Antonio Bernabéu de Yeste (19 April 1890 – 1967) was a Spanish lawyer, politician, and footballer[1] who played as a forward for Bologna, which he co-founded in 1909.[2] He served as both the 10th president of the Spanish Football Federation between 1940 and 1941,[3] and the 12th president of the National Committee of Referees from 1951 to 1952.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Bernabéu | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 19 April 1890 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Almansa, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 1967 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Madrid, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1909–1912 | Bologna | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and education
Antonio Bernabéu was born on 19 April 1890 in Almansa,[1][2] where his family lived, as the son of Antonia de Yeste Núñez and the lawyer José Bernabéu Ibáñez, administrator of the properties of the Marquis of Villafuerte and the Countess of Montealegre.[1]
Between 1909 and 1912, he was a student at the Collegio di Spagna a college for Spanish students at the University of Bologna, Italy.[1][2] While there, he was one of the founders of Bologna FC, becoming its first-ever foreign player and leaving the team after graduating in law.[1][2][4] During his three years there, Bernabéu made 13 appearances and 8 goals for the rossoblù.[2] The data still available today gives him as the scorer of the fifth match in Bologna's history (1–4), which was played on 19 February 1911 against Verona. When he returned to Spain, he became manager of Real Madrid, where his younger brother Santiago was playing, going on to become the most important president in the club's history and to whom the stadium in the city is now named.[2]
Later life
In 1926, Bernabéu was appointed as the 6th president of the Spanish Football Federation (replacing Julián Olave), a position that he held for one year until 1927, when he was replaced by Pedro Díez de Rivera.[3][5]
In the 1936 Spanish general election, Bernabéu, a lawyer by profession, was elected deputy for the Albacete constituency for the CEDA party with 75,351 votes.[1][6]
Death
Bernabéu died in Madrid in July 1967, at 77 years of age.[1]
Honours
Real Madrid
- Terza Categoria:
- Winners: 1909–10