| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Domingo Carulla Bertran | ||
| Birth name | Domènec Carulla i Bertran | ||
| Date of birth | (1903-10-25)25 October 1903 | ||
| Place of birth | L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 31 December 1939(1939-12-31) (aged 36) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1920–1922 | FC Internacional | ||
| 1922–1923 | UE Sants | ||
| 1923–1930 | FC Barcelona | 267 | (15) |
| 1930 | Celta de Vigo | ||
| 1931–1932 | UE Sants | ||
| International career | |||
| 1921–1927 | Catalonia | 8 | (1) |
| 1927 | Spain B | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Domingo Carulla Bertran (25 October 1903 – 31 December 1939) was a Spanishfootballer who spent most of his career atFC Barcelona.[1][2] Amidfielder with a remarkable technique, Carulla was an outstanding player in the so-called Golden Age of Barcelona, one of the brightest times in the entity's history.[3][4]
He was a member ofSpain's squad for thefootball tournament at the1924 Summer Olympics, but did not play in any matches.[5] He also played one match forSpain B.
Born in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Carulla began his career in 1920, when he was only 17 years old, withFC Internacional, which in 1922 becameUE Sants.[6] His performance was sensational and he aroused the interest of FC Barcelona, which signed him in 1923, making his competitive debut in aCatalan championship match againstSabadell FC (2–1) atLes Corts on 21 October.[3] He remained with Barça until 1930, being one of the most important pieces in Barça's midfield during the club's first golden age in the 20s, forming a great midfield line with the likes ofRamón Torralba andAgustín Sancho, one of the most powerful inSpanish football.[3][7] In the eight campaigns that he spent with the club, he played 267 games, scoring 15 goals (9 goals in 121 competitive games) and winning threeCopa del Rey (1925,1926 and1928) and five Catalan championships.[3]
On 1 January 1929, Barcelona granted him atribute match, which took place at theCamp de la Indústria when he was still an active player, and which pitted Barça againstRacing de Ferrol, with the latter winning 7–2.[6] On 21 September 1930, he played his last match for Barcelona against Sabadell FC (2–1) in a Catalan championship match.[3]
Barça granted him a release letter due to the several injuries that he sustained. He accepted an offer fromCelta de Vigo, where he played from October to December 1930 and, after three months of inactivity, he revived his boots at UE Sants once again, this time playing as aforward.[3] His physique still gave him some days of glory in the second category of the Catalan Championship, like in a match against Sants-Horta (4–1) in March 1931 in which he scored ahat-trick.[3]
Like many other FC Barcelona players of his time, he was eligible to play for theCatalonia national football team, and was part of the team that won the1923–24 Prince of Asturias Cup, an inter-regionalcompetition organized by theRFEF. Carulla played in the replay of theinfamous final of the 1923–24 edition, replacingRamón Trabal to help Catalonia beat aCastile/Madrid XI, netting once in a 3–2 victory that saw Catalonia lift their second Prince of Asturias Cup trophy.[8][9]
He was a member of Spain's squad for the football tournament at the 1924 Summer Olympics, but did not play in any matches.[3][5] He did not make his debut with the main national team, but he did play once with the B team. Carulla earned one internationalcap for the B side in afriendly held inMadrid againstPortugal A side on 29 May 1927, helping his side to a 2–0 win.[3][10]
He married Antònia Comas Codina, a nurse, with whom he had two children: Joan (1925) and Mingo (1934).[3] He lived thanks to a small business until, with theSpanish Civil War, he was expropriated from his house on Aragó Street.[3] Then, in 1937, Carulla suffered a serious illness (tuberculosis) that admitted him to several sanatoriums.[3] Barça organized a match for his benefit on 15 August 1937 at Les Corts. UE Sants gave him another on 12 September, a football match that was disputed by the Catalonian selection and the UE Sants of veterans, and between the Sants first team and the Barcelona reserve team, with both games ending in a two-goal draw.[6]
Carulla died on 31 December 1939 at the Esperit Sant hospital in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. He was only 36 years old. He was buried in the municipal cemetery of Santa Coloma on 1 January 1940.[3]
FC Barcelona
Catalan XI
