Francisco Pitarch

Francisco Pitarch Dellà (24 February 1927 – 14 June 1977) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Real Zaragoza in the early 1950s.

Early life Francisco Pitarch was born in the Catalonian municipality of El Prat de Llobregat on 24 February 1927, as the youngest of six siblings from the marriage formed by Domingo and Vicenta, two Castellón natives who had moved to Llobregat to work as a horse-drawn cart driver and also to make pitchers, with his mother being even known as "the pitcher". One of his older brothers, Antoniet, died in the Spanish Civil War. after which he joined Real Zaragoza, then in the Segunda División.

In 1953, Pitarch and fellow Zaragoza teammate Ricardo Calo signed for second division team Lleida, where he played for two years, until 1955, when he joined Hércules, then in the top flight, but in his first (and only) season there, the club was relegated. In 1956, Pitarch joined Elche de la Cooperativa, where he played for two years. In 1958, he moved to Calvo Sotelo de Puertollano, where he also played for two years, until 1960, when he went to Orihuela Deportiva, where he retired in 1961, aged 34. During his second season at Calvo Sotelo, Pitarch uncharacteristically assaulted a linesman in a match against Villarrobledo on 20 September 1959, which resulted in a 19-match suspension, later reduced to eight.

Personal life Outside football, Pitarch has been described as a cheerful and boastful person, who took great care of his clothing and personal image, as well as an sensitive person who enjoyed poetry, which he read and wrote during team trips, with many of his teammates taking advantage of that to ask him to write their letters to their girlfriends, something which he also did to his own girlfriend, Montse, a El Prat native who later became his wife, and with whom he had three children: Lidia, Yolanda and Paquito. After retiring, he and his family settled in Alicante, where he set up a hair salon for his wife. Following a love disappointment, however, he felt so betrayed and deceived that his sensitivity took over to the point of reaching self-destruction through alcoholism, which set up the grounds for his wife to leave him for France, taking their three children with her.

Death After a few months of struggling with drinking problems prompted by his depressive loneliness, Pitarch decided to return to his hometown, where his mother and much of his family live, but on the morning of 14 June 1977, he left his mother's house, stating that he was "going to Barceloneta for a swim. I'm in the mood. I'm meeting some friends. Don't worry if I'm late because I intend to spend the whole day there". However, he ended up committing suicide by throwing himself into the sea from the Barceloneta breakwater, with the police finding a handwritten note from him in one of the beach lockers.