Luis Márquez Marmolejo (1876 – 1930) was a Spanish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

executive who was the first-ever

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of Athletic Club. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of Athletic Club, being among the seven founders of the club in 1898, and then serving the club as its first president between 1901 and 1902, when he was replaced by

Juan Astorquia Juan Astorquia Landabaso (June 1876 - 23 October 1905), also known as Juanito Astorquia, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Athletic Club. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of ...

Foundation of Athletic

Márquez was born in the

Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The rias ...

town of

Moguer Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2022 census, it has a population of 22,623. Its surface area is , and its population density is . The present site of Moguer had been ho ...

in 1876. He married Magdalena Moral, from Alava. He worked in Bilbao as a commercial employee in various companies, including the ''Cementos Cosmos'' company, where he worked as an administrative manager. As a young man he developed an interest in football after watching some football games between British workers at the

Hippodrome of Lamiako The Limiako Hippodrome, or the Hippodrome of Lamiako, was a sports venue based in the neighborhood of Leioa, Biscay, Basque Country. Originally an equestrian venue, it's now best remembered as a historic football venue. The Campo de Lamiako pla ...

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, and like many other Bilbainos, he began to play this new sport in Lamiako, notably with six students belonging to the Gymnasium Zamacois: Juan Astorquia, Alejandro Acha, Fernando and Pedro Iraolagoitia, Enrique Goiri and

Eduardo Montejo Eduardo María Montejo Aristegui (15 August 1879 - 1962) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Athletic Club. Although little has been recorded of his life, he was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of ...

. In 1898, the idea of founding a football society came out of those games, and they opened a practice center in Lamiako, thus unofficially founding the ''Athletic Club'' (using the English spelling). Although they were founded in 1898, Athletic Club de Bilbao was not officially established until 5 September 1901, in a meeting held in the Café San Gervasio de Cassolas, in which they formalized the first board of directors with Márquez being named the club's first-ever president. On the other hand, Juan Astorquia was named the club's first-ever

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 ...

, and it was he who took over from Luis Márquez in 1902.

Death

Márquez died in Bilbao in 1930 at the age of 54.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Márquez, Luis 1876 births 1930 deaths Spanish men's footballers Footballers from Huelva Men's association football forwards Athletic Bilbao presidents

Foundation of Athletic

Death

See also

References