| Sotero | |
| Fullname: | Sotero Aranguren Labairu |
| Birth Date: | 7 May 1894 |
| Birth Place: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Death Place: | San Sebastián, Spain |
| Position: | Midfielder |
Sotero Aranguren Labairu (7 May 1894 – 26 February 1922), was an Argentine footballer born in Buenos Aires who spent his youth in Basque Country. He was a midfielder and played most of his career for Real Madrid CF. He and his brother Eulogio were team-mates at Real Madrid.
He played for Real Madrid for seven years, between 1911 and 1918, scoring 4 goals in 60 matches.
He is considered "the first white symbol" by the Real Madrid official website.[1]
His premature death at the age of 28 led the club to build a statue representing Sotero and one of his team-mates, Machimbarrena (who also died young) at the entrance of the first team's locker room. The statue, added in 1925, now stands at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and is seen as a totem of inspiration for Real Madrid's coming generations of footballers.
Sotero and Eulogio Aranguren were the first Argentine men's footballers who played for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid
1912–13, 1915–16, 1916–17