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Pau Vidal (footballer, born 1920)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Vidal and the second or maternal family name is Oliver.

Pablo Vidal Oliver (22 July 1920 – 25 December 2004), was a Spanish footballer who played for Mallorca and Real Madrid as a Forward. He is considered one of the best left wingers in Spanish football in the 1940s.

Early life

Born in Palma. He was the only son of Pau Vidal Sastre, a shoemaker by profession, and Catalina Oliver Mut. He began playing football with Espanya de Llucmajor, but the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) led him to complete military service in Menorca. After the war, he joined Mallorca.[2]

Career

In the 1939–40 season, Spanish football underwent a radical restructuring, placing Mallorca and Constància in a newly formed Segunda División, organized into geographical groups alongside Castellón, Levante, Sabadell, Girona, Granollers, and Badalona. Mallorca finished second to last and was relegated. During the 1943–44 season, Mallorca earned promotion back to Segunda División, with Vidal establishing himself as one of the team's key players in the left winger position. However, he subsequently signed for Real Madrid, making the jump to La Liga.

Vidal made his official debut for Real Madrid on 28 January 1945, and remained with the club for five seasons, from 1944–45 to 1948–49. During this period, he won two Copa del Rey titles, in 1946 and 1947. He missed the 1946 final at Montjuïc against Valencia due to injury, with Elices taking his place.[3] He also had the honor of being in Real Madrid’s starting lineup for the inaugural match at the Nuevo Chamartín Stadium, later renamed the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, on 14 December 1947.

In the 1949–50 season, Vidal returned to Mallorca after making 86 official appearances and scoring 19 goals for Real Madrid. His return coincided with a modest league campaign for Mallorca, but the team reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the first time in its history. During the 1952–53 season, Vidal managed CE Espanya de Llucmajor.[4] In June 1953, at the age of 33, he retired from professional football. He then took charge of Mallorca as head coach during a period of severe financial crisis, with the club back in the Tercera División. Vidal managed Mallorca throughout the 1954–55 season and part of 1955–56, before being replaced by Hungarian coach Esteban Platko.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[5]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Mallorca 1939–40 Segunda División 5 4 0 0 — 5 4
1941–42 Primera Regional ? ? — 7[a] 3 7 3
1942–43 Primera Regional ? ? 0 0 7[a] 6 7 6
1943–44 Primera Regional ? ? 0 0 — 0 0
Total 5 4 0 0 14 9 19 13
Real Madrid 1944–45 La Liga 14 7 3 1 — 17 8
1945–46 La Liga 21 4 0 0 — 21 4
1946–47 La Liga 17 2 6 2 — 23 4
1947–48 La Liga 15 3 4 0 0 0 19 3
1948–49 La Liga 5 0 1 0 — 6 0
Total 72 16 14 3 0 0 86 19
Mallorca 1949–50 Segunda División 18 6 3 2 — 21 8
1950–51 Segunda División 23 3 0 0 — 23 3
1951–52 Segunda División 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
Total 42 9 3 2 — 45 11
Career total 119 29 17 5 14 9 150 43
  1. ^ a b Appearances in Promotion to remain in second division

Honours

Real Madrid

References

  1. ^ "Pablo Antonio Vidal Oliver". BDFutol.
  2. ^ "Pau Vidal, un grande del fútbol español" (in Spanish). ultimahora.es. 27 December 2004.
  3. ^ "Copa del Generalísimo 1946".
  4. ^ "Marco Asensio sigue la estela de Pau Vidal" (in Catalan). Diario De Mallorca. 1 March 2018.
  5. ^ Pau Vidal at BDFutbol