Josep Samitier
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Josep Samitier Vilalta | ||
| Date of birth | 2 February 1902 | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 4 May 1972 (aged 70) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1914–1916 | Internacional | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1919–1932 | Barcelona | 454 | (333) |
| 1932–1934 | Real Madrid | 8 | (4) |
| 1936–1939 | Nice | 82 | (47) |
| National team | |||
| Catalonia | |||
| 1920–1931 | Spain | 21 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1936 | Atlético Madrid | ||
| 1942 | Nice | ||
| 1944–1947 | Barcelona | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's football | ||
Representing  Spain
|
||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
1920 Antwerp | Team competition |
Josep Samitier Vilalta (2 February 1902 – 4 May 1972), 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. He later coached Athletic Madrid, OGC Nice and FC Barcelona and worked as a scout for both CF Barcelona and Real Madrid.
During his playing career with FC Barcelona he scored 333 goals and currently is the club's all time third top goalscorer with behind Paulino Alcántara who scored 369 goals and Lionel Messi who scored 487 goals. As a player he pioneered the midfield general role and was nicknamed El Mag (The Magician) and Home Llagosta (The Grasshopper Man) due to his style. As a manager he led CF Barcelona to a La Liga title in 1945 and as a scout he recruited another CF Barcelona legend Ladislao Kubala. However he was later accused of acting as a double agent when the club tried to sign Alfredo Di Stéfano and in the 1960s he fell out with Helenio Herrera and went to work for Real Madrid. Despite his role in the Di Stéfano affair, twice defecting to Real Madrid and his friendship with Franco, he remained a legendary figure at FC Barcelona and when he died in 1972 he was given a virtual state funeral by the club.
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Samitier played as a junior for FC Internacional before, at the age of 17, he made his debut for FC Barcelona in 1919. As his signing-on bonus, he received a luminous watch and a three-piece suit. Among his team mates at the club was his childhood friend Sagibarba. During holidays at the Catalan resort of Cadaqués, Samitier and Sagibarba had played football with, among others, Salvador Dalí.
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