Rubén Cano

Rubén Andrés Cano Martínez (born 5 February 1951) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.

He played in 228 La Liga games over the course of eight seasons (94 goals) in representation of two teams, mainly Atlético Madrid.

Cano appeared for Spain at the 1978 World Cup.

Club career

Born in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina to Spanish parents, Cano started his professional career with Buenos Aires-based Club Atlético Atlanta, remaining four years with the team. In 1974 he returned to the land of his ancestors and joined Elche CF, making his La Liga debut on 14 September 1974 in a 1–0 home win against Atlético Madrid and finishing his first season with six goals in 32 games as the Valencian ranked in eighth position.

In the 1976 off-season Cano signed for precisely Atlético de Madrid, scoring 20 times in his first year – fifth-best in the competition – as the Colchoneros won the national championship, one point ahead of FC Barcelona. He added 40 in the following two seasons combined, and formed an efficient forward partnership during his spell with another Argentine-born player, Rubén Ayala.