“The true death of the living is oblivion. Barça is indebted to them, and a Plensa is not necessary, small details are enoughâ€.
With these words, Pere Raich, son of the historic Blaugrana captain Josep Raich, summed up the spirit of the tribute that Molins de Rei (Barcelona) dedicated to Futbol Club Barcelona from the Civil War, some players who raised Barça again after a few years of crisis.
The tribute, with the participation of the children of various players of that generation, was held last Saturday the 25th at the Foment Cultural i ArtÃstic de Molins, taking advantage of the 50th anniversary of the Penya Blaugrana Josep Raich, who was born, lived and died in Molins: The club turned half a century in 2019, but the pandemic forced it to be delayed.
“Raich played more games than Cruyff and scored more goals than Alba”, recalled Ramon Sánchez, Councilor for Sports. “His values ​​of him continue to be the values ​​of today,” said Pere Valentà Mora, a Barça goalkeeper in the 1970s. “Raich had Molins in his heart. We owe it to themâ€, sentenced the mayor, Xavi Paz.
They had a spectacular life, recalled the journalist Frederic Porta of that generation of players, “if they were Americans, a movie would have been made of each of them. Thanks to them, Barça is what it is todayâ€.
Apart from Raich’s children and grandson, descendants of some of his colleagues from the years 1930-1940 attended the event, such as the son of Josep Escolà , Ricard and family; the nephew of the Barcelona defender Antoni Franco, Alberto, brother of the former journalist and director of El Periódico, Antonio Franco; the widow of Martà Ventolrà ‘s little brother, Maria Ayala.
From Mexico, where he settled during the FC Barcelona tour of 1937, other members of the Ventolrà family participated by video, such as his son José, Pepe, a World Cup player like his father (in 1934 with Spain) but with the Mexican shirt in 1970, as well as as the grandson of the Barcelona soccer player, MartÃn. Audios of Mercè Balmanya could be heard from Girona, daughter of the legendary Domingo Balmanya, as well as Maria Justa Zabalo, daughter of one of the best defenders of the time, Ramón de Zabalo.
The Civil War frustrated a team that had been renewed with great expectations in the mid-thirties (1933-1935). From a club that had lived its glorious period in the previous decade with Samitier as its banner, champion of the first Spanish professional League (1928-29), but which had been immersed in a series of blank seasons, as well as a complex adaptation to full professionalization, which seemed to begin to reverse just before the start of the war. With notable signings, the incorporation of players such as Raich, Ventolrà , Munlloch, the goalkeeper Iborra and Balmanya from Girona or the Uruguayan Enrique Fernández, FC Barcelona took a course that the war ended up frustrated.
Nandou Diedhiou, 20 years old, culé, Catalan Boccia champion, member of the Josep Raich supporters club and present at the tribute, summed it all up: “Why do I like football? Because it’s emotion.”
