Nicasio Goitisolo Zubizarreta

Nicasio Goitisolo Zubizarreta (10 October 1889 – unknown), also known as Goiti, was a footballer who played as a midfielder for Real Sociedad. He was one of the first Spaniards (though born and raised in England) to participate in British football, and then had a prominent role during the first decade of the growing sport in Spain.

Goitisolo was introduced to football during his time as a schoolboy, developing a strong interest in the sport; however, he was still too young to play professionally at the time, leading to him being signed by various teams for short periods: in a timespan of just two years he had spells at Racing FC in Liverpool, then Arsenal and Crystal Palace in London and finally Third Lanark in Glasgow, before eventually achieving his dream of playing at the top level with Real Sociedad after returning to his parents' homeland. He later played for Stadium Club Avilesino.

Biography Early years Goitisolo was born in Liverpool to Basque parents, his father being a native of Lekeitio and a sea captain in charge of a Merseyside shipping company. While studying at Saint Francis Xavier's College, Nicasio started playing for the school's Old Xaverians football team, developing a strong interest for the sport. In the collegiate club, he quickly stood out as an outstanding forward and was recruited for a more relevant team, Liverpool's Racing FC, in early 1905 at the age of just 15. Despite his youth, he excelled at Racing and was the team's top scorer in 1905, thus starting to dream of becoming a professional footballer. His goalscoring records drew the attention of one of the biggest clubs in the city, Liverpool FC, who set up a friendly with Racing in order to observe and access the possible incorporation of Goitisolo to the Reds. He played on the right wing on the day, but still managed to pass the test; however, he was only 16 years old and legally had to play in the second team for two years, something he felt would be a setback for him, especially after the great season he had with Racing where he faced rivals twice his age, so he did not accept Liverpool's proposal and thus missed out on the chance to become the club's first-ever Spanish player. In February 1910, King Alfonso XIII gave the club his royal patronage, and Goitisolo was one of the eleven footballers who played in the club's first match as Real Sociedad, held on 26 March 1910 at Ondarreta Stadium, ending in a 1–5 friendly loss to London Nodmans. Sociedad participated in the 1910 Copa del Rey under the umbrella of local club Vasconia Sporting Club (since their club was not yet a year old as the tournament statutes required), and Goitisolo captained this team to a 2–0 victory over Real Madrid (then known as Madrid FC);

Also in 1910, Real Sociedad participated in the inaugural edition of the Pyrenees Cup, and Goitisolo netted two goals in the opening match of the competition, a semi-final clash against Stade toulousain at Ondarreta Stadium on 17 April, thus helping his side to an 8–0 victory, However, they lost the final 1–2 to FC Barcelona. He spent four years in the Basque team and was nicknamed "the wizard of dribbling". Goitisolo decided to return to England in 1914. They retained the regional league in 1921 before being admitted to the top division. Goitisolo worked in the team for five years until he retired in 1924.

Managerial career As a coach, he managed Stadium Club Avilesino for seven years, as well as Racing de Sama for one season. The date and circumstances of his death are unknown.

Honours Third Larnak

Scottish Cup: Runner-up 1907

Real Sociedad Copa del Rey: Runner-up 1910

Real Avilés Spanish second division: 1920