Real, Spain keeping great Betancort dies at 78

MADRID (Reuters) - A minute's silence will be held before Real Madrid's La Liga game at home to Levante later on Sunday and the players will wear black armbands following the death overnight of former Real and Spain goalkeeper Antonio Betancort at the age of 78.

After joining from Las Palmas in his native Canary Islands, Betancort kept goal for Real in 177 official games between 1961 and 1971 and twice claimed the 'Zamora' trophy for La Liga's most effective goalkeeper, the European champions said on their website (www.realmadrid.com).

He won the European Cup in 1966, Real's sixth when they beat Partizan Belgrade 2-1 in the final in Brussels, as well as six Spanish league titles and two Spanish Cups.

Betancort also spent a season on loan at Deportivo La Coruna in 1962-63, making 24 appearances for the Galician club.

Known for his agility and physical strength, Betancort twice represented Spain, including in a 1-0 playoff victory against Ireland in Paris that put them through to the 1966 World Cup finals in England.

(Reporting by Iain Rogers, editing by Pritha Sarkar)