Julià Clapera i Roca

Julià Clapera Roca (31 March 1887 – 9 July 1976) was a Spanish footballer who was one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of RCD Espanyol as a club founder, manager, and president.

He was a founding member of both Sociedad Española de Football in 1900 Together with Emilio Sampere, he played a pivotal role in the refoundation of Espanyol in 1909. Even though most of the remaining players joined X Sporting Club, such as Ángel Ponz, goalkeeper Pedro Gibert, and his cousin Emilio Sampere, the 19-year-old Clapera decided instead to found the Club Español de Jujitsu in 1906, in which he also integrated former Español members, and in which jujitsu, fencing, and boxing were also practiced. In 1909, Espanyol was thus effectively relaunched as the Club Deportivo Español, the name which still stands today, with Sampere being named the captain of the team, while the 22-year-old Clapera was elected president, thus becoming the club's third president after the founder Ángel Rodríguez and José María Miró. The new Club Español thus had jujitsu, fencing, and boxing sections, and even a recreational one dedicated to theatre, as well as 38 partners. The club's playing field was now located on Marina Street, where the Monumental Bullring stands today.

In 1974, Clapera himself explained the process of refounding Espanyol: "In 1909, some of the students who left three years earlier had returned and went to see me or Sampere with the idea of reviving Espanyol. So one day I decided to meet with Emilio, who at the time was the captain of Club X. At the beginning of 1909 I called a meeting of members of the Spanish Jiu-Jitsu Club in our social premises, located at 21 Aribau Street. Sampere and those from X also attended, as well as several players from the International Club. It was about the merger and there was a majority. We decided to call the entity Club Deportivo Español from now on. The football team was formed with the base of the X and the social mass with these and those of Jiu-Jitsu".

President of Espanyol Clapera's presidency was short-lived as he only presided over the club for a few months before submitting his resignation to work for the club from the background. He was provisionally replaced by Ángel Rodríguez, the founder who had returned from Belgium. In the 1940s he was part of the board of the club, of which he was member number 1.

In 1947, following the dismissal of Francisco Román Cenarro for disagreeing with the Spanish Football Federation in designating La Coruña as the venue for the cup final, Clapera held the presidency for the second time, but it was short-lived again since it was only on an interim basis, holding the presidency until the appointment of José Salas Painello by the Franco Regime.

In 1950, Clapera unsuccessfully promoted that the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Espanyol should take place 50 years after the foundation of Sociedad Española de Fútbol in 1900. Subsequently, other voices who were part of the history of Espanyol entered this debate, with Ángel Rodríguez supporting Clapera while his cousin Sampere claimed that the club was founded in 1909 and that this should be the reference date to celebrate the anniversary. In the end, it was 1900 that was ultimately chosen.