The Man who made Barcelona

The Man who made Barcelona

Not many outside the British isles and Iberian plateaus know about a certain Patrick O'Connell aka Don Patricio as he was popularly known in Spain.

The Irishman was a superstar of his generation. He started his career at Belfast Celtic before moving to England for Sheffield Wednesday. That's where the Paddy shone and earned himself a mega money move to Manchester United via Hull City for £1000! This was quite an amount almost a century ago.

He is quite a legend in Ireland as well. He famously led Ireland back to back wins over England in his heydays as the Irish won the 1914 British Home Championship. He played with a broken arm in the finals against Scotland which was a 1-1 draw.

The journey of Paddy to Don Patricio is one that is more fascinating than anything. He managed many Spanish clubs during the Iberian civil war in the 1930's. Most notably winning the La Liga with Real Betis, which is their only Liga title till date!

He is remembered notably for preventing Barcelona from going bankrupt when in charge as he managed their tour to North America. This tour gave the Catalan club substantial funds to carry on their operations.

Despite on field glories, the Belfast boy died a destitute death in 1959. He is still revered in Ireland as there was a movie on his life which was aired in his native country couple of years ago starring actor Eoin Geoghan, as Paddy O'Connell.

Presenter Tony Devlin believes, "Although they went out of business over 60 years ago, Belfast Celtic is still alive and well in the memories of lots of people. "As a Belfast man and a Celtic supporter, It is a great honor for me to tell the tale of one of its finest players.

"Belfast Celtic was where Paddy O'Connell would ply his trade before coming to the attention of two of the worlds biggest footballing names, Manchester United and Barcelona.

"This man's incredible story takes us on a journey from lowly, humble beginnings to football stardom, to heroism and bravery in his fight against fascism during the Spanish civil war. Stories like Paddy O'Connell's cannot be lost in the annals of history."