Pedro Pérez de Guzmán y Urzaiz

Pedro Pérez de Guzmán y Lasarte (16 June 1901 – 21 June 1979) was a Spanish footballer, naval officer, and politician, who served as an Admiral of the Navy and as a mayor of Huelva. He was also a military commander during the Spanish Civil War, who fought on several Andalusian fronts. During his career, he was awarded with four individual Military Medals, a unique case in Spanish military and naval history.

Early and personal life The 12-year-old Pedro (standing, first from right) with his family around 1913. Manuel Pérez de Guzmán was born in the Extremaduran municipality of Jerez de los Caballeros on 9 August 1888, as the youngest son of Maria Teresa de Urzáiz, a native of Moguer, and Manuel Pérez de Guzmán, a landowner who served as the president of the Port of Huelva, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Real Sociedad Colombina. for instance, all of the six Pérez de Guzmán brothers played football at their hometown club, Recreativo de Huelva between 1903 and 1920. As the youngest son, Pedro only began playing in the club's first team in 1918, aged 17, and in the following year, in 1919, he briefly played for Madrid FC (currently known as Real Madrid), earning the nickname Guzmán el Bueno.

On 8 July 1919, Pérez de Guzmán, then a sailor on the ship Carlos V that was docked in the port of Vigo, was convinced by some Real Madrid fans to replace the injured Manuel Posada in the club's friendly match against Fortuna de Vigo, in which he played alongside the future Madrid president Santiago Bernabéu, and both of them scored once to help their side to a 3–2 win. This was Madrid's first-ever visit to Vigo, and five days later, on 13 July, he played his second and last match for Madrid, again against Fortuna, and again scoring once to help his side to a 2–1 win, thus scoring in the only two games he played for Madrid; few can say the same. Pérez de Guzmán then took command of four Spanish small-caliber cannons because their commanding officer had been wounded, and ordered to open fire without stopping and as quickly as possible.

Later life Pérez de Guzmán was mayor of Huelva from 5 February 1949 to 21 August 1951, replacing Juan Rebollo Jiménez and being replaced by Rafael Lozano Cuerda. It was under his mandate, in 1949, that Huelva saw the foundation of the Punta Umbría Maritime and Tennis Club, which once won the Copa del Rey de vela, with Pérez de Guzmán contributing to it as well, having donated the land in which the club's promenade was built.

Admiral Pérez de Guzmán was a very popular person in Huelva, particularly in Punta Umbría, where he spent long periods in his chalet, which consists of three floors spread over almost a thousand square meters, located behind the Club Marítimo. One of his great friends was Juan de Borbón, who at that time was exiled in Estoril, but taking advantage of Portugal's proximity to Punta Umbría, the Bourbon used to come by boat to Huelva and stay at the house of his friend Pérez de Guzmán.

Death and legacy Pérez de Guzmán died in Seville on 21 June 1979, at the age of 78.

A street in Punta Umbría was named after him.