Name: Mariano Arias Chamorro
Nickname: "El jabalí del Bierzo" ("Wild Boar of Bierzo")
Country:
Spain Club: Real Oviedo
Number: 9
Position: ★CF
Side: RF/BS
Age: 26-27 years (18/05/1946)
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Attack: 85
Defence: 30
Balance: 83
Stamina: 77
Top Speed: 87
Acceleration: 82
Response: 87
Agility: 80
Dribble Accuracy: 72
Dribble Speed: 72
Short Pass Accuracy: 71
Short Pass Speed: 67
Long Pass Accuracy: 66
Long Pass Speed: 66
Shot Accuracy: 86
Shot Power: 83
Shot Technique: 86
Free Kick Accuracy: 60
Curling: 62
Header: 86
Jump: 91
Technique: 69
Aggression: 87
Mentality: 73
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 68
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 7
Weak Foot Frequency: 7
Consistency: 6
Growth Type: Standard
CARDS:
P15 - Goal Poacher
P19 - Fox in the Box
S01 - Marauding
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Post Player - Positioning - Scoring - Reaction
Attack/Defence Awareness: Attack-Minded
INFO:
"Pichichi" in the 1972-73 season for being the top scorer with 19 goals, an insistent striker, very fast in short, with 20 devastating meters, a powerful shot with both feet, a sense of opportunism, with that rare nose to know where the rebounds fall and a tremendous jump. He was not very tall, 1.75, but his jumping power was enormous. He anticipated the defenders well and stayed in the air a little more than the rest to finish more successfully. Santamaría, Zaragoza's centre-back, said that he had not seen a player jump as much headfirst as him. Some centre-backs also said that he stayed up, while they were relegated, that he was capable of putting the ball wherever he wanted with his head. He used to score a lot of goals running behind the defense.
Galán was the fine stylist, Marianín, the tough fighter. "The nickname of El Jabalí del Bierzo was given to me because I was very brave. I wasn't afraid of anything. I remember in an Oviedo-Burgos match that I headed into a cross and the ball was only 30 centimetres from the ground."
Question on which today's striker he is most similar to: "Luis Suárez and Aduriz. I wasn't a technician, but I dribbled something. I used to position myself in the area, although I also played as a winger on either flank. When I signed for Cultural, I started playing as a right winger. Then I became a left winger and finally they placed me as a center forward. That's when I started scoring goals."
That direct style – "we went out to sweep", he recalled – of strength, of football on the wings, crosses and powerful finishers, was a perfect habitat for his abilities: those of a centre-forward in the area, who stood out more for the forcefulness of his headers and shots than for any other technical skill. He was simply a hard footballer. Tremendous finisher, indeed technically limited, but a real Killer. He arrived late at the top, made his national team debut and had a very short run, also marked by injuries. He had four good seasons.
Malaga signed him, but the president of Malaga was killed and the deal didn't go through. Real Madrid were looking for a young area player and the first one they thought of was Marianín. Real Madrid thought of him as a replacement for Amancio, but ended up with Agullar and Santillana. "His game was primitive, but it could be refined over time." Barca was saying that Marianín was only good for heading the ball. But Rinus Michels, the coach, praised the Bercian, valuing him as the complete striker (Rinus was the one that wanted him, but the board didn't). Marianín still resents that comment from the Barça director, and remembers that of his 19 goals that year only five were headers. (no goals from penalties)
Marianín was sobriety personified in the area. As he hardly participated in the elaboration of the play, he gave the impression of a certain invisibility, but in reality he was always there, attentive, ready to jump like a spring to reach any ball that passed through the vicinity of the goal. He scored three goals against Iríbar at San Mamés. That's almost like winning a title....
In the 73-74 season he had the luxury of making his debut with the national team, against Turkey, in Istanbul, a match to celebrate the 50 years of existence of modern Turkey.
Lastly, not to be forgetten - Gárate once said: "For us, those of us who played for Atletico, Real Madrid or Barcelona it was easy to score goals. But Marianín, Vava or Porta did have merit."
Spoiler: show