Julio Munlloch

Julio Munlloch Martí (22 October 1916 – 9 January 1996) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona in Spain, Olympique de Marseille in France, Asturias and Atlante in Mexico, and Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina.

Early life Julio Munlloch was born on Providència Street in the Gràcia neighborhood of Barcelona on 22 October 1916, as the second and last child of the marriage formed by Antoni Munlloch and Concepció Martí, both natives of Barcelona. His father, who was a lottery player, bought tickets at the administration run by Miguel Valdés, a former FC Barcelona player, and sold them in the neighborhood. In the second leg of the semifinals, Munlloch delivered four assists to help his side to a 7–1 win over Osasuna; Munlloch later recalled this match as one of the best he had played. In the images of the Barça line-ups in Mexico, he wore a surprising and rigorous military haircut, which some historians later blamed on lice, but the true reason for this was that he had made a bet with a teammate while aboard the ocean liner "Mexique", which consisted of either cutting his abundant and wavy hair that had accompanied him since his childhood, or paying for an appetizer to the rest of the squad, and the responsible Munlloch chose to go through the ship's barber's scissors. He played his last match for Barça on 12 December 1937, scoring his side's only goal in a 1–1 draw with Girona. He also helped Asturias win back-to-back Mexican Cups in 1939 and 1940, beating in the finals Club España (4–1) and Necaxa (1–0), respectively. One sources wrongly states that the Catalans Vantolrá, Iborra, and Munlloch played for the so-called Euzkadi team in the Mexican league.

Later career In 1939, the 23-year-old Munlloch stood out from the rest thanks to his great skill and dribbling, thus becoming a highly valued player sought after by several Argentine, Paraguayan, and other South American teams, but it was Vélez Sarsfield of Buenos Aires who hired him during their tour of Mexico. At Velez Sarsfield, he only scored one goal in nine official matches as the club was relegated, but despite this, "the Buenos Aires public always treated me very well". He was tempted to return to Barça in 1943, but he declined that possibility due to his physical problems, stating that he "preferred to leave a good memory of my brief, but intense time in the Barça ranks".

International career On 15 November 1936, Munlloch earned his first and only international cap for the Catalan national team in a match against Valencia CF at the pro anti-fascist militias festival at the Mestalla Stadium, featuring on attack alongside Josep Escolà in a 0–4 loss.

Personal life Munlloch loved detective novels, liked adventure movies, and on the desk in his room, in addition to notes and books in French, he accumulated clippings from sports press that mentioned him in order to later read them to "remember these times". In addition to football, he was also passionate about ping-pong and athletics. Despite taking residence in Mexico, he never dropped his mother tongue, joining the Orfeó Català, even being part of the choir.

Due to his popularity in Mexico, Munlloch began attending fashionable shows of that time, such as bullfights and carpas, a sort of theater that flourished in Mexico during the 1920s and 1930s, and it was in such places that he met Cantinflas, briefly dating his sister-in-law, the Moscow native Valentina Ivanova Zuvareff. In 1944, he married Irene Piñuelo Dávalos, a Mexican woman of Spanish descent, and the couple had five children: Irene, Concepción, Nuria, Julio, and Javier, with the latter dying at the age of five.

Later life

At the time, most footballers struggled after their retirement, but thanks to his maturity and studies, Munlloch had no issues in integrating into society, initially working in the cotton sector before changing his career and joining the world of construction, where he sold carts of sand, plaster, and mortar, eventually opening a construction materials business titled Fierros y Cementos Munlloch S.A.

After many years of intense work and sacrifice, Munlloch reached a position that allowed him to enjoy his hobby of traveling, passing through Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Soviet Union, China, and South Africa, where he went on a photographic safari. He visited Barcelona approximately every three years, timing it to coincide with the Festa Major de Gràcia, where he reunited with his long-time friend Joan Puig, who still lived in his old apartment and thus always had a room available for him.

Death Munlloch died in Mexico City on 9 January 1966, at the age of 79, a victim of cancer.

Honours FC Barcelona Catalan championship Champions (1): 1934–35 and 1935–36

Copa del Rey: Runner-up (1): 1936

Club Asturias Copa México: Champions (2): 1938–39 and 1939–40

Liga Mayor: Champions (1): 1943–44 Campeón de Campeones: Runners-up (1): 1944