Fernando de Argila, FC Barcelona's oldest veteran, dies

Fernando de Argila, FC Barcelona's oldest veteran, dies

He played in goal for the first team between 1939 and 1943, making a total of 22 appearances

[[DES_1]]Fernando de Argila Pazzaglia, FC Barcelona goalkeeper between 1939 and 1943, and who made 22 first team appearances, passed away today at the age of 94. He was the club’s oldest surviving former player.

The son of a Catalan father, a journalist on the Diari de Barcelona, and an Italian mother from Bologna, Italy, he started out playing basketball, mainly because of his height. It was the father of Andreu Bosch, a former player, who suggested he should try out as a goalkeeper, where he soon stood out for his strength in the air. However, he was competing for a first team slot with Nogués i Miró, and therefore only played a bit role in the 1941/42 Spanish Cup victory.

After the following season, he went on loan to Oviedo, and that was where he really started making his name, even winning one international cap for Spain. He later moved to Atlético Madrid, and after giving up the game, he went into management, sitting on the benches at Oviedo, Sporting Lisbon, Europa, Cordoba, Calvo Sotelo, Granada, Racing Santander and Espanyol.

The oldest of his eight sons, Fernando, lives in Italy, and along with his own son has continued the family’s sporting legacy. He was technical secretary of the Barça futsal section and is currently at Missano, while his son is working with youth players at Cesena. Another of De Argila’s grandsons, Viran Morros, plays handball for FC Barcelona.

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