Francesc Arnau

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Arnau and the second or maternal family name is Grabalosa.
Francesc Arnau
Arnau in 2018
Personal information
Full name Francesc Xavier Arnau Grabalosa[1]
Date of birth (1975-03-23)23 March 1975[1]
Place of birth Les Planes, Spain[1]
Date of death 22 May 2021(2021-05-22) (aged 46)
Place of death Oviedo, Spain
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1990–1995 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1999 Barcelona B 119 (0)
1996–2001 Barcelona 24 (0)
2001–2011 Málaga 131 (0)
Total 274 (0)
International career
1996–1998 Spain U21 13 (0)
1997 Spain U23 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Francesc Xavier Arnau Grabalosa (23 March 1975 – 22 May 2021) was a Spanish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

In a 16-year professional career he played for Barcelona and Málaga, appearing in 126 La Liga games over the course of 12 seasons. He later worked as a sporting director.

Club career

Barcelona

Born in Les Planes d'Hostoles, Girona, Catalonia, Arnau was a youth graduate from La Liga powerhouse Barcelona. He made his first-team debut in 1996–97, in a 3–3 home draw against Atlético Madrid on 9 November 1996.[2]

Arnau was second choice to Vítor Baía, Ruud Hesp and Pepe Reina for several seasons, while also registered with the reserves.[3]

Málaga

For the 2001–02 campaign, Arnau moved to Málaga for € 2.1 million, also playing second-fiddle until the departure of Pedro Contreras to Real Betis in 2003. He would eventually become team captain,[4][5] but lost his job in 2007–08 in the Segunda División, to Iñaki Goitia.[6][7]

Goitia was sold also to Betis in summer 2009, but Gustavo Munúa and Roberto Santamaría were also acquired, so Arnau was demoted to as low as third choice. He eventually finished as backup to the Uruguayan, without making one single competitive appearance.[8]

After Munúa's departure, Arnau played the first game of the 2010–11 season – a 3–1 home loss against Valencia – as Rodrigo Galatto was not yet eligible.[9][10] He continued appearing regularly for the side in the following weeks after the Brazilian performed poorly and another new signing, Rubén, went down with an injury.[11]

Arnau played his last match as a professional on 21 May 2011, coming on as a substitute for Willy Caballero in the last minutes of a 3–1 home defeat to his first club Barcelona,[12] with Málaga finally retaining its top-flight status.

International career

Arnau appeared for Spain at the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, being named the tournament's MVP as the country emerged victorious.[13]

Post-retirement

After retiring at the age of 36, Arnau continued working with his last club as a youth coach, alongside former teammate Salva.[14] The former became Málaga's new director of football on 15 December 2015, in replacement of Armando Husillos.[15] In October 2017, after a poor start to the season saw the side placed last in the top tier, he was dismissed and replaced by his predecessor.[16]

Arnau signed with Real Oviedo on 3 December 2019 in the same capacity, on a deal until June 2022.[17]

Death

On 22 May 2021, Arnau was found dead in Oviedo's railway station of La Corredoria, aged 46.[18][19] It was later revealed that he committed suicide.[20]

Honours

Barcelona

Spain U21

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Francesc ARNAU Grabalosa". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. ^ Besa, Ramón (10 November 1996). "Un brindis por el fútbol" [A toast to football]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  3. ^ Sarmiento, Sandra (9 July 2008). "Tres porteros desde el inicio" [Three goalkeepers from the start] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Arnau: "La plantilla apoyará la huelga de futbolistas por solidaridad"" [Arnau: "The squad will be supportive of the footballers' strike out of solidarity"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 12 April 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Arnau, Gámez, Juanito y Fernando, capitanes" [Arnau, Gámez, Juanito and Fernando, captains] (in Spanish). Málaga CF. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Un error de Arnau hunde un poco más al Málaga" [Arnau mistake sinks Málaga a little more]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 March 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  7. ^ "El Málaga es el tercer equipo más goleado de Primera" [Málaga are the team with the third-most goals conceded in Primera] (in Spanish). Viva Fútbol. December 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Arnau regresó a la titularidad un año y 89 días después" [Arnau started again one year and 89 days later]. Málaga Hoy (in Spanish). 30 August 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Galatto, baja ante el Valencia al no haber recibido el transfer" [Galatto, unavailable against Valencia after transfer failed to arrive]. Marca (in Spanish). 28 August 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Valencia shrug off departures". ESPN Soccernet. 28 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  11. ^ Rodríguez, Justo (18 November 2010). "¿Un portero? ¡Pero si ya hay tres!" [A goalkeeper? They have three already!]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Second XI ease to win". ESPN Soccernet. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
  13. ^ "1998: Francesc Arnau". UEFA. 1 June 1998. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  14. ^ Gámez, Miguel (23 March 2011). "El Málaga cuenta con Arnau y Salva como entrenadores de cantera para La Academia" [Málaga count with Arnau and Salva as youth coaches for the Academy]. La Opinión de Málaga (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  15. ^ "Francesc Arnau, nuevo director deportivo del Málaga" [Francesc Arnau, Málaga's new sporting director]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 15 December 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  16. ^ Góngora, Antonio (13 October 2017). "Sheikh Al-Thani sacks Francesc Arnau as sporting director". Diario Sur. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Francesc Arnau, nuevo director deportivo" [Francesc Arnau, new sporting director] (in Spanish). Real Oviedo. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Former Barcelona goalkeeper Francesc Arnau dies". Diario AS. 22 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  19. ^ Urbón, I. (22 May 2021). "Muere Arnau, director deportivo del Oviedo y ex del Barcelona" [Death of Arnau, sporting director of Oviedo and formerly with Barcelona]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  20. ^ "La muerte de Arnau fue más trágica de lo que se creía: se arrojó a las vías del tren" [Arnau's death was more tragic than was believed: he threw himself onto the train tracks] (in Spanish). Sport Cartagena. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  21. ^ "1998 Under-21 EURO: Iván Pérez applies finishing touch". UEFA. 1 June 1998. Retrieved 12 May 2023.