 Peral | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Suárez González | ||
| Date of birth | (1911-04-10)10 April 1911 | ||
| Place of birth | Sevilla, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 28 May 1967(1967-05-28) (aged 56) | ||
| Place of death | Sevilla, Spain | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1927 | Triaca | ||
| 1927–1929 | Real Betis Cantera | ||
| 1929–1936 | Real Betis | ||
| 1939–1944 | Real Betis | ||
| 1944 | Calavera | ||
| International career | |||
| 1938 | Spain (unofficial) | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1944 | Calavera | ||
| 1944–1945 | Real Betis | ||
| 1947 | Real Betis | ||
| 1949 | Real Betis | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Suárez González, better known asPeral (10 April 1911 – 28 May 1967) was a Spanishfootballer who played as adefender forReal Betis between 1929 and 1944. After retiring, he became amanager, taking over Betis on several occasions throughout the 1940s.
He played a crucial role in the great Betis team of the early 1930s, which reached the1931 Copa del Rey final, and then won the1931–32 Segunda División and the1934–35 La Liga, the only league title in the club's history.
Born inAndalusian town ofSevilla on 10 April 1911, Peral began his football career at Triaca, a club based in theSan Bernardo neighborhood [es], from which he joinedReal Betis Cantera in August 1927, aged 16, making his debut with the first on 27 October 1929, in afriendly match against Sporting Córdoba, which ended in a 1–0 defeat.[1] A few months later, on 11 February 1930, he made his official debut for the team in aSegunda División match againstIberia at the Patronato stadium, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[2]
Together withRosendo Romero,Adolfo Martín,Andrés Aranda, Peral was a member of the Betis team that reached the 1931 Copa del Rey final atChamartín, which ended in a 3–1 loss toAthletic Bilbao.[3] The following season, he scored one goal in 17 matches as Betis won the 1931–32 Segunda División, thus achieving promotion to La Liga for the first time.[4] Three years later, he played in all 22 matches of Betis' title-winning 1934–35 La Liga campaign, the first (and only) league title in the club's history.[1][5][6] This victory qualified the club for the1935 Iberian Cup, which ended in a 4–2 loss to thePrimeira Liga championsFC Porto.[7] Despite all of this success, the departure of president Antonio Moreno Sevillano coupled with the outbreak of theSpanish Civil War dismantled the champion team, with the only survivors being Peral,Pepe Valera, andSaro.[8]
Once the conflict was over, Peral returned to Betis in 1939, which was relegated to the Second Division in 1940, but he then helped his side return to the top flight by winning the1941–42 Segunda División.[9] Despite rumours that he was going to retire in the summer of 1942, he ultimately renewed his contract with Betis and played another season back in the top flight, which ended with another relegation.[9] On 10 September 1944, the 33-year-old Peral was the subject of atribute match againstReal Murcia atHeliópolis, which Betis won 3–0.[9][10]
During his time at Betis, he scored a total of 2 goals in 69 Andalusian Championship matches, 2 goals in 60Copa del Rey matches, but only one goal in 164 league matches,[9] including one goal in 101La Liga matches.[11] He also played for the likes ofCalavera andOnuba FC [es] (currently known asRecreativo de Huelva).[1]
During the Civil War,General Franco saw the opportunity to use football as a positive propaganda tool, but a 2–1 loss toPortugal inVigo on 28 November 1937 forced Franco's leaders to take extra care with the return match inLisbon, thus holding several preparatory matches against local teams in December 1937, with Peral making his debut inSalamanca, which ended with him between the sticks following an injury to goalkeeperGuillermo Eizaguirre.[10] After two friendlies against a Seville XI, both he and fellow Betis teammateEnrique Soladrero were called up by theSpanish national team for theunofficial friendly against Portugal, which ended in a 1–0 loss.[10][12]
The following month, in February, Peral started in two friendlies in North Africa, after which he returned to the rearguard.[10] As they were played during the Civil War, none of his matches for Spain were recognized byFIFA.[9][10]
After retiring, Peral briefly worked as aplayer-coach of Calavera at the start of the 1944–45 season, from which he joined Real Betis' reserve team.[9] Following the resignation ofAndrés Aranda in December 1944, he took over the club's first team, which he oversaw in 14 second division matches, which ended in 7 victories, 2 draws, and 5 losses.[9][13] This was the first of three occasions on which Peral replaced a coach after their resignation or dismissal,[14] with his second stint consisting of only the last matchday of the 1946–47 season, when relegation to theTercera División was already confirmed; Betis facedRacing de Santander, then coached byPedro Areso, a former Betis teammate.[9][10]
Peral fiercely defended his club on football talk shows until the mid-1960s; for instance, in 1958, on the occasion of Betis's promotion to the top flight, he stated that "Betis is felt deep within, and there are times I wish I were younger so I could hear its name on the loudspeakers when a match is about to be played".[10]
Peral died in Seville on 28 May 1967, at the age of 56.[13] A few months later, on 10 August, the Betis president, Pascual Aparicio, requested that the Real Betis Gold Medal be awarded to him posthumously.[10]