Josep Samitier

Who was Josep Samitier?

Josep Samitier Vilalta, also known as José Samitier, was a Spanish footballer, manager and scout who played for FC Barcelona, Madrid CF, OGC Nice, the Catalan XI and Spain. He later coached Athletic Madrid, OGC Nice and CF Barcelona and worked as a scout for both CF Barcelona and Real Madrid.

During his playing career with FC Barcelona he scored 333 goals and currently is the club's all time third top goalscorer with behind Paulino Alcántara who scored 369 goals and Lionel Messi who scored 381 goals. As a player he pioneered the midfield general role and was nicknamed El Mag and Home Llagosta due to his style. As a manager he led CF Barcelona to a La Liga title in 1945 and as a scout he recruited another CF Barcelona legend Ladislao Kubala. However he was later accused of acting as a double agent when the club tried to sign Alfredo Di Stéfano and in the 1960s he fell out with Helenio Herrera and went to work for Real Madrid. Despite his role in the Di Stéfano affair, twice defecting to Real Madrid and his friendship with Franco, he remained a legendary figure at FC Barcelona and when he died in 1972 he was given a virtual state funeral by the club.