The Irishman who was Real Madrid’s First Leader
The Ireland football team has never achieved any significant level of excellence, although they have had several notable figures in the sport throughout history. Patrick O’Connell, the one who saved FC Barcelona, and William McCrum, the creator of the penalty kick, are both notable figures in sports history. However, what may be unknown to certain individuals is that the most influential figure at Real Madrid was, in fact, of Irish origin.
1879 saw the birth of Arthur Johnson in County Dublin, Ireland. Ireland experienced a “mini-famine” this year, primarily in the west of the nation. The nation belonged to the British Empire. According to numerous accounts, Arthur identified himself as an Englishman.
Real Madrid Playing Career
In 1902, 23-year-old Arthur Johnson joined Real Madrid. When Johnson relocated to Madrid, football was still in its early stages throughout the country. He debuted in Real Madrid’s first ever official match, which was the Copa de la Coronación. It was a competition held to honour the coronation of Alfonso XIII of Spain. The competition was held between Club Español de Foot-Ball, Bizcaya (Combined team of Athletic Club and Bilbao Football Club), FC Barcelona, New Foot-Ball Club (Founded by Cambridge & Oxford University graduates based in Madrid), and Real Madrid.
In the semifinals on the 13th of May, 1902, Real Madrid played FC Barcelona. Arthur Johnson scored the first goal in Real Madrid’s history in the 3-1 defeat.
Bizcaya went on to win the competition by beating FC Barcelona 2-1.
Arthur continued to play until 1904; he lined out as a forward and a goalkeeper during this period. He won the Campeonato Regional Centro and Copa del Ray on four occasions, he also won the Copa de la Gran Peña in 1902. Between 1905 and 1910, Arthur returned to London for work.
Real Madrid’s White Kit
The Dublin native reportedly watched a match at London’s Oval cricket stadium between Corinthian F.C. and another team. Arthur got the idea for Real Madrid to wear white jerseys from them because they were wearing white. Real Madrid’s white shirts are still recognisable hundreds of years later.
Managerial Career
Six years later, he returned to Real Madrid to become the club’s first coach.
In 1912, under the reign of Arthur, Real Madrid relocated their stadium. The stadium was designated as the “O’Donnell Stadium”. The stadium was located on O’Donnell Street, which was named after Leopoldo O’Donnell, an army general of Irish descent.
As the Real Madrid coach, he won the Campeonato Regional Centro in 1912/13, 1915/16, 1916/17, 1917/18 and the Copa del Rey in 1917.
Arthur Johnson was responsible for overseeing the addition of a few significant men to the first team, notably Santiago Bernabéu, who ultimately became the president.
Four Principles
Arthur created four game-governing principles in fluent Spanish in an effort to enhance both the behaviour of his own squad and the competition as a whole.
The principles were published in the Heraldo del Sport, which was a sports newspaper during this period. It was titled “The Instructions for the Good Development of Football”
The first principle that he proposed was that before a game began, each team should select their bosses so he could arrange and divide the players fairly over the field.
His second principle was the notion that players should occupy their current positions and avoid from switching with teammates. Johnson said that by doing this, players will be able to understand their teammates’ positions and avoid confusion.
Johnson suggests that players bring the ball back into play more quickly and pass it when they can in his third and fourth principles, which are much simpler.
Death
In 1929, at the age of 50, the Dublin native passed away due to pneumonia. He was laid to rest in Rake Lake Cemetery Wallasey in England. Arthur will be recognised as one of Real Madrid’s first real leaders, their first manager, first goalscorer and for teaching them how to excel at football.
About The Author
