Pedro Vallana

Pedro Vicente Saturnino Vallana Jeanguenat (29 November 1897 – 4 July 1980) was a Spanish footballer, referee and manager in Spain in the 1920s. He was of Italian and Swiss descent. He spent all 12 seasons of his playing career with Arenas de Getxo, during the club's golden age, thus being a historical player of the club and part of the so-called one-club men group. He was a member of the Spain national team which won the silver medal in the football tournament of the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. He participated in a further two Olympic Games (1924 and 1928) for a total of three, a record that no other Spanish footballer has broken. In his first year Arenas in 1912, at only 15 years old, he combined playing football with work as a secretary. First, as a midfielder, and later as a defender, he formed a historic defensive partnership with Domingo Careaga, another man from Getxo like himself, with whom he shared the team's defense for many years. Together with Careaga, he was one of the main architects of the team's football power in the Basque Country, competing head-to-head against the likes of Athletic Club and Real Unión, being crucial in the club's five Biscay Championships in 1916–17, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1924–25 and 1926–27, and he also was pivotal in helping Arenas reach four Copa del Rey finals (1917, 1919, 1925, and 1927), only missed the one in 1927 and only winning the one in 1919, which still stands as the only Copa del Rey title in the club's history. The highlight of his club career was helping Arenas win the 1919 Copa del Rey after defeating the powerful FC Barcelona by a score of 5–2.

He stood out for his great speed, which he used to help him easily snatch the ball from the opponent. As a talented sprinter, he achieved a silver medal in the 200 metres event and a bronze in the long jump at the 1918 edition of the Spanish Athletics Championships. He was also a good athlete, who practiced athletics in parallel with his career as a footballer, and in fact, he held the Vizcaya record for the 100 metres dash between 1922 and 1928. In the 1920 Summer Olympics, he did not play in the first game of the tournament against Denmark, which marked the historic debut of the Spain national team, but he then featured in all of the remaining four matches against Belgium, Sweden, Italy, and the Netherlands, contributing decisively to help Spain win the silver medal. In 1928 he was injured in the first game against Mexico, which was to be his last for the national team.

Refereeing career In 1928, when still a player, he began his career as a referee, making his debut in the Spanish First Division that same season. Thus, Vallana holds the peculiar distinction of being one of the few to have participated in the same La Liga season both as a player and as a referee. His career in the world of refereeing in Spain lasted until 1936. Vallana refereed 33 matches in the First Division during those years.

Managerial career In 1936 the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War temporarily put an end to sports competitions in Spain. At the beginning of 1937, the Basque Government arranged for the Basque Country national team to make a tour in Europe and play friendly matches, in order to raise funds in Europe for Basque refugees and carry out propaganda work in favor of the Basque Government and the Spanish Republic, and Vallana enlisted as the team's coach.

Death Vallana went into exile in Uruguay in 1938, a country he had known since 1922 when he played a series of friendlies there with a team of Basque players. Vallana brought his wife and daughters from the Basque Country later.

Honours Club Arenas Club North Championship (5): 1916–17, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1924–25, and 1926–27 Copa del Rey Champions (1): 1919 Runner-up (3): 1917, 1925, 1927

International Spain Olympic Games Silver medal: 1920