| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Santacatalina Ferreres | ||
| Date of birth | 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Puerto de Sagunto, Valencia, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 9 February 1936(1936-02-09) (aged 21–22) | ||
| Place of death | Puerto de Sagunto, Valencia, Spain | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1932–1934 | SC Puerto Sagunto | ||
| 1934–1936 | Valencia | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Manuel Santacatalina Ferreres (1914 – 9 February 1936) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for Valencia CF.
Biography
Nicolás Santacatalina was born in Puerto de Sagunto, Valencian, in 1914. as the son of Rosa Ferreres and Eustaquio de Santa Catalina, a hard-working laborer, who had been placed as a baby in the vestibule of the church of Santa Catalina in Alzira, where he was taken in, raised, and baptized with the name of that 14th century church. It was he who enchanted the sport of football to Nicolás, one of his younger brothers, who later also played top division matches for Valencia.
Santacatalina began his football career at his hometown club SC Puerto Sagunto, where he remained until 1934, when Valencia signed him. He was a tall, strong midfielder with a somewhat rough style of play, whom Valencia coach Antonín Fivébr tried to refine so that his technique would be similar to that of Carlos Iturraspe. He made his debut in the First Division on 17 March 1935, which ended in a 4–2 loss to Sevilla; he only played three league games that season.
Santacatalina continued with Valencia to play the following season, but a poorly cured pneumonia ended his life unexpectedly on 9 February 1936, at the tender age of only 22, just a few months before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. According to some media of the time, the illness was caused by a shower of cold water after training; this case was quite a shock in the Valencian community and his brother Nicolás had a hard time convincing his parents to let him continue playing football.
References
- ^ "Ficha de jugador: Manuel Santacatalina" [Player profile: Manuel Santacatalina]. www.ciberche.net (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ "Santacatalina, Manuel Santacatalina Ferreres - Footballer". www.bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ "Santacatalina". www.worldfootball.net. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ "JUGADOR DEL CASTELLÓN Y DEL VALENCIA: Nicolás Santacatalina fue patrón de pesca y futbolista" [CASTELLÓN AND VALENCIA PLAYER: Nicolás Santacatalina was a fishing captain and footballer]. www.elperiodicomediterraneo.com (in Spanish). 24 June 2006. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ "El orgullo de Santacatalina" [The pride of Santacatalina]. www.sport.es (in Spanish). 29 October 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2024.