Maria Antònia Mínguez Martín (born 5 March 1947) was a Catalan footballer and women's football pioneer in Catalonia. She played in Barcelona's first-ever match on 25 December 1970,[1][2][3] thus becoming the first goalkeeper in the club's history.[4][5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maria Antònia Mínguez Martín | ||
| Date of birth | 5 March 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1974 | Barcelona | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Biography
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Together with Carme Nieto, Alicia Estivill, Lolita Ortíz, and Immaculada Cabecerán, the main promoter of the event, Mínguez contested the first match of the women's FC Barcelona team against Unió Esportiva Centelles on 25 December 1970, which was held at Camp Nou in front of 60,000 spectators.[1][2][3] She was the team's goalkeeper and her performance in the penalty shootout was decisive in achieving victory (4–3).[1] She later stated that "we won that first trophy because of the penalties that I saved. I was the heroine".[5] She was taught to "stop everything that was shot at me" by the second coach César, who eventually told the first coach Antoni Ramallets that "she was ready".[5] In Barça's inaugural season in 1971–72, she scored 0 goals.[6]
Mínguez stayed at the club for four years, from 1970 to 1974, and during this period, she alternated with fellow goalkeeper Núria Llansà.[1][7] From her retirement from football until her actual retirement she worked as a nurse.[1]
On 21 December 2020, the FC Barcelona Players' Association organized a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of that first match, which was held in the Sala Roma, and the broadcast of the party's anniversary allowed two of those pioneers, María Antonia Mínguez and Consuelo Pérez, to get in touch with their former teammates with whom they had not had a relationship for decades, thus reuniting with their teammates thanks to the television and social media promotion of this event.[1] Both of them have become members of the Group of pioneers in the club's women's football section.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Agradecimiento de las pioneras al Club y a la Agrupación" [Thanks from the pioneers to the Club and the Group]. www.fcbarcelona.com (in Spanish). 25 January 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b "FC Barcelona Women's Golden Anniversary". www.fcbarcelona.com. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Se cumplen 50 años de la primera vez que el Camp Nou abrió las puertas a las mujeres" [50 years have passed since the first time Camp Nou opened its doors to women]. www.marca.com (in Spanish). 25 December 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Les mans del Barça femení" [The hands of the women's Barça]. www.elperiodico.cat (in Catalan). 16 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Las Pioneras del Barça" [The Pioneers of Barça]. www.mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). 6 January 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "TROFEO "PASTIS 51" A LA MAXIMA GOLEADORA" ["PASTIS 51" TROPHY TO THE TOP GOAL SCORER]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 10 March 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "La història comença amb setze heroïnes" [The story begins with sixteen heroines]. www.sport.es (in Catalan). 24 December 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2024.