Román Galarraga

Román Galarraga Salegui (9 August 1921 – 22 February 2009) was a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid and Real Sociedad. He later worked as a manager, taking charge of several of CD Logroñés, Deportivo Alavés, and Real Sociedad.

In addition to football, he was also mayor of his native Deba from 1979 to 1983.

Early life Román Galarraga was born on 9 August 1921 in Deba, Gipuzkoa, and he began playing football for local teams, where he stood out as a forward, eventually having a contract to debut as a professional in Valencia in October 1936, aged just 15, but the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War prevented this, being mobilized in 1938, playing football in the matches organized among the recruits.

Playing career Upon his return from military service in 1940, Galarraga was signed by SCD Durango of the Tercera División, with whom he played for one season before being signed by fellow third division side CD Logroñés, where he made his debut against Real Unión on 22 March 1942, which ended in a 5–1 win, and then left just three months later, playing his last match against SD Indautxu on 7 June, which ended in a 1–4 loss in the semifinals of the Amateur Cup. In only his second season as coach, he led Cultural to the 1954–55 Segunda División title, thus achieving promotion to La Liga, although they were relegated back to Segunda right away, after which he left the club. in which he guided the club to promotion to the Second Division. In his second season, the club finished fourth and reached the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey after knocking out the likes of Cádiz and his former club Real Sociedad. In his first full season at Logroñés in 1969–70, the club won the third division with 62 points and achieved promotion to the Segunda, where they finished in 15th with 33 points. After brief second stints at Avilés (1971–72), Burgos (1972–73), and Alavés (1973–75), achieving another promotion to the second division with the latter, Galarraga returned to Logroñés for the third time, where he retired at the end of the 1975–76 season.

Later life In the first municipal elections of democracy in Spain (1979), Galarraga was elected mayor of his native Deva for the Basque Nationalist Party. Once the legislature was over he left the town hall. On 1 May 1985, the 64-year-old Galarraga took the kick-off in the match played by the Logroñés veterans in Las Gaunas, organized by Belaza.

Death Román Galarraga died in the hospital of Mendaro, Gipuzkoa, on 22 February 2009, at the age of 87. On the following day, both Sociedad and Cultural paid tribute to him with an emotional minute of silence before the start of their respective match, and as a sign of mourning, the Cultural players wore black armbands in his memory. His funeral took place on the following day in the church of Deba, the town of which he had been a mayor.

Honours Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa Segunda División: 1954–55

Deportivo Alavés Tercera División: 1961–62, 1972–73