José María Muñagorri

José María Muñagorri Berraondo (3 October 1902 - 12 October 1968) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Real Madrid. He was one of the many products of Colegio del Pilar, and a historic player of Real Madrid, with whom he played for a whole decade.

Club career José María Muñagorri was born in Buenos Aires as the son of Basque parents, and at the age of three his family moved to Madrid for professional reasons, and he began to study and to practice football at the Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar, which once was one of the capital's football cradles, best known for being a breeding ground for players for Madrid FC in its first years of existence. At the age of only 14, Muñagorri signed up as a member of Madrid FC in 1916 and became part of the youth team that a year later amazed the Spanish capital with its beautiful football, a team which also included, among others, César Sáez, Juan Monjardín and Pedro Escobal, with the latter two reaching the first team of Madrid FC, along with him, during 1919, with the three of them being all minors when they became Real Madrid players.

Muñagorri was a Real Madrid undisputed starter for nearly a decade, however, his career was heavily affected by serious injuries, which interrupted his formidable performances. The most notable being one he suffered in the semifinal of the 1922 Copa del Rey against Real Unión, which kept him out for eight months. When he returned to the field against a Czech team, Muñagorri suffered a new injury to his left leg.

On 17 May 1924, Muñagorri participated in another historic eleven of Real Madrid, the one that opened the Estadio Chamartín on the eve of the 1924 Summer Olympics, in a friendly against Newcastle, netting once in a 3–2 win. Muñagorri did not play in the infamous final against Catalonia which ended in a 4–4 draw, but he started in the replay of the final on 26 February 1924, replacing Antonio De Miguel in a 2–3 loss to their regional rivals.

The Peña incident During Real Madrid's 1927 tour of the Americas, the team docked in Yucatán, Mexico after leaving Cuba. Because the boat was anchored far from the port, Muñagorri's teammates José María Peña and Juan Urquizu both decided to get into a small boat and row through the port's shark-infested waters. However, when the pair tried to return to the ship, Peña ended up slipping off the rope he was using to climb back on with, and fell into the water near the sharks. Muñagorri almost jumped in to help him, and ended up having to be held back by some of his teammates. In the end, some nearby sailors managed to get Peña to safety.

Honours Club Real Madrid Campeonato Regional Centro: Champions (7): 1919–20, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27 and 1927–28 Copa del Rey: Runner-up (2): 1924 and 1929

International Madrid Prince of Asturias Cup: Runner-up (1): 1923–24