Juan Manuel Basurco


Juan Manuel Basurco Ulacia was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward.

Early life

Basurco was born on 22 January 1944 in Mutriku, Spain. At a young age, he trained to become a priest and embarked on a mission to Ecuador at the age of twenty-five.

Career

Basurco started his career with Spanish side Mutriku FT. In 1969, he signed for Ecuadorian side Club Deportivo San Camilo. One year later, he signed for Ecuadorian side LDU Portoviejo.
Subsequently, he signed for Ecuadorian side Barcelona SC in 1971, where he played in the Copa Libertadores and donated his salary to impoverished children in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The same year, he signed for Ecuadorian side LDU Portoviejo.

Personal life

After retiring from professional football, Basurco returned to Spain where he worked as a philosophy teacher, with his last visit to Ecuador coming in the 1990s. Married with children, he died in San Sebastián, Spain on 20 March 2014,.