ "National football team player: Jorge Vieira". EU-football.info. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Appearances for Portugal National Team". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 March 2019.