| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jaime Domènech Roca | ||
| Birth name | Jaume Domènech i Roca | ||
| Date of birth | (1914-02-16)16 February 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Viladecans, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 27 August 2004(2004-08-27) (aged 90) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Viladecans | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1932–1935 | Espanyol | ||
| 1935–1941 | Valencia | ||
| 1941–1944 | Málaga | ||
| 1944–1947 | Real Murcia | ||
| 1947–1948 | Sants | ||
| 1948–1949 | Viladecans | ||
| 1949–1950 | Gavà | ||
| 1950–1951 | Santboià | ||
| 1951–1952 | Viladecans | ||
| International career | |||
| 1933–1934 | Catalonia | 5 | (0) |
| 1936 | Valencian Community | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jaime Domènech Roca (16 February 1914 – 27 August 2004) was a Spanishfootballer who played as aforward forEspanyol andValencia in the 1930s. He also played five matches for theCatalan national team in 1933 and 1934.
Born inCatalonian town ofViladecans on 16 February 1914, Domènech began his career in the youth ranks of his hometown club Viladecans, where he quickly stood out as a right winger, so he was signed by top-flight club Espanyol in 1932, aged 18.[1][2][a] After a brieft stint with the second team, he make his debut with the first in aLa Liga match againstRacing de Santander on 12 February 1932, which ended in a 3–1 loss.[1] In total, he scored 2 goals in 16 official matches for Espanyol, where he stayed for three years, from 1932 until 1935, when he signed for Valencia.[4]
Domènech quickly established himself as an undisputed starter, starting 21 of the 22 league matches in his first season, standing out for his refined skill, smooth ball control, precise crosses, and good dribbling style.[1] In his second season, he helped Valencia reach the final of the1937 Copa de la España Libre atLes Corts on 18 July, which ended in a 1–0 loss toLevante.[5][6] By the time theSpanish Civil War ended in 1939, he was still in Valencia's starting line-up, but the arrival ofEpi decreased his playing time.[1] In 1941, his last year in Valencia, the club won1941 Copa del Generalísimo, but he failed to play a single cup match of that campaign, thus not being considered one of its winners.[1]
In 1941, Domènech signed forSegunda División sideMálaga, where he stayed for three years, until 1944,[7] when he returned to the top-flight withReal Murcia, where he also stayed for three years, until 1947, scoring a total of 10 goals in 53 official matches.[1][3] He then played one season each for the likes ofSants (1947–48),Viladecans (1948–49),Gavà (1949–50),Santboià (1950–51), and again Viladecans, where he retired in 1952, aged 38.[2][3][8] In 1948, he was the subject of atribute match in his hometown of Viladecans.[9]
Like so many other Espanyol players, Domènech was eligible to play for the Catalan national team,[2] making his debut againstMartinenc in a tribute match toCarlos Altés on 20 August 1933, helping his side to a 5–3 win. The following year, in June 1934, he started for Catalonia in twofriendlies against theBrazilian national team, winning the first 2–1, and drawing the latter at two.[3][10] Two months later, on 15 August, he started alongside his brother in a tribute match to Josep Calvet, helping their side to a 3–0 win over their former club Sants.[11] He earned his last two caps in 1936, one alongside his brother in a 4–0 loss toValencia on 15 November 1936, and the other in a 4–4 draw against Barça on 16 May 1937.[12]
Domènech also played forValencian football team in 1936.[2]
Domènech died inBarcelona on 27 August 2004, at the age of 65.[1][13]