José María Acha Larrea (4 September 1889 – 14 May 1929) 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 lea ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
for
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spa ...
between 1901 and 1903.
He went to became a lawyer and a sports leader, playing a crucial role in the creation of the
Spanish league in the late 1920s.
Playing career
José María Acha was born on 4 September 1889 in
Getxo
Getxo () (Spanish: ''Guecho'') is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in Spain.
It is part of Greater Bilbao, and has 75,430 inhabitants (2023). Getxo ...
, but it was in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
where he began to play football at
Club Español in late 1901, at the age of 12.
[ After a first season with many changes in goal, Acha arrived at the club to provide stability under the posts because despite his tender age and small stature, he was quick and agile.][ Together with ]Ángel Ponz
Ángel Ponz Junyent (1883 – 20 August 1936) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Club Español (now known as RCD Espanyol).
Although little has been recorded of his life, he was one of the most important footballers in the ama ...
, Enrique Montells, Joaquim Carril
Joaquim Carril de Monasterio (23 January 1884 – 2 April 1948) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for RCD Espanyol. He later worked as a referee He was a defender who did not cower at all in front of the strikers.
Playing caree ...
, and club founder Ángel Rodríguez, he helped Espanyol win its very first title, the 1902–03 Copa Macaya
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number)
* One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film
* '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film
* '' Di ...
, playing in a total of five matches.[
On 17 May 1903, Acha was a substitute to Samuel Morris and Vicente Reig in a friendly match at Muntaner between teams made up of the best players in Barcelona.]
Founding the Spanish league
At some point in the early 1920s, Acha became the vice president of Arenas Club de Getxo
Arenas Club de Getxo is a Spanish football club based in the town of Getxo, near Bilbao, in the autonomous community of Basque Country. Founded in 1909, it currently plays in , holding home games at Campo Municipal de Gobela, with a 2,000-se ...
and the de facto leader of the club.[ With his personal wealth, he built the Ibaiondo field, which Arenas began using in September 1925, becoming the club's headquarters in its time of splendor.][
As the president of the Vizcaya Football Federation in 1925, Acha was one of the architects of the implementation of professionalism in Spanish football, which occurred in 1926.][ Coincidentally, in 1927, the then Arenas Club president Luis Lazúrtegui was replaced by José Gandarias, who like Acha also had played a senior match at the age of 12, doing so for ]Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, albeit in a friendly.[ Acha was then one of the basic pillars for the creation of the Torneo de Campeones, a competition to which he provided an organizational scheme similar to that used in England and that served as the forerunner for ]La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, founded in the following year, in 1929, with Arenas Club being one of its founders.[ For his important role in the founding of the first League championship, he was recognized with a bronze bust given by the rest of the clubs and that today rests in the club offices.]
Death
Acha died on 14 May 1929, at the age of 39, in a car accident in Castillejo de Mesleón while traveling from Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
to Madrid, where he was going to attend Spain's first match against England, which took place the following day.[
]
Honours
RCD Espanyol
* Copa Macaya
The Hispania Athletic Club Tournament–Alfonso Macaya Cup, popularly known as the Copa Macaya, was a Association football, football competition contested by clubs from Catalonia which ran from 1900 until 1903, disappearing at the same time of its ...
:
** Champions: 1902–03
* Copa Barcelona:
** Runner-up: 1902–03
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acha, José María
1889 births
1929 deaths
Footballers from Barcelona
Spanish men's footballers
RCD Espanyol footballers
Men's association football goalkeepers
20th-century Spanish sportsmen
Road incident deaths in Spain