Domènec Balmanya
Encyclopedia
Domènec Balmanya Perera (born Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...

, December 29, 1914; died Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, February 14, 2001), also referred to as Domingo Balmanya, is a former Spanish
Football in Spain
Football is the most popular sport in Spain. The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the national governing body and it organizes La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spain national football team, current champion of the FIFA World Cup...

 footballer and manager who spent most of his playing career at FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

. As a manager he guided CF Barcelona to the a Copa del Generalísimo win in 1957 and to victory in the first ever Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1955-58
The first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place over three seasons from 1955 to 1958. The competition began with a group stage with each team playing home and away against each other. Due to the competition rules which stated only one side from each city was allowed to compete, many cities with several...

 in 1958. He then had moderately successful spells at Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

, Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....

 and CD Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....

 before he guided Atlético Madrid to a La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 title in 1966. He subsequently managed Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 between 1966 and 1968. After retiring as a coach he worked as a director of sport at both RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...

 and FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 and as a director at a Catalan coaching school. He also worked as a radio commentator.

Playing career

Before joining FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

, Balmanya began his playing career with his hometown club, Girona FC
Girona FC
Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Girona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1930, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadi Montilivi, which has a capacity of 10,000....

. He made his La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 debut with Barça on November 10, 1935, under coach Patrick O'Connell
Patrick O'Connell (1887-1959)
Patrick Joseph O'Connell , also known as Paddy O'Connell or Patricio O'Connell, was an Irish footballer and manager. He played as a defender, most notably, for Belfast Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City and Manchester United. As an international he captained Ireland and was a member of the...

, in a 1-0 defeat to RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...

. During his time at FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 he played 111 games for the club in various competitions and among his early team mates were Joan Josep Nogués, Josep Escolà
Josep Escolà
Josep Escolà Segalés , also referred to as José Escolà, was a Spanish Catalan footballer who spent most of his career at FC Barcelona. Escolà also played for both Spain and the Catalan XI...

 and Enrique Fernández
Enrique Fernández Viola
Enrique Fernández Viola, commonly referred to as Enrique Fernández, was a Uruguayan footballer and manager who played for Nacional, FC Barcelona, Uruguay and the Catalan XI. As a manager he won two Uruguayan championships with Nacional and La Liga titles with both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid...

. During his debut season, 1935–36, he helped the club win the Campionat de Catalunya and reach the Copa de España final. During the following season, 1936–37, national football was suspended because of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

. However FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 and other clubs in the Republican
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....

 area of Spain competed in the Mediterranean League
Mediterranean League
The Mediterranean League, also referred to as the Lliga Mediterrània , the Liga Mediterránea or La Liga del Mediterráneo, was a football league played in the Republican area of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The league, played out in early 1937, was won by FC Barcelona...

 and Balmanya and O’Connell helped the club win this title.

In 1937 FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

, including Balmanya, Escolà and O’Connell, went on a fund raising tour to Mexico and the United States. The club played fourteen games and opponents included Club América
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....

, Atlante F.C.
Atlante F.C.
Club de Fútbol Atlante, is a Mexican professional football club, currently playing in the Mexican First Division League. The club is based in Cancún, Mexico as of the start of the 2007-08 season, when they relocated from Mexico City, and plays its home games in Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo.-Domestic...

, Necaxa
Necaxa
Necaxa is a Mexican football club and is based in the city of Aguascalientes. it plays in the Estadio Victoria. Necaxa is ranked seventh overall and 1st in ranking in Mexican football within the IFFHS Central and North America's Clubs of the Century in the CONCACAF behind CD Saprissa San Juan de...

 and a Mexican XI
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...

. In the United States, FC Barcelona played in and won a tournament against a Brooklyn XI, a New York XI and a Hebrew XI and then played a USA XI
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

. In financial terms this tour saved the club, but O’Connell returned to Spain with only four players. The remaining players went into exile with Balmanya and Escolà joining FC Sète
FC Sète
FC Sète 34 is a French football club based in Sète and founded in 1900. The club won the French league twice and the French cup also twice . In 1934 they became the first club to win the French league and cup double....

 in France.

After the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...

 ended in 1939, the Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...

 regime imposed a six year ban on any exiled sportsmen returning to Spain. However Enrique Piñeyro
Enrique Piñeyro Queralt
Enrique Piñeyro Queralt, also referred to as Enric Piñeyro or the Marqués de la Mesa de Asta, was a Spanish aristocrat and president of FC Barcelona between 1940 and 1943. Piñeyro, allegedly, knew next to nothing about sport and had apparently never even seen a game of football before his term as...

, the president of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

, campaigned in favour of several of the club's players and Balmanya and Escolà returned from exile in 1941. During their first season back, Barça, with Joan Josep Nogués as coach, narrowly avoided being relegated after winning a play-off against Real Murcia
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the region of Murcia. Founded in 1908, it currently plays in the second division, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which can hold 33,045 spectators....

. Despite this however the club managed to win the Copa del Generalísimo, beating Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...

 4-3 after extra time.

Between 1935 and 1944, Balmanya also played 4 games for the Catalan XI
Catalonia national football team
Catalonia national football team is the official football team of Catalonia. It is organized by the Catalonia Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI...

. On January 19, 1936 at the Les Corts
Camp de Les Corts
Camp de Les Corts , commonly referred to as Les Corts, was a sports stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was the home ground for FC Barcelona until the club moved to the Camp Nou in 1957....

, he played in a testimonial for Josep Samitier
Josep Samitier
Josep Samitier Vilalta , also known as José Samitier , was a Spanish footballer, manager and scout who played for FC Barcelona, Madrid CF, OGC Nice, the Catalan XI and Spain...

 against SK Sidenice of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

. Other players in the Catalan XI that day included Sagibarba
Emilio Sagi Liñan
Emilio Sagi Liñán , was a former footballer who played as a left-winger for FC Barcelona, the Catalan XI and Spain during the 1920s and 1930s. He was the son of, Emilio Sagi Barba, the Catalan baritone singer, and as a result, was widely referred to as Sagibarba...


Coaching career

Balmanya subsequently followed Nogués to Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, usually referred to as Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team currently plays in Segunda División....

 where he both finished his playing career and began his coaching career when he succeeded Nogués as coach in 1949. However his first appointment as coach ended in disappointment as Gimnástic where relegated in 1950. After spells at both Girona FC
Girona FC
Girona Futbol Club, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Girona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1930, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadi Montilivi, which has a capacity of 10,000....

 and Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...

, Balmanya found his first taste of success at Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....

 when he guided them to second place in Segunda División, Group 1
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

 in 1955. However Real missed out on promotion after finishing only third in a play-off group.

Balmanya served as coach at FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 for two seasons between 1956 and 1958. With a squad including Velasco
Juan Zambudio Velasco
Juan Zambudio Velasco, was a Spanish football goalkeeper. He played for Mollet and FC Barcelona. He retired playing in CE Sabadell FC....

, Joan Segarra
Joan Segarra
Joan Segarra Iracheta was a Catalan footballer, captain of the "Barça of the Five Trophies", one of the best teams that FC Barcelona have had in their history...

, Ramallets
Antoni Ramallets
Antoni Ramallets Simón is a retired Spanish football goalkeeper and manager.He spent most of his career at FC Barcelona, during the 1950s and early 1960s, winning the Zamora Trophy as the best goalkeeper in La Liga on five occasions, and 17 major club honours...

, Ladislao Kubala
Ladislao Kubala
László Kubala Stecz , also referred to as Ladislav Kubala, Ladislao Kubala, was a footballer, who played as a forward with, among others, Ferencvárosi TC, ŠK Slovan Bratislava, Vasas SC, FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol. He also played for three different national teams, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and...

, Luis Suárez
Luis Suárez Miramontes
Luis Suárez Miramontes , also known by the diminutive Luisito, is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Internazionale, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; as a...

 and Evaristo
Evaristo de Macedo
Evaristo de Macedo Filho is a former Brazilian footballer and coach. He was capped by Brazil 14 games scoring 8 goals. He played for Barcelona until 1962. Then, the Catalan officials tried to talk him into taking Spanish citizenship so he can play for Spain, but he refused...

, he won the Copa del Generalísimo in 1957 and the first ever Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1955-58
The first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place over three seasons from 1955 to 1958. The competition began with a group stage with each team playing home and away against each other. Due to the competition rules which stated only one side from each city was allowed to compete, many cities with several...

 in 1958. However during his two seasons with FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

, they finished third in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 on both occasions and in 1958 he was replaced by Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...

.

After two seasons in France with FC Sète
FC Sète
FC Sète 34 is a French football club based in Sète and founded in 1900. The club won the French league twice and the French cup also twice . In 1934 they became the first club to win the French league and cup double....

, Balmanya returned to La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 to take charge of Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...

 in 1960 and in 1961 he helped them win their own summer trophy, the Trofeo Naranja. Guest player Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis Péter was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars...

 scored in both games as Valencia beat Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...

 and FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

. He also guided the club to the 1962 Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1961-62
The fourth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1961–62 season. There were five representative teams for some major European cities, three of which lost out in the first round. The final was the first European final to be contested between two clubs from the same country, namely Spain...

 final. However the original final date clashed with the 1962 World Cup
1962 FIFA World Cup
The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final...

 and was postponed. By the time the final was eventually played, Balmanya had moved on and he missed out on the club's 6-3 aggregate win over FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

.

During the 1963-64 season Balmanya was coach at Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....

 and he guided the club to third place in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

. He then coached CD Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....

 for the 1964-65 season, helping them win promotion after they finished runners-up in Segunda División, Group 2
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

 and then beat Levante UD
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...

 in a play-off. He was then appointed coach at Atlético Madrid for the 1965-66 season and with a squad that included Enrique Collar
Enrique Collar
Enrique Collar Monterrubio is a former Spanish football player. He earned 16 caps and scored 4 goals for the Spain national football team from 1955 to 1963...

, Miguel Jones
Miguel Jones
Miguel Jones Castillo is a former Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for SD Indautxu and Atlético Madrid during the 1950s and 1960s. Although born in Spanish Guinea, now known as Equatorial Guinea, Jones grew up in Bilbao...

, Adelardo and Luis Aragonés
Luis Aragonés
José Luis Aragonés Suárez , usually referred to as Luis Aragonés and sometimes simply as Luis, is a former Spanish footballer and national coach....

 he won his only La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 title. These successes saw him appointed coach of Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...

 and between 1966 and 1968 he was in charge of the national side for 11 games.

Honours

Player
  • Copa de España/Copa del Generalísimo
    • Winner 1942: 1
    • Runners-Up 1936: 1
  • Mediterranean League
    Mediterranean League
    The Mediterranean League, also referred to as the Lliga Mediterrània , the Liga Mediterránea or La Liga del Mediterráneo, was a football league played in the Republican area of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The league, played out in early 1937, was won by FC Barcelona...

    : 1
    • 1937
  • Campionat de Catalunya: 1
    • 1935-36
  • New York Tournament: 1
    • 1937


Manager

Real Oviedo
  • Segunda División, Group 1
    Segunda División
    The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

    • Runners-Up 1955: 1


FC Barcelona
  • Copa del Generalísimo: 1
    • 1957
  • Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
    Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1955-58
    The first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place over three seasons from 1955 to 1958. The competition began with a group stage with each team playing home and away against each other. Due to the competition rules which stated only one side from each city was allowed to compete, many cities with several...

    : 1
    • 1958


Valencia CF
  • Trofero Naranja
    • 1961


CD Málaga
  • Segunda División, Group 2
    Segunda División
    The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...

    • Runners-Up 1965: 1


Atlético Madrid
  • Spanish Champions
    La Liga
    The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

    : 1
    • 1966

Sources


External links

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