Armand Martínez Sagi falsified his age and is not Barcelona’s youngest footballer

Who is the youngest footballer in the history of Barcelona? Following the appearance of a prodigy like Lamine Yamal, who debuted on April 29, 2023 at just 15 years and 291 days old, the statistics coincided: the absolute record was held by Armand Martínez Sagi, who played a match for the first time. of official competition on November 14, 1920 when he was… 14 years and 200 days old. Insurmountable. Yes, insurmountable but false.

Documents such as the one attached to these pages (consular visa to move to Brazil in 1952) gave absolute credibility to the birth of Martínez Sagi. The fact was endorsed with a certain officiality: he was born on April 28, 1906. The record was his.

He was born in 1900 and not in 1906, so he debuted at the age of 20 and not at 14 as was thought.

However, it has just been discovered that the historic Blaugrana footballer falsified his age and took off no less than six years! It is not an unusual case, far from it. The best known was Helenio Herrera, of whom it was learned, some time after his death, that he was not born in 1916, as he claimed and stated in his identity documents, but that he came into the world in 1910. Again, six years apart and again playing with the zero, easily manipulated in a handwritten document to magically become a six.

Herrera acted like this to extend his football career, at a time (he played for French teams from 1932 to 1945) in which reaching thirty practically meant being on the bench and retiring. HH played until he was 35 (unknown) and many years later he repeated the strategy as coach of FC Barcelona, ​​in 1980 and 1981, when he already looked old, at 64-65 years old, which in reality was more than 70.

Why did Armand Martínez Sagi act in a similar way? It is one more mystery that may be clarified one day. He played for Barcelona until 1925 (only 14 official matches and five goals) and after a brief appearance for Alfonso XIII (precursor of RCD Mallorca) he hung up his boots in 1929.

He then had an outstanding career as a billiards player and became world classic fantasy champion in May 1932 in Lille. He was the cousin of, yes, a very outstanding Blaugrana footballer, Emili Sagi Liñán. And brother of the poet, journalist, athlete and advanced feminist Anna Maria Martínez Sagi, the first female director of FC Barcelona (in 1934). The Blaugrana story of the two brothers was beautiful: she was the first manager, he was the youngest debutant.

“It has been, as so many times, the result of chance,” explains José Alberto Salas, one of the authors of the monumental Great dictionary of Barça players, unavoidable reference work. “I was looking for information about another Martínez, an Espanyol footballer from the beginning of the 20th century, and suddenly I found the birth record in Barcelona of Armand Martínez Sagi.” And the footballer’s precocity collapsed. The reference, as recorded in the official records of the City Council of the Catalan capital, leaves no room for doubt. Armando Ricardo Eugenio Martínez Sagi was the son of José, 29 years old, and Consuelo, 18. Residents at 102 Caspe Street. Born on April 28, 1900, at eleven in the morning, and registered in the court of the University on the 30th. So, when he made his debut for Barcelona he was already twenty years old, not those certainly suspicious fourteen.

Martínez Sagi maintained the misunderstanding until the end of his days. Settled in Montevideo, he died on July 11, 1997, and in the Uruguayan death registry the date of birth is once again indicated as 1906.

It is fair to note that Sister Anna Maria’s biographer, Juan Manuel de Prada ( The corners of the air 2000) already sensed something strange in this matter and ventured that Armand was probably born around 1901, “and all the records of football precocity attributed to him should be considered apocryphal.” I was not wrong. Another suspicious piece of information, although not definitive, was provided by the sister’s date of birth: February 16, 1907. Only nine and a half months after Armand’s false date.

So who is now the youngest debutant? This is Alfredo Gil Porta, born in Barcelona on January 10, 1891 and debutant in official competition on March 4, 1906. At 15 years, 1 month and 23 days old. He is followed in the ranking by Paulino Alcántara (15-4-28), Arseni Comamala (15-5-03), a barely known goalkeeper named Antoni Robert (15-7-25) and, in fifth position, Lamine Yamal (15- 9-16).

The story of the new record holder, Gil, is certainly sad. He joined the team from the athletic section of FC Barcelona, ​​played three official matches (and 12 friendlies) and died, still active, on January 27, 1908, when he had just turned 17. The death certificate indicates that he died at his home on Aribau Street in Barcelona, ​​a victim of typhoid fever.