José Francisco 'Txetxu' Rojo Arroitia (28 January 1947 – 23 December 2022), also known as Rojo I, was a Spanish
football player and
manager.
During his career, the
forward played solely for
Athletic Bilbao, in a professional spell which spanned nearly 20 years. He was one of the club's most iconic players,[2][3] and later also worked as a coach with the team.
Born in
Bilbao,
Biscay, Rojo joined local giants
Athletic Bilbao's youth academy at an early age.[4] In 1965 he started playing for
its reserves[5] but, after only three appearances, was promoted to the first team, and stayed there until his professional retirement 17 years later.[6][7]
Rojo made his
La Liga debut on 26 September 1965 in a 1–0 away loss against
Córdoba CF,[8] and helped Athletic to win
Copa del Rey trophies in
1969[9] and
1973.[10] He totalled 414 games in the Spanish top flight, becoming the player with the second-most appearances in the
Basque club's history, only behind
José Ángel Iribar.[11]
For several seasons, Rojo shared teams with his younger brother
José Ángel, with the pair being thus referred to as 'Rojo I' and 'Rojo II'.[12][13]
International career
Rojo played 18 times for
Spain, his debut coming on 26 March 1969 in a
friendly against
Switzerland held in
Valencia.[4] He scored three goals in his nine years with the national team, but never took part in any major international tournament; he and his brother José Ángel appeared together in an exhibition game with
Turkey on 17 October 1973, in the latter's sole
cap.[14]
Coaching career
In 1982, aged 35, Rojo retired as a footballer and began a coaching career – a
testimonial match was held in his honour, with Athletic Bilbao hosting the
England national team.[15][16][17] His first managerial experience would be with the former's reserves, and he was promoted to first-team duties early into the
1989–90 campaign, being dismissed at its conclusion.[18][19]
Rojo died on 23 December 2022 at the age of 75, in
Leioa.[29][20] Athletic Bilbao released the following statement upon his death:[13]
"There are not enough words in the world to describe Txetxu Rojo and what he means for our Club. Those who enjoyed his unique style on the left wing for 17 seasons will remember the amazing runs, the surgical and unexpected passes, exquisite controls, beautiful goals, but, above all, the aura of an inimitable footballer, an artist, a creator of beauty, perhaps lacking in the brawn of other Athletic legends, but nonetheless possessing the enormous heart of a Lion.
Although Txetxu's heart has stopped beating in his mortal body, it will continue to beat forever in the hearts of our fans."
Rojo was given the nickname the "Mozart of football" by composer
Carmelo Bernaola.[30]
Career statistics
Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rojo goal.[31]
^
abCalvo, Juan Antonio (30 June 1973).
"2–0: No tuvo rival serio en el Castellón" [2–0: Castellón were no serious match]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 April 2023.