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Hermenegild Casellas
Personal information
Full name	Hermenegild Casellas Bosch
Date of birth	1890
Place of birth	Catalonia, Spain
Date of death	1969 (aged 78–79)
Place of death	El Pla de Santa Maria, Catalonia, Spain
Position(s)	Midfielder and Defender
Youth career
1903–1906	Joventut FC
Senior career*
Years	Team
1906–1910	Català FC
1910–1918	FC Espanya
International career
1910-1916	Catalonia
Medal record
Catalonia
Prince of Asturias Cup
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Hermenegild Casellas Bosch (1890 – 1969) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder and later as defender.^[1] Together with Alfredo Massana, he was considered the best Catalan midfielder at the time. Although history seems to have blurred the legend of Casellas, he was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of FC Espanya, being a pivotal piece in turning FC Espanya into an important team in Catalonia.^[2]

Club career

Born in Catalonia, He began his career at the youth team of Joventut FC, from where he joined Català FC in the mid-1900s, playing for them until 1911, when he signed for FC Espanya, with whom he played for nearly a decade. First, as a midfielder, and later as a defender, he was one of the main architects of the team's football power in Catalonia, competing head-to-head against the likes of Barcelona and Espanyol,^[2] being crucial in helping them to win three Catalan championships in 1912–13, 1913–14 and 1916–17, and he also was pivotal in helping Espanya reach the 1914 Copa del Rey Final, which still stands as the only Copa del Rey Final of the club's history, but they lost 1–2 to Athletic Bilbao, courtesy of a brace from Severino Zuazo.^[3] He retired in 1918, and later became the club's manager.^[4]

International career

He played several matches for the Catalonia national team, against the likes of Basque Country, France and Madrid, the latter of which being the decisive game of the 1916 Prince of Asturias Cup, which ended in a 2–2 draw that proved enough for Catalonia to lift their first-ever piece of silverware.^[5] Casellas scored his only goal for the Catalans in a 2–2 draw with Gipuzkoa on 1 November 1915.

Later life

Around 1916 he moved to El Pla de Santa Maria, where he introduced football to the town, and where he lived until his death in 1969, at the age of 79.^[2]

Honours

Club

FC Espanya

Catalan championship:
- Champions (3): 1912–13, 1913–14 and 1916–17
Copa del Rey:
- Runner-up (1): 1914

International

Catalonia

Prince of Asturias Cup:
- Champions (1): 1916

References

^ "Hermenegild Casellas Bosch - Footballer". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Hermenegildo Casellas". la-calaixera.blog.cat. 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
^ "Spain - Cup 1914". RSSSF. 19 January 2000. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^ "El Homenaje a Casellas" [The tribute to Casellas]. hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com. La Vanguardia. 9 September 1925. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^ Vicente Martínez Calatrava (17 August 2009). "La Copa Príncipe de Asturias" [The Prince of Asturias Cup] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2022.