Gabriel Bau Fortanete (15 August 1892 – 7 October 1944), was a Spanish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for FC Barcelona, FC Espanya, and a brief spell at RCD Espanyol.

Club career

Born in Barcelona, he began his career at FC Central in 1909, but the club was dissolved in 1910 and its field was acquired by FC Numancia, and most of the Central players, including Bau, joined Numancia. However, after just a couple of months with Numancia, Bau was signed by RCD Espanyol in that same year, but once again he only lasted a couple of months, being then signed by FC Espanya. Bau quickly become a key element of the team, and even though the team's main source of power was its infamous backline made of

Hermenegild Casellas Hermenegild Casellas Bosch (1890 – 1969) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder and later as defender. Together with Alfredo Massana, he was considered the best Catalan midfielder at the time. Although history seems to have blurred ...

and

Eduardo Reguera Eduardo Reguera Andreu (13 October 1891 – 20 December 1977) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for FC Espanya and FC Barcelona. Reguera was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of FC Espanya, being a ...

, he also played a very important role in the team's rise to national dominance, competing head-to-head against the likes of Barcelona and

Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

, helping FC Espanya win its first-ever piece of silverware, the 1912–13 Catalan championship, which was followed by another championship in 1913–14, so he was signed by FC Barcelona in early 1914, with whom he won the 1915–16 Catalan championship, as the team's top scorer even ahead of the great Paulino Alcántara. In the quarter-finals of 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 ...

, Bau netted a brace in a 5–0 victory over CS Sabadell, thus reaching the semi-finals where Barça faced his former club FC Espanya, and Bau scored again, but his new side still lost 2–5, courtesy of a poker from

Jaime Bellavista Jaime Bellavista was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Espanya. The dates of his birth and death are unknown. He was one of the most outstanding players in the 1914 Pyrenees Cup, being the tournament's top scorer with a total of ...

, thus ousting him for the top scorer of the tournament. In 1916 he joined the ranks of

CF Badalona Club de Fútbol Badalona () is a Spanish football team based in Badalona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1903 it plays in Tercera Federación – Group 5, temporarily holding home games at Estadi Municipal de Badalona, with ...

where he would play one season as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, before returning to Barcelona again the following year to play the 1917–1918 season. He spent his last years at Badalona where he played as a wildcard from left inside, midfield to

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

until 1924, when he was signed by Sant Andreu where he ended his career in that same year.

Managerial career

As a coach, he managed Sant Andreu on three occasions: 1925–26, 1929–30 and 1932–33.

International career

Like many other FC Espanya players of that time, Bau was eligible to play for the Catalonia national team, and in 1912, the Catalan Federation called him to be part of the team's first-ever game recognized by

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

on 20 February 1912, which ended in a 0–7 loss to France. He died in Barcelona and was buried in the Cemetery of the Corts, near his club's

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Honours

Club

; FC Espanya * Catalan championship: **Champions (2): 1912–13 and 1913–14 ; FC Barcelona * Catalan championship: **Champions (2): 1915–16 and 1917–18

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bau, Gabriel 1892 births 1944 deaths Footballers from Barcelona Spanish footballers Association football forwards FC Barcelona players RCD Espanyol footballers CF Badalona players UE Sant Andreu footballers Catalonia international footballers Spanish football managers UE Sant Andreu managers