Samitier, Martínez Sagi and Vázquez Montalbán have streets named after them in the neighbourhood next to the Estadi Johan Cruyff
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The work relating to the urban planing of the sector of 'les Begudes' has entered its final phase and the Sant Joan Despí city council has approved the names of the new streets, squares and parks. The criteria for the names in the zone has taken advantage of the fact that it is where the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper and Estadi Johan Cruyff are located with three of the names proposed linked to FC Barcelona. As such, there will be streets named after Pepe Samitier, the leading player at Barça during the the Club's golden age in the 1920s; Anna Maria Martínez Sagi, the first women to form part of the Club's Board of Directors; and the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, a self-confessed Barça fan and author of the famous articles 'Barça! Barça! Barça!', published in 1969 which led to the popularity of the phrase 'Més que un club!' (More than a club!).
As well as the names linked to Barça, others will pay tribute to important figures related to civil rights, culture, education and sport, with women well represented. Street names will honour the figures of Clara Campoamor, the driving force behind the women's suffragette movement in Spain; Frederica Montseny, the first woman to hold a State cabinet post; the teacher Marta Mata, the leader of a educational revolution has a park named after her in the centre of the neighbourhood and Núria Pompeia, pioneer amongst feminist artists will also have a square named in her honour.
More information on the names linked to Barça at 'les Begudes'
Carrer d’Anna María Martínez Sagi (1907-2000): poet, journalist and Catalan track and field athlete, she was Champion of Catalonia in the discus and Catalan record holder in the javelin. A pioneer in women's sport, she shone in disciplines as varied as tennis, skiing and swimming. in 1934 Martínez Sagi became the first female member of the FC Barcelona board of directors and the first in Spanish Football. Her objective was to create a culture within the Club, promoting women's sport and creating a women's gymnastic section.
Carrer de Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1939-2003): Novelist, journalist, essayist, humorist, critic and gastronome..., best know for his fictional detective Pepe Carvalho. 2019 saw the 50th anniversary of the publication of his articles, Barça! Barça! Barça! in the magazine 'Triunfo' which popularised the concept that Baça is more than a Club, a phrase coined by president Narcís de Carreras some years previously. In the piece Vázquez Montalbán defended FC Barcelona as a symbol of Catalan idiosyncrasy and as provider of social cohesion.
Josep 'Pepe' Samitier (1902-1972): footballer considered one of the most important in FC Barcelona's history and the best European player of his generation, Josep Samitier led a formidable Barça side in the club's golden age, the 1920s. His acrobatic style and his prodigious leap captivated the Barça fans and he soon become their hero and earned himself nicknames such as the 'Lobster Man' and 'the Wizard'. With exceptional technique and an eye for goal with both feet, a team was built around Samitier that led to the Club into the first real boom in football history, ending with FC Barcelona having to leave their modest ground at Carrer Indústria for a bigger one at Les Corts in 1922. After his playing days were over he later become both coach and technical secretary at FC Barcelona.
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