Enrique Lora Millán(born 7 May 1945) is a Spanish formerfootballerwho played as amidfielder.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Enrique Lora Millán | ||
| Date of birth | 7 May 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | La Puebla del Río,Spain | ||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sevilla | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Hispalense | |||
| Coria | |||
| Sevilla Atlético | |||
| 1966–1977 | Sevilla | 293 | (27) |
| 1977–1979 | Recreativo Huelva | 61 | (4) |
| Total | 354+ | (31+) | |
| International career | |||
| 1970–1972 | Spain | 14 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He spent most of his career atSevilla,making 334 appearances and scoring 30 goals over 11 seasons. He totalled 205 games inLa Ligaand 149 in theSegunda División,including a season withRecreativo de Huelvain each at the end of his career.
Lora played 14 games forSpainbetween 1970 and 1972, scoring one goal.
Club career
editBorn inLa Puebla del Ríoin theProvince of Seville,Lora grew up in a household more interested inbullfightingthan in football. As a child, he played football on the wing to avoid the physical side of the game, due to his small physique.[1]
Lora was taken on as a youth player atSevilla.He worked as a labourer in cotton, rice and corn fields; the club gave him 70Spanish pesetasfor public transport fares, of which he would save 35 by riding his bicycle home.[2]Released at age 18, he stopped playing football altogether until he was brought back by friends at local club Hispalense, going on to play in theTercera DivisiónforCoria.[1]At the end of his contract, he was approached bySeville-basedReal Betis,but delayed his signing because he wanted his 30,000 peseta fee in cash. In the meantime, he signed forSevilla Atlético,thereserve teamof Sevilla FC.[3]
Lora made his debut inLa Ligaon 25 September 1966 in a 3–1 home win over fellowAndalusiansGranada.[3]On 4 December, he scored his first goals, two in a 4–0 win at theRamón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadiumagainst another neighbour,Córdoba.[4]
In the late 1960s, Sevilla were managed by AustrianMax Merkel,who Lora credited with improving his athleticism, with the player earning the nickname "Siete Pulmones" (Seven Lungs).[3]After winning promotion asSegunda Divisiónchampions in1968–69,Lora's team came third in La Liga thefollowing season,the first such team to achieve such a high position.[2]He was neversent offfor the club, and only received ayellow cardonce.[2]In November 2014, he was the seventh player to have a "Dorsal de Leyenda" (Legend Squad Number) issued by the club.[5]As of May 2024, his 334 appearances put him 10th in the club's all-time list.[6]
Lora was released by Sevilla in 1977, despite intending to retire there. He then signed forSegunda DivisiónclubRecreativo de Huelva,winning promotion as champion in hisfirst season.Having helped the club into the top flight for the first time in its long history, he received a bonus of 500,000 pesetas, per a clause in his contract that the club had not expected to pay.[3]
International career
editSpainmanagerLászló Kubalaadmired Lora for his strength, discipline and consistency at the expense of height.[1]He made his international debut on 11 February 1970 in a 2–0friendlywin overWest Germanyat his club ground.[3]His inclusion had been criticised in the media as a way to entertain local fans, but he was subsequently praised for his marking ofGunter Netzer.[7]
Lora played 14 games for Spain, scoring once on 24 November 1971 in a 7–0UEFA Euro 1972qualifierat home toCyprusinGranada.[8]In his final game on 19 October 1972, a 2–2 home draw withYugoslaviain1974 FIFA World Cupqualification, Kubala brought him on as a half-timesubstituteforJuan Solonly to replace him 24 minutes later withJosé Ufarte.[7][2]In 2020, Lora said that he had been distracted by contract negotiations at Sevilla, causing his poor performance in this match.[3]
References
edit- ^abcRamos, Jesús (15 April 2016)."Enrique Lora el" siete pulmones "del Sevilla"[Enrique Lora, Sevilla's "Seven Lungs" ].Marca(in Spanish).Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^abcd"Lora, de jornalero a internacional"[Lora, from labourer to international].ABC(in Spanish). 6 May 2012.Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^abcdefCamacho, Félix B. (8 November 2020)."Vida y milagros del mítico Enrique Lora de la época futbolística que le tocó vivir"[Life and miracles of the historic Enrique Lora about the footballing era he lived in].Diario de Huelva(in Spanish).Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^de la Hera, Juan Manuel (5 December 1966)."Sevilla, 4 - Córdoba, 0".Mundo Deportivo(in Spanish).Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^"Enrique Lora recibe el VII Dorsal de Leyenda del Sevilla"[Enrique Lora receives the 7th Legend Squad Number from Sevilla].Diario AS(in Spanish). 20 November 2014.Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^González, Alejandro (16 May 2024)."Los jugadores con más partidos en la historia del Sevilla: esta es la lista que lidera Jesús Navas"[The players with the most games in the history of Sevilla: this is the list that Jesús Navas leads].ABC(in Spanish).Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^abde las Peñas, Juan Luis (31 May 2016)."1972: Kubala pierde su primera guerra"[1972: Kubala loses his first war].Diario de Sevilla(in Spanish).Retrieved9 September2024.
- ^Rodríguez, Fran (25 November 2020)."La primera vez que la Selección Española jugó en Granada fue ante Chipre"[The first time that the Spanish national team played in Granada was against Cyprus].Ideal(in Spanish).Retrieved9 September2024.
External links
edit- Enrique Loraat BDFutbol
- Enrique Loraat eu-football.info