| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Josep Escolà Segalés | ||
| Date of birth | (1914-08-28)28 August 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 7 March 1998(1998-03-07) (aged 83) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Sants | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1932–1934 | Sants | ? | (?) |
| 1934 | Espanyol[1] | ? | (?) |
| 1934–1937 | Barcelona | 51 | (38) |
| 1937–1939 | Sète | 26 | (15) |
| 1940–1948 | Barcelona | 115 | (55) |
| Total | 192 | (108) | |
| International career | |||
| 1941–1945 | Spain | 2 | (1) |
| 1931–1948 | Catalan XI | 10 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1949–1950 | Badalona | ||
| 1951–1952 | Sabadell | ||
| 1954–1955 | Castellón | ||
| 1955–1956 | Levante | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Josep Escolà Segalés (28 August 1914 – 7 March 1998), also referred to asJosé Escolà, was a Spanishfootballer who played as aforward. He spent most of his club career atFC Barcelona. Escolà also played for bothSpain and theCatalan XI. After retiring as player in 1948, Escolà managedCF Badalona,CE Sabadell FC,[2]CD Castellón andLevante UD.
Born inBarcelona,Catalonia, Escolà made hisLa Liga debut forFC Barcelona underFranz Platko on 2 December 1934 and scored the fourth goal in a 4-0 win againstArenas Club de Getxo atLes Corts. During his debut season with the club, he helped them win theCampionat de Catalunya. Under Platko’s successor,Patrick O'Connell, and with a team that also includedDomènec Balmanya,Joan Josep Nogués andEnrique Fernández, he helped the club win a further Campionat de Catalunya and reach the1936 Copa del Presidente de la República Final. Barça playedMadrid CF and with the Madrid club leading 2-1, Escolà was denied a late equalizer after a spectacular save byRicardo Zamora.
During the following season, 1936–37, national football was suspended because of theSpanish Civil War. HoweverFC Barcelona and other clubs in theRepublican area ofSpain competed in theMediterranean League and Escolà, Balmanya and O’Connell helped the club win this title. In 1937FC Barcelona, including Escolà, Balmanya and O’Connell, went on a fund raising tour toMexico and theUnited States. The club played fourteen games and opponents includedClub América,Atlante F.C.,Necaxa and aMexican XI. In theUnited States, FC Barcelona played in and won a tournament against aBrooklyn XI, aNew York XI and aHebrew XI and then played aUSA XI. In financial terms this tour saved the club, but O’Connell returned toSpain with only four players. The remaining players went into exile and Escolà and Balmanya signed forFC Sète inFrance.
After theSpanish Civil War ended in 1939,Francoist Spain imposed a six-year ban on any exiled sportsmen returning to Spain. HoweverEnrique Piñeyro, the president ofCF Barcelona, campaigned in favour of several of the club’s players and Escolà and Balmanya returned from exile in 1941. During their first season back, Barça, withJoan Josep Nogués now as coach, narrowly avoided being relegated after winning a play-off againstReal Murcia. Despite this however the club managed to win theCopa del Generalísimo, with Escolà scoring their two opening goals, as they beatAtlético Bilbao 4–3 after extra time.
In 1943 Escolà also played in the controversialCopa del Generalísimo semi-final againstReal Madrid. During the first-leg atLes Corts, which Barça won 3–0, he was severely kicked in the stomach and had to retire from the game. In the return leg they were beaten11–1 at theCharmartín. It has been alleged that the Barça players, including Escolà, were pressurised into losing the game by supporters ofFrancoist Spain. However, the historian Bernardo Salazar interviewed both Escolà and Balmanya, who were part of the squad back then, and both denied these facts.
Towards the end of Escolà’s playing career withCF Barcelona, the squad was reinforced with among others,Mariano Martín,Josep Gonzalvo,Marià Gonzalvo,César,Velasco and later,Estanislao Basora andAntoni Ramallets. In his last years with the club, Escolà helped Barça winLa Liga twice, under coachJosep Samitier in 1945 and under coachEnrique Fernández in 1948.
Between 1931 and 1948, Escolà also played 10 games and scored twice for theCatalan XI. The first of his two goals was scored in a 2–1 win againstBrazil atLes Corts on 17 June 1934. He also played twice forSpain, both times againstPortugal. Both games finished as 2–2 draws and Escolà scored on his debut on 12 January 1941. The second game was played on 11 March 1945.
Barcelona
Levante
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Barcelona | 1934–35 | La Liga | 18 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 33 | 37 |
| 1935–36 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 35 | 38 | ||
| 1936–37 | 14 | 7 | – | 10 | 4 | 24 | 11 | |||
| Total | 51 | 38 | 12 | 14 | 29 | 34 | 92 | 86 | ||
| FC Sète | 1937–38 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 3 | – | 17 | 12 | |
| 1938–39 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 6 | |||
| Total | 26 | 15 | 2 | 3 | – | 28 | 18 | |||
| Barcelona | 1940–41 | La Liga | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | – | 12 | 10 | |
| 1941–42 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 8 | – | 18 | 11 | |||
| 1942–43 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 6 | – | 22 | 14 | |||
| 1943–44 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – | 22 | 5 | |||
| 1944–45 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 3 | – | 29 | 19 | |||
| 1945–46 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 8 | ||
| 1946–47 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | 15 | 9 | |||
| 1947–48 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 4 | 1 | |||
| Total | 115 | 55 | 26 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 142 | 77 | ||
| Career total | 192 | 108 | 40 | 37 | 30 | 36 | 263 | 181 | ||