Pedro Gibert Requesens (15 February 1888 – 9 October 1966) was a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.[2] He was nicknamed Grapes because he allowed himself the luxury of blocking the ball with one hand. He was considered the best Catalan goalkeeper of his time and one of the first great idols of Espanyol, in fact, he was the idol of the great Ricardo Zamora.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pedro Gibert Requesens | ||
| Date of birth | 15 February 1888 | ||
| Place of birth | La Pobla de Montornès, Catalonia, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 9 October 1966 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1903–1904 | Ibèric FC | ||
| 1904 | Club Español de Fútbol | ||
| 1904–1909 | X Sporting Club | ||
| 1909–1916 | Espanyol | ||
| International career | |||
| 1910–1916 | Catalonia | 5 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editBorn in Catalonia, he joined the first team of Ibèric FC during the 1903–04 season, where he formed a great defensive partnership with Santiago Massana, and they also were teammates at X Sporting Club and RCD Espanyol. In Ibèric, he stood out as an extraordinary goalkeeper, which earned him a move to Club Español de Fútbol in 1904, but just a few months later the club folded due to financial reasons, and most of the players, including him, joined X Sporting Club. He played a pivotal role in the club's three back-to-back Catalan championships between 1906 and 1908.[4] In 1909, the club was effectively relaunched as the Club Deportivo Español, the name which still stands today. This also means that he was the very first goalkeeper that Espanyol had.[5]
He played for Espanyol for nearly a decade, being a member of the great Espanyol side of the 1910s that had the likes of Bru, Sampere, Blanco and the Armet brothers (Francisco and Kinké),[3] winning two more Catalan championships in 1911–12 and 1914–15, as well as reaching the 1915 Copa del Rey Final, which they lost to Athletic Bilbao, in a game where he conceded 5 goals, including a Pichichi hat-trick.[6]
One day, in a decision of his own, he announced his retirement to the surprise of many. There was a bit of a stir, but Gibert said he had no reason to fear as he would be leaving an exceptional goalkeeper in his place, Ricardo Zamora, who played his first game in April 1916, in a match against Madrid FC.[3][7]
International career
editBeing a Espanyol, he was eligible to play for the Catalonia national team, and he was part of the team that won the 1916 Prince of Asturias Cup, an inter-regional competition organized by the RFEF. He started in both games against a Castile/Madrid XI which ended in a win and a draw, enough for Catalonia to lift their first-ever piece of silverware.[1]
Honours
editClub
edit- Champions (3): 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08
- Champions (2): 1911–12, 1914–15
International
edit- Catalonia
- Champions (1): 1916
References
edit- ^ a b Vicente Martínez Calatrava (17 August 2009). "La Copa Príncipe de Asturias" [The Prince of Asturias Cup] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Pedro Gibert Requesens - Footballer". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Pere GIBERT". hallofameperico.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Despejando la ecuación: el papel del Club X en la fundación del RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (1902 – 1909)" [Clearing the equation: the role of Club X in the founding of RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (1902 – 1909)]. CIHEFE. 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Fallecimiento de Don Pedro Gibert" [Death of Don Pedro Gibert]. hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com. 13 October 1966. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Spain - Cup 1915". RSSSF. 20 January 2000. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Ricardo Zamora made his debut a century ago this year Ricardo Zamora made his debut a century ago". Diario AS. 31 January 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.