Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record sellers in music history , having sold more than million records worldwide in 14 languages. In , Iglesias was credited as having recorded songs in the most languages in the world, and in for being the best-selling male Latin artist of all-time. In Brazil, France, Italy and elsewhere, Iglesias is the most successful foreign record seller, while in his home country, Spain, he has sold the most records in history, with 23 million records.
He has had a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since Iglesias was born in Madrid to Julio Iglesias Sr. The name " Iglesias " translates as "churches". Iglesias says that he is of Jewish ancestry on his maternal side, and that his mother's family name, " de la Cueva ", meaning literally "of the cave" and referring to Jewish people in hiding, is a common Jewish name.
His professional football career was ruined when he was involved in a serious automobile accident in that left him unable to walk for two years. He has said of those years, "I had more courage and attitude than talent". While he was in hospital after the accident, a nurse named Eladio Magdaleno gave him a guitar so that he could recover the dexterity of his hands.
After that, he returned to obtain his law degree at Complutense University of Madrid. In , he won the Benidorm International Song Festival with the song " La vida sigue igual " meaning "Life Goes On The Same" which was used in the film La vida sigue igual in which he played a fictionalized version of his own life.
He then signed a deal with Discos Columbia, the Spanish branch of the Columbia Records company, and released his first studio album, titled Yo Canto.
