Luis Márquez Marmolejo (1876 – 1930) was a Spanish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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.

Foundation of Athletic

Márquez was born in the

Huelva Huelva ( , , ) is a municipality of Spain and the capital of the Huelva (province), province of Huelva, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. Located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits betwee ...

town of

Moguer Moguer is a municipality and small city located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia, Spain. According to the 2023 census, it has a population of 22,956. 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 play ...

next to

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 ...

, 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 – 14 April 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 b ...

. 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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, 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