Manuel Meana (21 October 1901 – 1 August 1985) was a Spanish footballer.[1] He was capped for Spain 7 times and was part of Spain's squad for the football tournament at the 1924 Summer Olympics, but he did not play in any matches.[2] Under the presidency of Santiago Bernabéu he was the creator and first director of the Real Madrid Sports City, a position he held until his retirement.[citation needed]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Meana Vallina | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Gijón, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 1 August 1985 (aged 83) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1917–1927 | Sporting de Gijón | ||
| International career | |||
| 1918 | Cantabric | 2 | (0) |
| 1921–1924 | Spain | 7 | (1) |
| 1922–1925 | Asturias | +5 | (1) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career edit
Born in Gijón, Meana began to play football in his hometown club, Sporting de Gijón, making his debut at El Molinón on 2 September 1917 against RCD Espanyol.[3]
International career edit
In May 1918, he was summoned to play for the Cantabric national team, a side consisting of players from the provinces of Asturias and Cantabria, being a member of the team that participated in the 1918 Prince of Asturias Cup, an inter-regional competition organized by the RFEF.[4]
He made his international debut on 9 October 1921 (aged 19) in a friendly match against Belgium that ended in a 2–0 win.[5] He played in seven matches for the Spain national football team from 1921 to 1924,[6] and scored just once, netting the first-ever goal in the Iberian derby when he scored the opening goal of a 3–1 win over Portugal on 18 December 1921, which is also the first-ever goal that Portugal ever conceded.[7]
Being Sporting de Gijón player, he was eligible to play for the Asturias national team, and he was part of the team that reached the final of the 1922-23 Prince of Asturias Cup, an inter-regional competition organized by the RFEF. In the final against Galicia, they fell 0-1 behind early in the match, and it was Meana who equalized still in the first-half, which paved the way for José Luis Zabala to score a second-half brace to seal the title with a 3–1 win.[8] This was his only goal for Asturias, but its also the most important in the team's history.
Managerial career edit
In 1928, despite still being a player, he trained Sporting de Gijón, and he managed to lead them to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. He repeated his stay on the Gijón bench in two other stages: 1939-40 and 1948-49.
International goals edit
Goals for Spain edit
- Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Meana goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 December 1921 | Campo de O'Donnell, Madrid, Spain |  Portugal |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Goals for Asturias edit
- Asturias score listed first, score column indicates score after each Meana goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 February 1923 | Coia, Vigo, Spain |  Galicia |
1-1 | 3–1 | 1922-23 Prince of Asturias Cup Final |
Honours edit
International edit
- Prince of Asturias Cup:
- Runner-up (1): 1918
- Champions (1): 1922-23
References edit
- ^ "Manuel Meana". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Manuel Meana". Olympedia. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Manuel Meana". www.bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Squad of Cantabria 1918 Copa del Príncipe de Asturias". www.bdfutbol.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Manuel Meana". EU-football.info. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Manuel Meana". National Football Teams. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Spain vs Portugal international football match report". EU-football.info. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ a b Vicente Martínez Calatrava (17 August 2009). "La Copa Príncipe de Asturias" [The Prince of Asturias Cup] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
External links edit
- Manuel Meana at EU-Football.info
- Manuel Meana at WorldFootball.net
- Manuel Meana at Olympedia
