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José María Peña

1895 – 1989

Spanish footballer

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About José María Peña

Lived 1895 – 1989 (aged 93). José María Peña was a Spanish association football player, association football coach and athletics competitor.

Anacleto José María Peña Salegui (9 April 1895 – 13 January 1989) was a Spanish professional football player and manager.

Born in Las Arenas, he started playing football as a midfielder at Arenas Club de Getxo in 1913; teammates included his elder brother Florencio. There he won the Biscay Championship four times and the Copa del Rey in 1919, as well as finishing as a losing finalist 1917 and 1925. In 1926 he moved to Madrid and signed with Real Madrid CF, playing for the club for six years until 1932 and winning four Centre regional championships (also collecting two more runners-up medals from the 1929 and 1930 Copa finals). The team claimed their first La Liga title in 1931–32 but Peña, aged 36 by its conclusion, made only four appearances and it is unclear if he is considered to have won this honour. At international level, he played 21 times for Spain national football team and featured at the 1924 Summer Olympics.

He finished his playing days and started his coaching career at Celta Vigo in the second tier. He was in charge of Sporting Gijón and Arenas in two spells, and had two seasons managing in the top division, one with Real Oviedo in 1935–36, finishing in 3rd place – just before most aspects of normal life were interrupted by the Spanish Civil War – and the other with Sporting (then known as Real Gijón) in 1946–47, finishing 10th of 14 teams.

Peña was also an athlete who won a silver medal in the 400 metres event at the 1918 edition of the Spanish Athletics Championships, while in the 1923 edition he got silver in the Javelin throw and bronze in the 200 metres, 110 metres hurdles and 4 × 400 metres relay. In 1925 he won the gold in 400 metres hurdles and 4 × 400 metres relay, and in 1926 a gold in 110 metres hurdles and bronze in 4 × 400 metres relay.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
José María Peña Salegui

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped José María Peña's

Frequently asked questions

Who was José María Peña?

Spanish footballer (1895–1989)

When was José María Peña born?

José María Peña was born on 19 April 1895 in Getxo.

When did José María Peña die?

José María Peña died on 13 January 1989 in Getxo.

What was José María Peña's occupation?

José María Peña was an association football player, association football coach and athletics competitor.

What nationality was José María Peña?

José María Peña was Spanish.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: José María Peña

· Wikidata: Q3186453

· DBpedia: José María Peña

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). José María Peña. https://biography.guide/jose-maria-pena-association-football-player/

MLA: "José María Peña." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jose-maria-pena-association-football-player/.

Chicago: "José María Peña." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jose-maria-pena-association-football-player/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-27 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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