Juan Jose Astorquia Landabaso, known as Juanito Astorquia, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Athletic Club.
14 Facts About Juan Astorquia
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Juan Astorquia is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of Athletic Club from Bilbao, having been the fundamental head behind the foundation of the club in 1898 and its official establishment in 1901, and then serving as the club's first captain until 1904 and as its second president between 1902 and 1903.
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Juan Astorquia was born in Bilbao in June 1876, and as the son of a well-off family of merchants, he was sent to Britain to complete his studies, doing so in a Catholic college in Manchester.
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In 1896, the 20-year-old Juan Astorquia returned to Bilbao, bringing with him his newly-acquired business knowledge and passion for football, and like many other Bilbainos, he began to play football in the Hippodrome of Lamiako in Leioa, which at the time was the home of organized football in Biscay.
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The club's main sources of recruitment soon became the Gimnasio Zamacois, the largest sports center in Bilbao at that time, and the Velocipedista Club, where Juan Astorquia maintained contacts due to his militancy as a member.
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The entity's board was elected, with Juan Astorquia being appointed the team's captain, while Alfred Mills, the only foreigner to be part of the board, was named the vice-captain.
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Juan Astorquia was one of the most important figures in what is regarded as one of the first football rivalries in Spain, one that helped turn football into a mass phenomenon in Bilbao since their duels aroused great expectation.
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In 1902, Juan Astorquia became the club's second president, taking over from Luis Marquez, who had been elected on 11 June 1901.
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Juan Astorquia then used Bizcaya's successful campaign at the Copa de la Coronacion to convince the newly-elected president of Bilbao FC Luis Arana of how beneficial and necessary it was to merge the two clubs permanently, and in order to further convince them of the merger, he promised to pass down the torch of the presidency to a Bilbao FC associate, Enrique Careaga.
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Between 1901 and 1903, Juan Astorquia was simultaneously Athletic's founder, player, captain, and president, performing all four tasks expertly.
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Juan Astorquia was part of the team that won the 1904 Copa del Rey, which Athletic won without playing a single match since their opponents failed to turn up.
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Between 1902 and 1904, Juan Astorquia played five competitive matches, scoring five goals.
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In 1902, Juan Astorquia appeared in the membership lists of both the Real Club Maritimo del Abra and the Real Sporting Club yachting societies, as Member No 115 and No 120 respectively.
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Juanito Astorquia died on 23 October 1905 at the age of 29, the same young age as Pichichi who became a legend of Athletic Club and Basque football a generation later.