Success 2013: Luis Suárez Miramontes, a Spanish former footballer and manager nicknamed El Arquitecto (The Architect). He became the first Spanish-born player to be voted Ballon d'Or (1960). In 1964 he helped Spain win the European Championship

Luis Suárez Miramontes (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾeθ miɾaˈmontes]; born 2 May 1935), also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain.

Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a player he was noted for his elegant, graceful style of play.Nicknamed El Arquitecto (The Architect) he was noted for his perceptive passing and explosive shot and in 1960 he became the first Spanish-born player to be voted Ballon d'Or.

In 1964 he helped Spain win the European Championship. Suarez originally achieved proeminence as a creative inside forward for the great FC Barcelona team of the 1950s before he joined Inter where he reached his prime as deep lying playmaker for the legendary Grande Inter team of the 1960s. He retired as a player in 1973, after three seasons at Sampdoria.


Suárez subsequently began a career as a coach and has managed Internazionale on three separate occasions, the last two on a caretaker basis. Suárez has also coached both Spain U21s and the senior Spain team. He was in charge of the latter for 27 games and led them to the second round of the 1990 World Cup. He has also coached several Italian and Spanish club sides. He is currently a scout for Internazionale Milan Football Club (IMFC).

Early career

Suárez was born in La Coruña, Galicia. He lived on Avenida de Hércules in the neighborhood of Monte Alto.
He began his professional career with Deportivo de La Coruña in 1949 and worked his way through the junior sides before making his La Liga debut with Deportivo on 6 December 1953 in a 6–1 defeat to FC Barcelona. Among his team mates at Deportivo were Pahiño and Arsenio Iglesias. He played 17 games and scored 3 goals for Deportivo during the remaining season. In 1954 he transferred to CF Barcelona and but spent most of the 1954–55 season playing for CD España Industrial in the Segunda División.

FC Barcelona

Between 1955 and 1961 Suárez was a regular in a FC Barcelona team that also included Ladislao Kubala, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, Ramallets and Evaristo. With Helenio Herrera as coach, the club and Suárez won a La Liga/Copa del Generalísimo double in 1959 and a La Liga/Fairs Cup double in 1960. Suárez was also voted European Footballer of the Year in 1960. One of his last games for FC Barcelona was the final of the European Cup in 1961 which they lost 3–2 to S.L. Benfica.

Internazionale

In 1961 Suárez became the world's most expensive footballer when FC Barcelona sold him to Internazionale for 250 million Italian liras (£142,000). The move saw him follow his mentor Helenio Herrera.
Suárez became a regular in the Great Inter team that won three Serie A titles, two consecutive European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. Between 1961 and 1970 he made 328 appearances for Inter and scored 55 goals.

Spain

Suárez also played 32 games for Spain and scored 14 goals. He made his debut on 6 December 1957 in a 6–1 victory over the Netherlands and represented Spain at both the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. However his greatest achievement with Spain came in 1964 when, together with Josep Maria Fusté, Amancio Amaro, José Ángel Iribar and Jesús María Pereda, he helped them win the European Championship. He played his final game for Spain in 1972.

• Luis Suarez Miramontes, playmaker extraordinaire, turns 78

Born in La Coruna on 2 May 1935, Luisito wrote history as part of the Grande Inter team in the sixties

MILAN – If Inter were a film, he would be the Oscar-winning director. Luis Suarez Miramontes, simply Luisito to many, played for the Nerazzurri during the marvellous Grande Inter years, from 1961 to 1970. He joined from Barcelona having already won the Ballon d'Or, his transfer from Spain to Italy based on an original idea by Helenio Herrera and adapted by Angelo Moratti. Barcelona are said to have completed their stadium, the Camp Nou, with the money from his sale.
At Inter he won three league titles, two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. His inch-perfect passing from the deep-lying playmaker role remains legendary. He has stayed in Italy ever since: after ending his playing days at Sampdoria, he began a coaching career and has helped Inter out on a number of occasions.
These are his numbers in black and blue: 257 Serie A appearances and 42 goals, 49 European games and 8 goals, 22 Coppa Italia appearances with 4 goals. In total 328 matches and 54 goals.

Legends of La Liga: Luis Suarez Miramontes

Luis Suarez Miramontes born May 2nd 1935 started his career in 1949 with Deportivo De La Coruna. Working his way through the youth system he made his La Liga debut in 1953 when the side lost 6-1 to Barcelona. He went on to to score three times in 17 games that season doing enough on the pitch to earn a contract from Barcelona.
Suarez quickly earned a reputation as a creative midfielder coming up with 10 plus goals from midfield in almost every season at the club. in 1959 Suarez was key to the team scoring 20 goals in a double winning season (La Liga and Copa Del Rey).
 A year later Suarez led Barca to another title scoring 14 times, his efforts were respected on a worldwide level as the midfielder became the first Spanish born player to win the Ballon D’or.

He left the club in 1961 with one of his last games for the club being a 3-2 loss in the European Cup final against Benfica. After that year Suarez was done with Spanish football moving to Inter Milan the next year with a record of 61 goals in 122 games for the Catalan side.
Suarez went on to be key for Spain winning the European Championships in 1964 a true achievement for the nation.
The Spaniard finished his career in in 1973, Suarez is regarded as one of Spain’s greatest players. Nicknamed El Arquitecto (The Architect).