A century with La Roja: from Meana from Gijón to Manu García from Oviedo

The first Asturian derby of this season comes in a week of national teams and also coinciding with a relevant anniversary. This Saturday, the same day of the regional duel at the Carlos Tartiere, marks the 100th anniversary of the debut with the absolute Spanish National Team of the first Asturian international .

It was on October 9, 1921 when Manolo Meana debuted with the national team jersey in which, curiously, it was the first match of the National Team in Spanish territory; the previous five were played at the Antwerp Olympic Games. That match was played at the San Mamés stadium against Belgium, it was friendly and Spain wore white, as can be seen in the attached photograph where the Asturian player appears seated on the left.

During this century, 41 footballers have been the absolute internationals that the Principality has given . Meana was the first on October 9, 1921 (Spain-Belgium, San Mamés) and Manu García was the last, on June 8 at La Cartuja in Seville against Lithuania; in total, 42 players from the Principality have worn the national team jersey.

The list of 41 Asturian internationals registered by the Royal Principality Football Federation, in order debut, is the following: Meana, Pololo, Óscar, Adolfo, Galé, Herrerita, Campanal I, Teruel, Emilín, Campanal II, Chus Herrera, Alvarito, Paquito, Marcial, José María, Quini , Uría, Carrete, Cundi, Morán, Joaquín, Julio Alberto, Eloy, Ablanedo II, Luis Manuel, Bango, Luis Enrique, Abelardo, Juanele, Manjarín, Oli, Marcelino, César, Angulo, David Villa, Luis García, Cazorla, Mata , Adrián, Michu and Manu García .

Oviedo players and sportinguistas

In the first big week of the rivalry in Asturias this season, there will be those who wish to add to their discussions about the hegemony in Asturian football, which team has given the most absolute internationals to Spanish football. It is curious, from the outset and regardless of the team, that the first was a man from Gijón (Manolo Meana) and the last (Manu García), a man from Oviedo, or that in the only soccer world title There has been a Spanish player trained in the quarry of Sporting (David Villa) and another in that of Oviedo (Juan Mata) , although neither wore the respective red-white and blue jerseys in that unforgettable 2010.

But if you look at the list of players summoned by the National Team as Oviedo and Sporting players, and without limiting the place of birth to Asturias, you have to agree that the rojiblancos are the majority, even those born in the Principality. The sportinguista payroll in this sense presents 20 footballers : Meana, Adolfo, Quini, Churruca, Megido, Uría, Cundi, Morán, Mesa, Joaquín, Maceda, Jiménez , Eloy, Ablanedo II, Luis Enrique, Abelardo, Juanele, Pier, Julio Salinas and Manu García.

The Oviedo internationals with at least one match with the National Team Spanish are, for their part, the following 16 blue players : Lángara, Galé, Herrerita, Soladrero, Emilín, Jugo, Argila, Paquito, Uría, Galán, Marianín, Luis Manuel, Carlos, Bango, Berto and Cristóbal.

It so happens that Francisco Javier Álvarez Uría has been the the only player in history who was international as a player for both teams . Uría made his debut with the national jersey as a player for Oviedo, on October 21, 1973, in a match against Yugoslavia in Zagreb, and he played the last as a Sporting international on June 18, 1980, in the Italian European Championship against England in Naples. It is anecdotal that those two games of which he was the first Oviedo winger and ended up as a Sportinguista defender-midfielder, seven years apart, were whistled by the Austrian referee Erich Linemayer, one of the best referees of those years.

Two selectors

The Asturian representation in The absolute selection is not reduced to footballers; you also have to review the list of selectors. Without going any further, the bench of the national team is currently occupied by the Gijon Luis Enrique Martínez, the second coach born in the Principality who has managed to reach the highest ceiling to which a coach can aspire .

The first Asturian coach was precisely Manolo Meana , cornerstone of this history of internationals, because not only was he the first international on the pitch or to direct the Spanish National Team (1957-1959), but he was also the coach after having directed both teams, Sporting (1926). -1940 and 1948-1949) and Oviedo (1941-1947). By the way, the Gijonian Meana happens to be the Asturian coach who has directed the blue team the most matches in the First Division.

And, as in footballers, without limiting the place of birth, a coach managed to be a coach after having managed both teams; It is about the Cantabrian Vicente Miera. Now, Oviedo beats Sporting in the match of technicians who have passed through their bench and who sooner or later have led the Spanish National Team. The payroll was opened by Englishman Fred Pentland and followed by Luis Casas Pasarín, Domingo Balmaña, Eduardo Toba and Luis Aragonés, in addition to Miera.