Juan Ramón (footballer, born 1912)

Juan Ramón Santiago (8 March 1912 – 15 October 1999) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for Spanish club Valencia CF, and a manager, taking charge of several lower divisions sides, such as Sabadell FC and RCD Mallorca. He also played twice for the Spanish national team.

He is one of the most important figures in the history of Valencia CF, playing with the club for 13 seasons as an undisputed starter and being its captain for several years, and under his leadership, Valencia won three La Ligas (1941–42, 1943–44, and 1946–47), two Copa del Rey titles (1941 and 1949), and one Copa Eva Duarte in 1949, with the image of him collecting trophies throughout the 1940s iconically symbolizing his significance in the club.

Early life
Juan Ramón was born on 8 March 1912 in the Biscayan town of Erandio, as the youngest child of Eduardo Ramón and María Santiago. His childhood, having lost his mother, was spent with his uncles. As a young man he practiced rowing, Basque pelota, and cycling, but what he liked the most was football. He left the Salesianos school at age 15 and went to work in a furniture factory.

In one summer, Ramón participated in a championship for amateur teams organized by the town's club and they saw him with so much enthusiasm and power that at the end of the Tournament, SD Erandio Club took him into their ranks. Initially, he played as a midfielder, but coach Teodoro Sañudo "El Chato" put him as a winger because he was skinny.

Early career
Ramón began playing at the age of 16 on his town's team, the SD Erandio Club, founded the same year he was born. At the end of the 1929–30 season, the 18-year-old Ramón was signed by Amadeo García to play for Deportivo Alavés, then coached by José Baonza and where he coincided with Simón Lecue, making his debut in La Liga on 1 March 1931, in the 13th matchday against Athletic Club. Even though Amadeo offered him 400 pesetas in salary and a job at the Metalúrgica, he never again played with Alavés, so at the end of the season he returned to his hometown, completing two more seasons with Erandio. wanted to extend his contract, but Ramón left anyways although years later he regretted the decision not to continue at Alavés.

Erandio reclassified him as an amateur, to night classes and his job in the furniture store, and his coach found him a new position, neither winger nor midfielder, he placed him as a left defender, a place from which he would no longer move in the following teams where he played. By the age of 21, he had become a tall and imposing left defender, with plenty of physical and technical resources, and exquisite positioning on the field, so he soon began receiving many interesting offers, and ended up choosing to come to Valencia to play with Gimnástico FC until the following summer when three First Division teams competed for his services: Sevilla FC, RCD Espanyol, and Valencia, but he leaned towards the latter due to having good friends there and loving the climate. He received six thousand pesetas in token and 700 in salary, and made his debut on 26 August 1934 in a friendly match against Torrente.

Valencia
Juan Ramón made his La Liga debut with Valencia under the orders of Antonín Fivébr on the second day of the League, on 9 December 1934, against Arenas de Getxo. Like many young people of his generation, the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 halted his progression, thus being robbed of his prime years. When the war ended in 1939, he formed a great defensive partnership with Álvaro, which remained active for an entire decade, during which Ramón never stopped improving defensively at all levels, managing to mitigate, over the years, the lack of speed with a sensational withdrawal capacity that turned his defensive zone into a funnel for rivals. He never showed interest in the attack, and only scored one official goal with Valencia, on 13 February 1944 at the Metropolitano, with a strong clearance that, helped by the strong wind, found Jesús Ederra dislocated and entered the goal of the Atlético Madrid.

Despite always being rocky in contact, Juan Ramón was not a tough player, so he avoided clashes with his rivals, but still, he suffered several serious injuries; for instance, Marcelino Campanal broke his nose in a match against Sevilla FC, leaving him forever that look of an experienced boxer. Julio Elícegui broke his arm in a match against Atlético Madrid, which meant a long period of inactivity, and a spectacular clash with Nieva, a UD Castellón forward, on 14 November 1943, after which both players had to be removed with bloody faces. These chapters are a good example of the bravery of Juan Ramón, who did not hesitate to risk his physical condition at a time when he played with only two defenders, who had to deal with a line of five forwards. He only suffered two red cards throughout his career. The first, in the final of the 1937 Copa de la España Libre on 18 July, after getting into a fight with Levante UD player Vicente Martínez Catalá, who went with him to the locker room, and the second, on 23 February 1941 in Murcia, by ostensibly protesting a goal by the rival team.

Ramón remained in the team for 13 seasons as an undisputed starter, in which he played 417 games and won three Leagues (1941–42, 1943–44, and 1946–47), two Spanish Cups (1941 and 1949), and three Campeonato Regional de Valencia, in addition to three Cup runners-up (1934, 1937, and 1944) and two League runners-up (1947–48, 1948–49). As the years went by, Mestalla lost count of his age and fans already considered him an inexhaustible natural phenomenon. His prestige at the end of the 40s was unquestionable, with the press considering him an oracle and he even gave his name to a team in the regional competition. Despite having offers from other important clubs, such as FC Barcelona, he never wanted to leave the club that trusted him years ago and kept renewing his contract year after year until he retired.

Later career
In 1950, when he was already 38 years old, Ramón played little, but was still in shape, so he did not hesitate to accept Carlos Iturraspe's proposal to play for UD Mestalla, the club's second team (now known as VCF Mestalla). Notably, in 1952, the 39-year-old Juan Ramón participated in 29 League games in a triumphant season in which the subsidiary team was crowned champion of the Second Division and thus achieved promotion to the First Division, later frustrated by the Spanish Football Federation.

International career
Ramón made his international debut for the Spanish national team in a friendly match against Nazi Germany in Berlin on 12 April 1942, at the age of 30, starting in a 1–1 draw. He earned his second and last international cap in the following week, on 19 April, again in a friendly, but against Italy in San Siro, starting in a 0–4 loss.

Managerial career
After his career as a player ended, Ramón remained linked to UD Mestalla, now as a coach, which he oversaw for one season in 1953–54.

After his retirement, Valencia awarded him the Gold and Diamond Badge and Juan Ramón extended his services to the club as Mestalla coach until 1955. He later coached Badajoz, Eldense, Atlético de Ceuta, Elche, Sabadell, Castellón, Mallorca, Ferrol, Málaga in the Second Division and Elche, in the top category, between 1961 and 1963. On 24 May 1950, he was awarded the silver medal for Sports Merit by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. His last job for Valencia CF was as a scout. Juan Ramón died in Valencia on 15 October 1999, at 87 years of age.

Ramón also ran a successful bar, where he served and commented on the games with a directness that is unthinkable in today's football.

Death
Ramón died on 15 October 1999, at the age of 87.

Honours
Valencia Championship:
 * Valencia CF
 * Winners (3): 1934, 1937, and 1940

Copa del Rey:
 * Winners (2): 1941 and 1949
 * Runner-up (1): 1934, 1937, 1944

La Liga:
 * Winners (3): 1941–42, 1943–44, and 1946–47

Copa Eva Duarte:
 * Winners (1): 1949