Manuel Solé

Manuel "Manolo" Grau Solé (26 December 1872 – 7 May 1934) was a Spanish athlete and sports leader, who was a prominent gymnast, fencer, and practitioner and disseminator of many other sports. He was one of the first members of FC Barcelona, for whom he played two friendly matches in 1900. He was also co-founder and vice president of the Barcelona Swimming Club in 1907, founder and president of the Solé Pedestre Club, and owner of the Gimnasio Solé from 1910 until his death. His brother Juan Bautista Grau Solé (1876–?) was a fencing teacher at the Solé Gymnasium and one of the most prominent Spanish fencers of the early 20th century. They also played a few games for the Barcelona Football Society in 1895 and 1896, and after the club's collapse, he continued to play football with the Club Regatas team. Elías and Solé became members of the club just a few days after its foundation, and while the former went on to play three friendlies, the latter only played two, both as a defender, and both in 1900, helping his side to a 3–1 win over Català FC on 23 September, while the second ended in a 1–4 loss to Hispania AC on 2 December, thus becoming the first player from the Tarragona area to play for the club.

In addition to being player, he was also a vice secretary of the board of directors chaired by Walter Wild between 17 October and 30 December 1900, the day in which the board not only replaced him with Fernando Blanco, but also granted the title of "Honorary Members" to several partners, including Gamper and his uncle Francisco Solé due to his decisive contribution to the birth of the club. Later, during the presidency of Otto Gmeling (1909–10), he served as the club's first member. He was vice president of the club and promoted the first . He was also the creator and president of the Solé Pedestre Club, in 1909. In 1914 he closed the old premises to open a new one a few meters away, on Pintor Fortuny Street, no. 2, under the name Solé Physical Culture Center. Representatives of the local press and one councilor were invited to the event, who did the honors of the house, together with Cercos, the doctor of the establishment, and Grao, professor of the Sala de Armas (weapons room). The guests visited all the first and second-class bathroom departments, luxuriously installed, the Weapons Room, which was very elegant and spacious, as well as the Gymnasium hall, where lunch was served, with all those present expressing their wishes for the prosperity of the establishment. The architects of this establishment were Antonio Ventura, master builder; José Preckler, smokers, boilers and pipes; Orsola Sola y Inc, mosaics; Lacoma brothers, bathtubs, toilets and sinks; Ramón Solé, furniture maker; Fargas and Buxaderas, carpentry, and Franzi brothers, marbles; the works were directed by the renowned architect Juan Casado.

Death Solé died in Barcelona on 7 May 1934, at the age of 61. His nephews Gustau Griñó and Maria Contell, along with cousins and other relatives, asked their friends and acquaintances to keep Solé in their prayers and to attend the funeral a few days later and to accompany the corpse to the parish church and from there to the Old Cemetery.