Spanish football is in mourning after Jesús Pereda, a key member of the national team that won the 1964 UEFA European Championship, died at the age of 73.

Pereda, who passed away after a long illness, scored one goal and set up the decider for Marcelino when Spain beat the Soviet Union 2-1 in the 1964 final at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. That European success came at the peak of an international career that brought the playmaker 15 caps, embellished by six goals.

At club level, midfielder Pereda played for SD Indautxu, Real Madrid CF – where he was part of the Liga-winning squad of 1957/58 – Real Valladolid, Sevilla FC , FC Barcelona, CE Sabadell FC and RCD Mallorca. It was with Barcelona that he really flourished, lifting the Spanish Cup in both 1963 and 1968, and scoring 110 goals in 316 games across all competitions during an eight-season Camp Nou stay.

After retiring from playing in 1972, Pereda went on to work for the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) as coach of various under-age national teams. As assistant to senior head coach Vicente Miera between 1991 and 1992, he also took charge of the full Spain national side for one match only when Miera was ill.