Cristóbal Salvó Saura, also known as Salvó I (1895 - 17 August 1927), was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Espanya and RCD Espanyol. He was one of the most prominent Catalan footballers of the 1910s, being considered the best half-winger of his time. His brother Pantaleón also played for FC Espanya.

Club career

Born in Catalonia, he began his career at his hometown club FC Espanya in the late-1900s, playing with them for nearly a decade. He was one of the most important players in the team's rise to become a powerhouse in Catalonia, competing head-to-head against the likes of Barcelona and Espanyol, being crucial in helping the club win three Catalan championships (1912–13, 1913–14 and 1916–17), the

1914 Pyrenees Cup The 1914 Pyrenees Cup was the 5th and last tournament of the Pyrenees Cup, one of the first international football club competitions. The competition was held on the road between 1 March and 24 May, and it was won by FC Espanya de Barcelona after ...

and he also was pivotal in helping Espanya reach the

1914 Copa del Rey Final The 1914 Copa del Rey Final was the 14th final of the Spanish cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The final was played at Costorbe in Irun on May 10, 1914. The match was won by Athletic Bilbao, who beat España FC 2–1. Details Refe ...

, which still is the club's only Copa del Rey final appearance, but they lost 1–2 to

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country (autonomous com ...

, courtesy of a brace from Severino Zuazo. In the semi-finals of the 1914 Pyrenees Cup, Espanya defeated Barcelona with a resounding 5–2 win at the Camp de la Indústria, which prompted a pitch invasion where serious incidents happened including Cristóbal being attacked by Pere Molins, who gave him a punch that left him unconscious. After leaving Espanya he had spells in RCD Espanyol and FC Internacional before ending his career. He died in 1927, aged just 32.

International career

Like many other FC Espanya players of that time, Salvó played several matches for the Catalonia national team, being a member of the Catalan side that won the 1916 Prince of Asturias Cup, an inter-regional competition organized by the

RFEF The Royal Spanish Football Federation ( es, Real Federación Española de Fútbol; RFEF) is the governing body of football in Spain. It is based in La Ciudad del Fútbol of Las Rozas, a municipality near Madrid. It was founded on 14 October 1909 ...

. At the tournament he teamed up with Emilio Sampere in the midfield. Salvó also participated in the following edition in 1917, in which Catalonia finished as runner-up to Madrid.

Honours

Club

; FC Espanya * Catalan championship: **Champions (3): 1912–13, 1913–14 and 1916–17 * Copa del Rey: **Runner-up (1):

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

Pyrenees Cup The Pyrenees Cup (), officially Challenge International du Sud de la France, was an international football competition contested by Spanish and French clubs based in the territories of Pyrénées (Catalonia, the Basque Country, Languedoc, Midi-Py ...

: **Champions (1):

International

; Catalonia * Prince of Asturias Cup: **Champions (1):

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

**Runner-up (1):

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salvó, Cristóbal 1895 births 1927 deaths Spanish men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Footballers from Catalonia RCD Espanyol footballers