The Pichichi: Exploring The History Behind Spain's Pichichi Award

If you follow Spanish football at all, chances are you've heard of the Pichichi. As an award it holds status as one of the most prestigious individual merits Spanish football has to offer. As a name it rolls off the tongue delightfully. But what is the Pichichi award and what is the history behind it?

The Pichichi - a history

Rafael Moreno Aranzadi was a Basque Spanish footballer who played for Athletic Bilbao in the early 1900s. Growing up as a youngster kicking a ball around in the dusty back streets of Vizcaya, Bilbao, Aranzadi was nicknamed 'Pichichi' at the age of 11 by the older kids he practised with. The tag stuck and then some.

Pichichi spent ten years as a player at Athletic between 1911 and 1921, writing his name into the history books of Spanish football as one of the most prolific strikers of his era. While the players of today might distinguish themselves by wearing garishly bright boots or sporting a specific haircut, in the 1920s Pichichi's own trademark was the white handkerchief he often tied around his head for games.

But it was for his performances on the field that Pichichi really stood out. During 12 seasons at Athletic, Pichichi scored 77 goals in 89 games at an unsurpassed ratio of 0.87 goals per game. With Pichichi around Athletic Bilbao won four Copa del Reys (King's Cups) and five regional championships. This was in the days prior to the establishment of the Spanish Football League (LFP) in 1929, when regional competition naturally assumed higher notability.

As if the sheer volume of goals wasn't enough to etch Pichichi's name into Bilbao folklore, the Spanish striker also stands as the first ever player to score at Athletic Bilbao's San Mames stadium, against Racing de Irun at a tournament held for the stadium's inauguration. English club Shepherd's Bush FC were also participants.

Pichichi retired from football in 1921 aged 29. He harboured ambitions of becoming a referee, but died suddenly just one year later after an attack of typhus. As one of Athletic's greatest ever goalscorers the club commissioned a sculptor to create a bust of Pichichi which now sits in the presidential box at San Mames.

While Bilbao's private tribute was most welcome it was not enough. As one of the greatest Spanish goalscorers of a generation Aranzadi's legacy deserved more, a wider tribute not merely restricted to Bilbao. Consequently, in recognition of his magnificent achievements, Spanish sports daily Marca named the trophy given to the top scorer in Spanish league football at the end of every season in his honour. The Pichichi was born. The first ever Pichichi trophy was awarded in 1952-1953 to Telmo Zarra - also of Athletic Bilbao.

Telmo Zarra - Spanish goal machine

Previous Winners

To date, the players with the most Pichichi awards in Spanish football history are:

6 - Telmo Zarra

5 - Enrique 'Quini' Castro
Alfredo di Stefano
Hugo Sánchez

4 - Ferenc Puskás

3 - Isidro Lángara
Jose Eulogio Gárate (nicknamed the 'penalty box engineer')

Eight players sit below this elite list on 2 Pichichi crowns, amongst them Ronaldo, Raul and Diego Forlán of the players still playing today. For those of a contemporary persuasion, here are the previous ten Pichichi winners going back to 1999-2000:

1999/2000 - Salva Ballesta
2000/2001 - Raul González
2001/2002 - Diego Tristán
2002/2003 - Roy Makaay
2003/2004 - Ronaldo
2004/2005 - Diego Forlán
2005/2006 - Samuel Eto'o
2006/2007 - Ruud Van Nistelrooy
2007/2008 - Daniel Guiza
2008/2009 - Diego Forlán

The maximum amount of goals ever scored to win a Pichichi is 38, a tally reached by 2 players only: Telmo Zarra in 1950/1951 (although technically the competition was not known as the Pichichi at this time) and legendary Mexican footballer Hugo Sánchez in 1989/1990. Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid are the club with the most Pichichi winners under their belt.

Now you know the history of the Pichichi, what about the here and now? Who are the frontrunners in this season's race? In part 2 we'll be assessing the outstanding candidates for the 2009/2010 Pichichi trophy, so don't forget to check back in on Just Football later or, alternatively, subscribe.