Julio Munlloch

Julio Munlloch Martí (22 October 1916 – 9 January 1966) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona in Spain, and for Olympique de Marseille in France, Asturias and Atlante in Mexico, and Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina.

Early life
Julio Munlloch was born on Providència Street in the Gràcia neighborhood of Barcelona on 22 October 1916, as the second and last child of the marriage formed by Antoni Munlloch and Concepció Martí, both natives of Barcelona. His father, who was a lottery player, bought tickets at the administration run by Miguel Valdés, a former FC Barcelona player, and sold them in the neighborhood, which instilled on the young Munlloch the culture of work and effort, as well as his unconditional love for his land, Catalonia.

Playing career
The first stage of his life was occupied by occasional collaboration with his father, school, and football, having his first contact with the ball on the streets with his friends, but he soon ended up in the youth ranks of his hometown club CE Europa, in the Petits Bordoys team, named after the club's former goalkeeper Juan Bordoy. Following the merger between Europa and Gràcia SC, from which Catalunya FC was born, Munlloch played for the Petits Rodés team of the new entity, later transferring all the players to UD Gràcia in 1930, at the age of 14. He then played two seasons in both Gràcia (1930–32) and Catalunya FC (1932–34), where his quality as a winger stood out and caught the attention of one of Barça's most visionary scouts, former goalkeeper Ramón Llorens; he was signed in 1934, at the age of 18. He made his debut with the first team on the Christmas Day of 1934, in a friendly match against Sport Club de La Plana in Les Corts (2–1). On one occasion he recalled that he had started as a center forward as a child, but that "I had failed because I was afraid – my physique could not resist hand-to-hand combat; so I continued as a right winger and when I joined Barcelona they put me on the left, not very to my liking, but I adapted easily because I played with both feet".

After scoring 5 goals in 10 friendlies that season, Munlloch made his official debut with the first team in the following season, helping his side to a 5–2 away victory over Sabadell in the opening day of the 1935–36 Catalan championship on 1 September. Just a handful of games and he was already being talked about as a "sensational discovery", and in his first derby, in the Sarrià Stadium on 29 September, which Barça won (1–2), José Luis Lasplazas wrote in the pages of Mundo Deportivo, that "not only was he the best winger on the field, but he was also the best striker, or very close to it. He is easy on plays, precise, and with a true sense of positioning. Munlloch is also an aspiring big star". In his first season at the club, he played a crucial role in helping Barça win the Catalan championship after winning nine games out of ten, with Munlloch playing nine games and scoring three goals, one of them in the rout of CE Júpiter (11–0) on 20 October, just four days after turning 19, and which mathematically gave the team the title.

In his 4 seasons at Barça, Munlloch scored 16 goals in 64 matches, including 14 in 44 competitive games, winning two Catalan Championships in 1935 and 1936, and the inaugural edition of the Mediterranean League in the 1936–37 season, as well as helping his side reach the final of the 1936 Copa del Rey, which ended in a 1–2 loss to Real Madrid.

In the summer of 1937, Munlloch was a member of Barça team that made a tour to Mexico and the United States in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, and at first, he came back to Spain, but left in 1938 to play for Mexican club Asturias, and successfully, as the club won the league in 1938–39. After leaving Barça he played for Olympique de Marseille (1937), Asturias from Mexico (1938–40), Vélez Sarsfield from Argentina (1940), and Atlante from Mexico (1940–46). At Velez Sarsfield, he played only nine matches (one goal) and Velez was relegated, so he returned to Mexico, this time to Atlante where he came very close to winning the 1941–42 championship as they finished tied on 18 points, but then lost the play-off match 5–4; Munlloch did score one goal in that match.

International career
On 15 November 1936, Munlloch earned his first and only international cap for the Catalan national team in a match against Valencia CF at the pro anti-fascist militias festival at the Mestalla Stadium, featuring on attack alongside Josep Escolà in a 0–4 loss.

Playing style
At the beginning of his career, Munlloch played on the right wing, being part of that rare breed of specialist wing players, always sought after and valued. Despite being slim and of short stature, he made up for the lack of muscle with intelligence, skill, and a great change of pace. The sports press praised his speed, audacity, mathematical crosses, and amazing ability on the left wing, as well as his generosity, being hardworking, supportive, and humble, and he always understood football as an associative game.

Munlloch was baptized as "the mathematical center winger" by Soto Viñolo in the pages of 'Barça' in November 1971.

Personal life
His name was sometimes wrongly written as "Julín" or "Julianet" in the press of the time. Munlloch's name spread by word of mouth and the press began to harass him to find out his origins. He loved detective novels, liked adventure movies, and on the desk in his room, in addition to notes and books in French, he accumulated clippings from sports press that mentioned him in order to later read them to "remember these times". In addition to football, he was also passionate about ping-pong and athletics. It was also known that he had a cat.

Death
Munlloch died on 9 January 1966, at the age of 79.

Honours

 * FC Barcelona
 * Catalan championship
 * Champions (1): 1934–35 and 1935–36

Copa del Rey:
 * Runner-up (1): 1936