Manuel Posada Tapias (2 August 1896 – 13 September 1983), better known as Manolo Posada, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Real Madrid and Celta de Vigo.[1] He is best known for being part of the first-ever team fielded by Celta de Vigo in 1923.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Posada Tapias | ||
| Date of birth | 2 August 1896 | ||
| Place of birth | Vigo, Galicia, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 13 September 1983 (aged 87) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1915–1916 | Fortuna de Vigo | ||
| 1916–1920 | Madrid FC | ||
| 1920–1922 | Fortuna de Vigo | ||
| 1922–1923 | Real Madrid | ||
| 1923–1924 | Celta de Vigo | ||
| International career | |||
| 1922–1923 | Galicia | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editPosada began his career as a footballer at Fortuna de Vigo, but his studies in Madrid allowed him to alternate between the Vigo team and Madrid FC (now Real Madrid).[2] He found greater success with the latter, where he featured alongside the likes of Ricardo Álvarez, Alberto Machimbarrena, Feliciano Rey, José María Sansinenea and Santiago Bernabéu. He was part of the Madrid team that reached the 1918 Copa del Rey Final, in part thanks to Posada, who was one of the most outstanding players in the tournament as well as its top scorer (together with Bernabéu) with a total of 4 goals, including a brace in a 4–0 win over Recreativo de Huelva in the second leg of the semi-finals.[3] He started in the final against Real Unión, which they lost 0–2, courtesy of a brace from Juan Legarreta.[4][5]
After the merger of Fortuna with Vigo Sporting, and the consequent birth of Celta de Vigo, Posada, driven by his immense love for Vigo, returned to his city to join Celta, and he quickly became the club's starting striker.[2] He made his debut for Celta in a Galician championship match against Unión Sporting, and showed his great goal-scoring instinct with a hat-trick in a 7–0 win.[2] Together with Luís Correa, the Clemente brothers (Juanito, Balbino), Polo Pardo, he was part of the newly founded Celta team that won the 1923–24 Galician championship (the club's debut on an official competition) without defeats.[2]
Despite some encouraging first steps at the 'blue and whites', this would be Posada's only campaign with Celta, since he retired shortly afterwards. He became part of the club's board, and collaborated on the construction plans for the Balaídos Stadium, which opened on 30 December 1928 in a 7–0 trashing of Real Unión.[6]
On 10 January 1972, at the annual sports festival in Vigo, in which the title of the best sportsman from Vigo was awarded to the athlete Javier Álvarez, a distinction was also awarded, among others, to Manuel Posada Tapias.[2]
International career
editLike many other Celta de Vigo players of his time, he was eligible to play for the Galicia national team, however, he only earned one cap, in a friendly match against a Lisbon XI on 27 May 1923.[2]
Honours
editClub
edit- Winners (3) 1914-15, 1920-21 and 1921-22
- Winners (2) 1923-24 and 1924-25
References
edit- ^ "Manuel Posada Tapias - Footballer". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Grandes y pequeños jugadores del Celta de Vigo: MANOLO POSADAS" [Big and small Celta de Vigo players: MANOLO POSADA]. www.yojugueenelcelta.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Madrid - Recreativo de Huelva (4 - 0) 28/04/1918". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Spain - Cup 1918". RSSSF. 19 January 2000. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Copa del Rey Alfonso 1918". Linguasport. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ Lamas, Jorge (29 December 2008). "Balaídos cumple hoy 80 años" [Balaídos is 80 years old today]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2022.