Joan Gamper
| Joan Gamper | |
|---|---|
Gamper in 1910.
|
|
| Born |
Hans-Max Gamper 22 November 1877 Winterthur, Switzerland |
| Died | 30 July 1930 (aged 52) Barcelona, Spain |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Resting place |
Cemetery of Montjuïc 41°21′19″N 2°09′18″E / 41.355299°N 2.155061°E |
| Nationality | Swiss German |
| Citizenship | Spanish |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of FC Zürich, FC Barcelona, Player at FC Basel |
| Political party | Liberation Party of Pardi |
| Spouse(s) | Emma Pilloud (1907 - m.) |
| Children | Marcel Gamper Pilloud Joan-Ricard Gamper Pilloud |
Hans Max Gamper-Haessig (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈaŋ ɡəmˈpe]; 22 November 1877 – 30 July 1930) known in Catalonia as Joan Gamper was a Swiss football pioneer, versatile athlete and club president. He founded football clubs in Switzerland and Spain, most notably FC Zürich and FC Barcelona. He was an early captain of FC Basel.
Hans-Max Gamper (his mother's maiden name – Haessig – is generally appended in Spanish sources) was born in Winterthur, Switzerland. He was the eldest son and third of five children born to August Gamper and Rosine Emma Haessig. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was eight and the family moved to Basel. As a youngster, Gamper was a keen cyclist and runner. Throughout his life he was a lover of all sports and, apart from football, he also played rugby union, tennis and golf. In Switzerland, he was highly regarded as a footballer and was club captain at FC Basel and co-founder and player of FC Zürich. In 1897, work took him to Lyon in France, where he played rugby for Athletique Union. The other names they called him, all came from the difficulty the Catalan people had, pronouncing the German "H" and "G": Hans became Kans, Gamper became Kamper. But he is most known as Johannes, becoming Joan Gamper.
In 1898 he went to Barcelona to visit his uncle, Emili Gaissert, who was living there. He was on his way to Africa to help set up some sugar trading companies but fell in love with the Catalan city and decided to stay put. He would later become a fluent Catalan speaker and adopt the Catalan version of his name, Joan Gamper. As an accountant, he found work with Crédit Lyonnais, the Sarrià Railway Company and as a sports columnist, he worked for two Swiss newspapers. He joined the local Swiss Evangelical Church and began playing football within the local Protestant community in the district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi. He also attended the Gimnasio Solé and helped publish a magazine, Los Deportes.
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