Carlos Ruiz Herrero

Carlos Ruiz Herrero (born 7 June 1948), known simply as Carlos, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a forward.

He spent 11 seasons in La Liga with Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 275 competitive games and scoring 115 goals.

Club career Born in Bilbao, Biscay, the third of ten sons in a large family, Carlos played 11 seasons with Athletic Bilbao plus one with the reserves, having been signed in 1969 from Basque neighbours CD Getxo.

Carlos continued to be used regularly by the club in the following years, but he also had to deal with several injuries. He scored ten times during the latter, including once in the penalty shootout loss to Real Betis in the decisive match (2–2 after 120 minutes) in Madrid.

In the 1974–75 season, Carlos scored a career-best 19 goals in 32 games for a tenth place in La Liga, winning the Pichichi Trophy in the process.

Carlos still enjoyed two seasons in double digits until he left Athletic, including 1977–78 with 16 goals. He retired from the game in summer 1982 at the age of 34 after a spell with RCD Español,

Later life Having studied medicine at the University of Bilbao at Leioa (later part of the University of the Basque Country) during his playing career, Ruiz subsequently went into practice as a doctor specialising in the treatment of athletes. He performed roles assisting various sports teams, including basketball club CB Cajabilbao and the Spanish national squads in handball and women's football.

In 2011, Ruiz was part of the team behind the unsuccessful campaign of Fernando García Macua to be re-elected as president of Athletic Bilbao.

Honours Athletic Bilbao Copa del Rey: 1972–73; runner-up: 1976–77 UEFA Cup runner-up: 1976–77

Individual Pichichi Trophy: 1974–75