Death of Josep Maria Fusté, FC Barcelona legend of the sixties

Josep Maria Fuste (Linyola, Lleida, 15 April 1941) has passed away. This outstanding creative midfielder was one of the most charismatic Barça players in the 1960s, having arrived at the club at just 12 years of age. He rose up through the youth ranks before going on loan to Osasuna from 1960-62 while he was doing military service in Pamplona.

Bark at Barça, from 1962 onwards he soon became a regular feature of the first team. His speed, strength, vision and amazing skill, not to mention an extremely powerful shot, made him one of the most popular players of his era. He was very much the kind of player on whom a team depended. If Fusté played well, Barça played well.

When Fusté left Barça at the end of the 1971/72 season, his trophy haul included three Spanish Cups (1962/63, 1967/68 and 1970/71) and one Fairs Cup (1965/66), having amassed 406 appearances and scored 117 goals. The club played a testimonial on his honour on 30 August 1972.

He saw out his playing days at Hércules, Alicante until 1974. After that he ran the Veterans Group at Barça from 1976 to 1989, the year he was one of the pre-candidates in the FC Barcelona presidential elections. Since 2010, he has served as an advisor to the FC Barcelona Board of Directors.