Diego Villalonga

Diego Villalonga Montoya (16 February 1917 – 20 December 1986) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for Sevilla in the 1940s. After retiring, he became a manager, taking over the likes of Deportivo de La Coruña, Xerez, and Sevilla on three occasions.

Career Born on 16 February 1917 in the Sevilla town of Utrera, Villalonga began his career at his hometown club Cultural Utrerana, which had been founded in December 1929. In 1935, he signed for Sevilla, with whom he played for 13 seasons, until 1948. His on-field courage earned him the nickname of Diego Valor ("Diego Worth"), a reference to the hero of the radio serial of the 1950s.

Together with Joaquín Jiménez and goalkeeper José María Busto, he was a member of one of the best defensive lines in the history of the club, and two Copa del Rey titles in 1939 and 1948, In the league, Seville were runners-up twice (1939–40 and 1942–43) before finally winning it in 1945–46. After leaving Sevilla in 1948, he signed for Cádiz, with whom he played for two years, until 1950, performing at a high level.

Managerial career After retiring, Villalonga became a manager, overseeing Recreativo de Huelva in the 1951–52 season. In 1954, he took over his former club Cádiz, and in his first season there, he led the club to a promotion to the Segunda División, thus ending a 13-year stay in Tercera División. Following a brief stint at the helm of Deportivo de La Coruña (1956–57), he became the coach of Sevilla for the first time, leading the team in 15 matches during the 1957–58 season,

In 1958, Villalonga took over Almería, which he oversaw for two years, after which he went on to have a second stint at both Cádiz (1960) and Sevilla (1961). He also coached Sevilla Atlético in the 1962–63 season and Xerez in 1971. Villalonga also had brief stints at the helm of Algeciras, Coria, Alcalá, and Jerez Deportivo. In 1968, he became the technical secretary of Sevilla, a position that he held for two years, until 1970. In 1970–71, Villalonga replaced Max Merkel on the last matchday of the season, and in 1971–72, he replaced Dan Georgiadis for two games.

Death Villalonga died on 20 December 1986, at the age of 69.

Honours Sevilla FC Andalusian championship: Champions (3): 1936, 1939, and 1940

La Liga Champions (1): 1945–46 Runner-up (2): 1939–40 and 1942–43

Copa del Rey: Champions (2): 1939 and 1948