Francesc "Tito" Vilanova Bayó (17 September 1968 – 25 April 2014) was a Spanish professional football central midfielder and manager.
.jpg) Vilanova in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francesc Vilanova Bayó | ||
| Date of birth | 17 September 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Bellcaire d'Empordà, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 25 April 2014 (aged 45) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1984–1987 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1988 | Barcelona C | 35 | (3) |
| 1988–1990 | Barcelona B | 52 | (6) |
| 1990–1992 | Figueres | 72 | (6) |
| 1992–1995 | Celta | 26 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Badajoz | 33 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | Mallorca | 10 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Lleida | 21 | (3) |
| 1998–2000 | Elche | 63 | (6) |
| 2000–2001 | Gramenet | 28 | (2) |
| Total | 340 | (29) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2002–2003 | Barcelona (youth) | ||
| 2003–2004 | Palafrugell | ||
| 2005–2006 | Figueres | ||
| 2006–2007 | Terrassa | ||
| 2007–2008 | Barcelona B (assistant) | ||
| 2008–2012 | Barcelona (assistant) | ||
| 2012–2013 | Barcelona | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
After a career which consisted of a total of 26 La Liga matches in three seasons, all with Celta, he went on to work with Barcelona as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola, being part of the squad that had won 14 titles.[1]
Vilanova was appointed as first-team manager in 2012, winning La Liga in his only season. He stepped down in July 2013 due to ill health, and died the next year from throat cancer.
Playing career
Born in Bellcaire d'Empordà, Girona, Catalonia, Vilanova emerged in the youth ranks of local Barcelona, but left the La Liga giants in 1990 unable to break through into the first team.[1] His next club was also in his native region, Figueres, with the player helping to its best-ever Segunda División classification in the 1991–92 campaign (third place); the team would eventually face Cádiz in the promotion play-offs, losing 3–1 on aggregate.[2]
Subsequently, Vilanova moved to the top division with Celta, but appeared rarely over three full seasons,[3] returning to division two in 1995 and representing Badajoz, Mallorca – contributing ten matches as the Balearic Islands side promoted to the top flight – Lleida and Elche, retiring in December 2001 with lowly Gramenet.[4][5]
During his time at Lleida, in a 1998 Copa Catalunya game against Barcelona, coached by José Mourinho who swapped responsibilities with head coach Louis van Gaal during the tournament, Vilanova scored a goal, becoming the first player to net against a team directed by the Portuguese.[6]
Coaching career
Vilanova started his coaching career with Barcelona's youth squad Cadet B in 2002 after the club had promised him a coaching role should he decide to retire. Tito came into a team boasting promising talents like Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique and is considered the first coach to experiment with Messi in the role of false 9.[7] As coach of the Cadet B squad, the team beat Espanyol's Junior A team to the title and also won the Meastrelli Cup in Pisa, winning the final against Parma 2-0.
In 2003–04, Tito Vilanova took charge of Tercera División side Palafrugell but suffered relegation to Primera Catalana.[8][9] After working as technical director at Terrassa he was appointed assistant manager at Barcelona B, under manager Pep Guardiola, with the team in the fourth tier.[1]
In the summer of 2008, after leading the reserves to promotion to Segunda División B, Vilanova and Guardiola were assigned to the first team, replacing Dutch duo Frank Rijkaard and Johan Neeskens.[1] His first year at the Camp Nou was the most successful in the club's history, with the side winning six major trophies and becoming the first in Spain to conquer the Copa del Rey, league and UEFA Champions League titles (the treble) in the same season.[10]
Tito was the first person who had faith in me because at the time, I was a substitute or didn't play, and he was the one who made me starter in the under-16 category.
—Lionel Messi[11]
On 27 April 2012, at the press conference in which Barcelona confirmed Guardiola's departure, it was also announced that Vilanova would be his successor;[12] on 15 June, he signed a two-year contract.[13] The same year, Lionel Messi revealed that Vilanova was the first coach at the club to trust him, and made him a starter for their under-16 teams.[11]
Vilanova managed to field eleven academy graduates at the same time in a league game against Levante on 25 November 2012, after Dani Alves left with an injury early on and was replaced by Martín Montoya.[14][11] His team went on to lose only eight competitive matches during the campaign, scoring at least once in every league fixture and winning their 22nd domestic championship by a record margin of 15 points, totalling 100 in the process.[15][16]
Following his death, the Trofeo Maestrelli organizers decided to rename the trophy awarded to the best coach of Europe in his honor, citing his human qualities and coaching achievements.[17] Tito had previously won the youth under-16 Maestrelli Cup back in 2002.
Health issues and death
On 19 December 2012, Barcelona announced that Vilanova was suffering from parotid gland cancer for the second time.[18][19] He was first diagnosed on 22 November of the previous year.[20]
Vilanova underwent surgery on 20 December 2012, subsequently being in chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for around six weeks.[21] Assistant Jordi Roura took over as head coach, with Vilanova returning to the bench in late March 2013.[22]
On 19 July 2013, Vilanova resigned as Barcelona manager as he relapsed from his condition, stating that the related treatment was not compatible with the status of a professional manager.[23][24] He died on 25 April 2014, due to complications from cancer, at the age of 45 after suffering a relapse the previous week.[25][26]
Personal life
Vilanova was married to Montse Chaure.[27] The couple had two children, daughter Carlota and son Adrià, with the latter also being involved in Barcelona's youth system.[28]
In 2013, while Vilanova was in New York City for his cancer treatment, Pep Guardiola was also living in the city on a sabbatical. He was disappointed that Guardiola only came to see him once, stating: "He's my friend and I needed him, but he wasn't there for me."[29][30]
Honours
Manager
Individual
- Miguel Muñoz Trophy: 2012–13[31]
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record[32][33][34] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Barcelona | 1 July 2012 | 19 July 2013 | 45 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 121 | 51 | +70 | 75.56 |
References
External links
- Tito Vilanova at BDFutbol
- Tito Vilanova manager profile at BDFutbol
- Tito Vilanova at IMDb