Nicolás Santacatalina Ferreres

Nicolás Santacatalina Ferreres (10 August 1919 – 22 July 2004) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for Barcelona and Valencia.

Early life Nicolás Santacatalina was born in the Valencian town of Canet d'en Berenguer in Puerto de Sagunto, on 10 August 1919, (Some sources state that he was born on 14 August.)

Santacatalina was raised in Puerto de Sagunto, but the misery of the Spanish Civil War forced his family of seven brothers to move to , to earn a living from the sea. However, an injury meant that he barely played during his first two seasons there,

In a duel against Athletic Bilbao in San Mamés, Santcatalina collided with José Luis Panizo in an aerial duel that cost him 12 stitches, so the first thing he did when he returned to the field was to ask about his wellbeing. On another occasion, in a match against Gimnàstic de Tarragona, Santacatalina did not allow himself to be treated even when bleeding, so the Civil Governor of Tarragona, who was present in the stands, stopped the match for him to be treated. And in a match in Alicante, he was arrested for putting his hands on his private parts after being insulted from the stands and being seen doing so by the wife of that city's Civil Governor. Pasieguito's arrival at Valencia relegated Nicolás to the background, but he accepted the substitute roles always with professionalism.

Later career In 1952, the 33-year-old Santcatalina again returned to Castellón, where he played his last matches in the 1952–53 season, all of them in the fight to remain in the Second Division, which they failed to achieve. In total, Santacatalina scored four goals in 188 La Liga matches.

Later and personal life Santacatalina remained linked to Castellón as a scout and 'spy' for future rivals, but he eventually returned to his origins in Grau, where he continued to be linked to sea work and later became a fish transporter.

During his time at Barça, Emilio Fabregat, who later became president of Castellón, always intervened in his favour; in return, Santacatalina later helped Fabregat to revive his business in a positive way. He married one of Emilio's sisters, Purificación Fabregat, in Grau, on 22 May 1943. The couple had three children, Dunia, Emilio, and Carla, with their only son playing for the Castellón reserve team before dying in a traffic accident in 1972, at the age of only 23.

In 1961, Dunia was already the queen of the Sant Pere Festival, and in the following year, she was the Lady of the City in Magdalena Festival.

Death Santacatalina lived out his final years in Castellón de la Plana, where he died on 22 July 2004, at the age of 84.

Legacy His sporting legacy was continued by one of his nephews, David Navarro, a native of Puerto de Sagunto, was champion of the League, the 2003–04 UEFA Cup, and the 2004 UEFA Super Cup with Valencia.

Honours Sabadell Segunda División: Champions (1): 1945–46

Valencia CF Copa del Rey: Champions (1): 1948–49

Copa Eva Duarte: Champions (1): 1949

FEF President Cup Runner-up (1): 1941–47