Sports Nicknames - Pentapichichi, Nino de Oro (The Golden Boy)

Hugo Sanchez was the Mexican centre-forward, one of the most prolific goals scorers in the history of football.



Nicknames:

Pentapichichi:

Per the Spanish league traditions, the top scorer of each season is awarded a coveted trophy called Pichichi. He won his first La Liga top scorer's award in the 1984-85 season. That earned him his first Pichichi trophy. However, there was no way that he was going to stop there. Nothing could make him feel satiated as he continued his hunt for goals. In 1985, he moved from Atletico Madrid to the rival Real Madrid, where he enjoyed an incredibly successful run. He top scored in the next four La Liga seasons, while Real Madrid won four consecutive LA Liga trophies in as many seasons. This gave Sanchez his new nickname of "Pentapichichi", as he had won five consecutive Pichichi (top scorer in Spanish league) trophies.


The Golden Boy:

Earlier, Sanchez had played at the youth games at Cannes in 1975, where his exquisite performances had brought him the limelight. He was nicknamed "Nino de Oro", which translated to "The Golden Boy." And the Golden boy did rise to prominence in the following years as he finished his career as one of the most prolific goals scorers in the history of football.

In 1976, Sanchez started his career with UNAM in Mexico. While he scored almost a hundred goals for the Mexican Club, his career took a vertical trajectory when he moved to Atletico Madrid in pursuit of Spanish glory in 1981. Between 1981 and 1985, he was a key member of Atletico Madrid's squad and the top scorer in the league in 1985 with 26 goals.


Journey with Real Madrid:

Real Madrid won five consecutive La Liga in the next five seasons while Sanchez was the top scorer in four of those campaigns. He was also part of the Madrid squad that won the UEFA Cup in 1985-86. He parted ways with Spanish Football in 1997 at Santiago Bernabeu, while his symbolic professional retirement came in 1998 when Sanchez touched the ball symbolically in one of the World Cup qualification matches.


Records and Retirement:

At the time of retirement, he was the highest goal scorer in the history of La Liga, with 234 sensational goals. His tally was overtaken by Lionel Messi and later Cristiano Ronaldo. He also held the record for scoring the most penalties in La Liga's history, another record later bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo.

He was named the best sportsperson in Mexico for the 20th Century and was also among the FIFA 100 players announced in 2004. Following his retirement, he has worked as an Analyst and Commentator with different broadcasters.

The legend of Pentapichichi lives on!


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