Alfonso Albéniz

Alfonso Albéniz Jordana (11 September 1885 – 27 September 1941) was a Spanish footballer and referee, as well as a renowned chemical engineer, lecturer and later a diplomat.

In addition to football, he also practiced cricket, tennis, cycling, and was an outstanding rugby player in France.

He was introduced to football in London, where the Albéniz family settled due to the performances of his father, who on numerous occasions took them to Paris, where Alfonso came into contact with rugby, becoming an outstanding rugby player. and in doing so at the age of 16 years and 115 days, he became both the youngest player and the youngest goalscorer in Barça's history. Barcelona went on to win the Copa Macaya title, the club's first-ever piece of silverware, with Albéniz playing 5 matches and netting another goal for a total of two official goals with Barcelona.

1902 Copa de la Coronación When Barcelona participated in the very first national tournament played in Spain, the 1902 Copa de la Coronación, the club struggled with organizing the trip to Madrid since not all of its first team players could go, so they had to include members of the second team such as Luis Puelles, Josep Llobet, and Albéniz, who had already played several games with the main team. Together with Gamper, Arthur Witty and Udo Steinberg, he helped Barça reach the final on 15 May 1902, where they were beaten 2–1 by Bizcaya (a combination of players from Athletic Club and Bilbao Football Club). and in doing so at the age of 16 years and 242 days, he became the youngest player to participate in an El Clásico, a record that was broken in 1916 by Madrid's René Petit, aged 16 years and 149 days, but Albéniz remained the youngest Barça player to participate in an El Clásico for 120 years until Lamine Yamal broke this record in 2023, aged 16 years and 107 days.

On 23 May 1902, just 10 days after featuring in FC Barcelona's line-up against Madrid FC, the press of the time announced the arrival of a 'Mr. Albéniz' from Barcelona who was to join Madrid FC. On 28 August 1906, Albéniz played a friendly match with FC Barcelona, which was recorded as belonging to the Copa Salut, scoring once in a 4–2 victory over X Sporting Club, so it is possible that, detached from sporting life, he took advantage of brief moments to practice unofficially.

At the end of 1912, Albéniz featured in three friendly matches for Madrid FC, the first on 27 October against Club Español de Madrid (7–1) and the second on 1 November against Sporting Club de Irun on the occasion of the inauguration of the Campo de O'Donnell. In the latter match, which was recorded as belonging to the 'Excelsior Cup' and ended in a draw, Albéniz was injured in the first half and ended up retiring during the second.

Local historians discovered years later that he appeared as a member of the Club Stadium of Madrid between 1915 and 1918, however, very little is known about his spell with the club. Together with the likes of Manuel Prast, José Manuel Kindelán, and Julián Ruete, he was a member of the college's first constitution on 15 April 1914. Albéniz returned to the presidency in 1928 (replacing Julián Ruete), becoming the first president of the first edition of the Spanish League in 1929. Like his sister Laura and his mother Rosa, Albéniz maintained a great friendship with the composer and pianist Manuel de Falla. He was a great-uncle of Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (mayor of Madrid between 2003 and 2011), and grandfather of Cecilia María Ciganer, who was Nicolas Sarkozy's ex-wife.

Albéniz was also a director of the Chamartín club for eight years, from 1913 to 1921. A renowned chemical engineer, he also stood out as a lecturer, and at some point in the mid-1920s, he embarked on a career as a diplomat, becoming an ambassador for Spain in the League of Nations. Transferred in his last years of life to Estoril, Portugal, Albéniz died there in 1941, at the age of 56, due to complications with hypertension. His body was repatriated and buried in the Montjuïc Cemetery.

Honours FC Barcelona Copa Macaya Champions: 1901–02 Copa de la Coronación Runner-up: 1902