Alfonso Albéniz

Alfonso Albéniz Jordana (1 January 1886 – 27 September 1941) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Barcelona and Madrid FC.[1] He was later a diplomat and ambassador of the League of Nations and he also was one of the founders of the College of Referees of the Center, which was the first college for referees in Spain, serving as its second president,[1][2] as well as the first president of the National College of Referees.[3] He was also a director of Madrid FC for eight years, from 1913 to 1921.[3]

Alfonso Albéniz
Personal information
Full name Alfonso Albéniz Jordana
Date of birth (1886-01-01)1 January 1886
Place of birth Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Date of death 27 September 1941(1941-09-27) (aged 55)
Place of death Estoril, Portugal
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1901–1902 FC Barcelona
1902–1912 Madrid FC
1915–1918 Stadium de Madrid
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He is best known for being the first-ever player to leave FC Barcelona in order to join Madrid FC, after moving to the capital for study purposes.[4][5]

Playing career

Born in Barcelona, as the son of the composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz, Alfonso began to play football in London, where the Albéniz family settled due to the performances of his father. They returned to Barcelona when his father got ill, and that is when he joined the ranks of his hometown club FC Barcelona, which had been founded by Joan Gamper two years earlier, in 1899. At Barça, Albéniz played as a striker with a refined technique.[6] Albéniz was a member of the Barça team that won the club's first-ever piece of silverware, the 1901–02 Copa Macaya, in which he played 5 matches and netted twice, including the opening goal in a 4–2 win over direct rivals Hispania AC on 6 January 1902.[7][8] Together with Gamper, Arthur Witty and Udo Steinberg, he was a member of the Barcelona side that participated in the very first national tournament played in Spain, the 1902 Copa de la Coronación, helping Barça reach the final on 15 May 1902, where they were beaten 2–1 by Bizcaya (a combination of players from Athletic Club and Bilbao Football Club).[9] In the semi-finals on 13 May, Albéniz went down in history as one of the eleven footballers who played in the very first El Clásico in history, which ended in a 3–1 win to Barça.[10]

We have learned that Mr. Albéniz, former notable and enthusiastic Barcelona player, has joined Madrid Football Club, as well as other good players whose names we regrettably don't remember, but will quote in forthcoming match reports.

Madrid newspaper[5]

On 23 May 1902, just 10 days after featuring in FC Barcelona's line-up against Madrid FC, the press of the time announced the arrival of a 'sportsman' from Barcelona that was to join Madrid FC. Albéniz was only 16 years old and the transfer was simply for study purposes, but nonetheless, he still went down in history as the first "turncoat" of their well-known rivalry.[4]

Together with Arthur Johnson, Pedro Parages, Federico Revuelto, Antonio Neyra, he was a member of the historic Madrid team that played in the first-ever Copa del Rey in 1903, reaching the final where they were beaten 2–3 by Athletic Club.[11]

At the end of 1912, Albéniz featured in a friendly against Sporting Club de Irun on the occasion of the inauguration of the Campo de O'Donnell. The match itself was recorded as belonging to the 'Excelsior Cup' and ended in a draw.[12] Local historians discovered years later that he appears as a member of the Club Stadium of Madrid between 1915 and 1918, however, very little is known about his spell with the club.[1]

Refereeing career

After retiring, Albéniz became a football referee, being among those who formed the College of Referees of the Central Regional Federation, which was the first college for referees in Spain. Together with the likes of Manuel Prast, José Manuel Kindelán, and Julián Ruete, he was a member of the college's first constitution on 15 April 1914.[2] Albéniz become its president a few weeks later, on 9 May, following the resignation of Prast.[2] The very short spell of Prast as the president is the reason why Albéniz is the one who is more often mentioned as the First President of the then National College of Referees.[1][4][3]

Later life

He was also a director of the Chamartín club for eight years, from 1913 to 1921.[3]

Focused on his working life, he was a diplomat for Spain in the League of Nations.[6] Transferred in his last years of life to Estoril, Portugal, he died there in 1941, at the age of 56, due to complications with hypertension.

He was Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon's great-uncle and grandfather of Cecila Maria Ciganer, who was Nicolas Sarkozy's ex-wife.[1]

Honours

FC Barcelona

Madrid FC

References
  1. "Alfonso Albéniz Jordana stats". players.fcbarcelona.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. "En el Centenario del Colegio Regional del Centro de Árbitros; después Colegio Castellano y Comité Madrileño" [On the Centenary of the Regional College of the Center for Referees; after the Castilian College and the Madrid Committee] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  3. "La historia arbitral es blanca" [Arbitration history is white] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  4. "El hijo de Isaac Albéniz fue el primer 'tránsfuga'" [Isaac Albéniz, the son of the first 'turncoat']. www.sport.es (in Spanish). 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  5. "Real Madrid turns 106 (I)". 26 February 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  6. "Albeniz Jordana, Alfonso (1885–1941)". censoarchivos.mcu.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  7. "Barça Rewind: The first ever title". www.fcbarcelona.com. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  8. "Hispania 2–4 Barcelona". La Vanguardia. 8 January 1902. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. "Spain - Cup 1902". RSSSF. 15 September 2000. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  10. "FC Barcelona - Madrid FC (3 - 1) 13/05/1902". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  11. "Spain – Cup 1903". RSSSF. 13 January 2000. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  12. "Hace 100 años (noviembre – diciembre 1912)" [100 years ago (November – December 1912)] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
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