Enrique Gómez Muñoz (20 July 1898 – 14 March 1926), known as Spencer, 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 ...

who played as a forward.

Club career

Born in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, Spencer spent the vast majority of his career at hometown club

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA E ...

, whom he joined in 1913 at the age of 15. In the 1914–15 season he changed his football nickname, which until then was Enrique, to Spencer, to mislead his father, who wanted him to stop playing football to concentrate on studies. Spencer also represented Real Oviedo, after being relocated to the city to perform his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

International career

On 16 December 1923, in only the 12th fixture of their existence, Spencer received his only

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

for the Spanish national team, a 3–0 friendly win over neighbours

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The match took place in his native city, and he along with Herminio became the first Sevilla players to feature in international football. Being a

player he was eligible to play for the Andalusia national team, making his debut in the team's first-ever game on 19 November 1922, a quarter-final match of the 1922-23 Prince of Asturias Cup against the Valencian Community team, which ended in a 2–1 win. Both he and Herminio represented Andalusia in the 1923-24 edition, and both of them scored a goal in the tournament, Spencer netted the winner against the Valencian team in a 3–2 win in the quarter-finals, while Herminio netted the consolation goal against a Castille/Madrid XI in a 1–2 loss in the semi-finals.

Death

Due to complications from surgery for

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

, Spencer died on 14 March 1926 aged 27. Later that day, a minute's silence was observed before Sevilla's home match against Real Madrid in that year's

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

. After the game, players from both teams carried his casket to the cemetery, with thousands of fans in attendance.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer 1898 births 1926 deaths Footballers from Seville Spanish men's footballers Men's association football forwards Sevilla FC players Real Oviedo players Spain men's international footballers Deaths from appendicitis