Abdón García

Abdón Amadeo García Martínez (30 March 1906 – 3 June 1965) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for Valencia CF, and Atlético Madrid. After his retirement, he worked as the manager of Club Santiago.

Early life Abdón García was born in Avilés on 30 March 1906, as the son of a Cuban and a Spanish father, thus having dual nationality until he renounced the former when he came of age. Abdón was raised in a humble and large family of eleven siblings, and it was his older brothers who drew him into the sport of football, which he began playing in the street, like so many children of his time. After three seasons with the Avilés team, Abdón went to the capital of Asturias to join the recently created Real Oviedo, signing as a professional with a fee of 1,500 pesetas. In the following season, he helped his side reach the final of the 1934 Copa del Rey, which ended in a 1–2 loss to Madrid FC. He remained in the first team for four seasons (1931–35), playing a total of 115 games in which he scored 15 goals, including 46 games and 1 goal in La Liga.

Later career For some reason, Abdón ended almost every season as transferable, but the club always ended up renewing his contract until the summer of 1935, when an agreement was no longer reached, so he moved to Atlético Madrid, for whom he played just two matches in La Liga. His career as a colchonero was caught up by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in which he participated actively as an officer in the Republican Army on the front line during the Northern offensive. He was captured and sentenced to death in the Gijón prison of El Coto, which was commuted to life imprisonment and later transferred to the island of San Simón, in Vigo.

After being released in 1943, the 37-year-old played his last years of football at Club de Fútbol Santiago.

Managerial career In 1943, shortly after hanging his boots, Abdón became the coach of Club de Fútbol Santiago, a position that he held until the end of the season. In the mid-40s, he began to carry out technical work. After a three-year hiatus, he became the club's coach again for the 1947–48 season, and in April 1948, Valencia took advantage of its visit to Celta de Vigo to stop at Santiago and honor their former player in a friendly match held in the Compostela town.

Later life and death Abdón married a woman from Padrón. He later moved to Madrid to manage teams linked to Atlético, a job he held until practically his retirement. He remained in the Spanish capital until his death on 3 June 1965, at the age of 59.

Honours Valencia CF Valencia Championship: Winners (3) 1932, 1933, and 1934

Copa del Rey: Runner-up (1) 1934