John Fox Watson (31 December 1917 – 15 April 1976) was a Scottish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player, believed to be the only Scottish male player in

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

's history.

Biography

Watson was born in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

during

Hogmanay Hogmanay ( , ) is the Scots language, Scots word for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning of New Year's Day (1 ...

, at the end of 1917. Watson started his career at Douglas Water Thistle Juniors before signing with English side Bury for whom he made his Football League debut in February 1939, ahead of World War II. After the war, he played with

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

until 1948. Watsonreal

In 1948, Watson joined Englishman Mike Keeping, a fellow former Fulham player, at Spanish giants

as a player. In his one season in Madrid, Watson played just one match, a 3–1 defeat away to

Celta Vigo Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was foun ...

.Watson
BDFutbol He signed for the club during a period of unprecedented change; president

Santiago Bernabéu Yeste Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, ...

had just been appointed, and Watson had come in just six months after the opening of the New Chamartin, later renamed the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. He is believed to be the only Scottish male player to play for Real Madrid (

Caroline Weir Caroline Elspeth Lillias Weir (born 20 June 1995) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Spanish Liga F club Real Madrid CF and the Scotland national team. She began her career in Scotland wit ...

joined their

women's team A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...

in 2022). Watson returned to England in 1949 to join Crystal Palace, making 63 appearances in two seasons before joining non-league Canterbury City. He died on 15 April 1976, aged 58.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, John Fox 1917 births 1976 deaths Scottish men's footballers Bury F.C. players Fulham F.C. players Real Madrid CF players Crystal Palace F.C. players Canterbury City F.C. players Scottish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain English Football League players La Liga players Footballers from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Brentford F.C. wartime guest players Scottish Junior Football Association players Douglas Water Thistle F.C. players Men's association football central defenders 20th-century Scottish sportsmen