Santiago de la Riva i Ruiz

Santiago de la Riva Ruiz (17 November 1883 – 14 December 1955) was a Spanish sports leader who served as the president of RCD Espanyol on three occasions (1912–13, 1924–25 and 1930–31) for a total of 3 years at the helm of the club. His brothers Victorià and Genaro were also presidents of RCD Espanyol on three occasions, a society that the three la Riva brothers presided for many years, paying for and maintaining the economy of the club mostly from their own pocket.

Early life Santiago de la Riva was born on 17 November 1883 in Barcelona as the son of Victorià de la Riva, a native of Ortigosa de Cameros, and Jacinta Ruiz Alonso, he was born to one of the richest families in Catalonia. Espanyol only removed the crown from its shield during the Second Spanish Republic, and it was Santiago himself who had to carry out the measure.

In 1912, the discussions to decide the venue of the 1913 Copa del Rey ended up causing a split within the Spanish Football Federation, which caused the 1913 edition to have two parallel cup championships, with Espanyol and Barcelona playing in different tournaments.

Death Riva died in Madrid on 14 December 1955, at the age of 72.