John Parsons Alexander (14 April 1875 - 18 November 1960), was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder for FC Barcelona.[1] Although little has been recorded of his life, he was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of FC Barcelona, being among the 11 founders of the club in 1899, and then serving as the club's vice-president between 1899 and 1901 and as well as a player between 1899 and 1904, netting 15 goals in 41 caps and helping his side win the 1901–02 Copa Macaya, the club's very first trophy.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Parsons Alexander | ||
| Date of birth | (1875-04-14)14 April 1875 | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 18 November 1960(1960-11-18) (aged 85) | ||
| Place of death | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1895 |
Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona | 3 | (0) |
| 1899 | Team Anglès | ||
| 1899–1904 | FC Barcelona | 41 | (15) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Born in Barcelona, of English origin, John Parsons, together with his brother William, was one of the first pioneers of football in Catalonia, having played a match for Sociedad de Foot-Ball de Barcelona against Asociación de Foot-Ball de Torelló on 2 February 1895.[2] He and his brother were among the eleven players that attended the infamous meeting held at the Gimnasio Solé on 29 November 1899 which saw the birth of Foot-Ball Club Barcelona.[3][4] However, in Barcelona's official debut on 8 December 1899, the two Parsons brothers played for the rival team, Team Anglès, which consisted of members of the British colony living in Barcelona.[2]
Together with Bartomeu Terradas, Arthur Witty and team captain Joan Gamper, he was part of the Barça side that participated in the first football championship played on the Iberian Peninsula, the Copa Macaya in 1900–01, in which he scored 8 goals, including two hat-tricks in 0–13 and 14–0 trashings of Franco-Española, but despite his goalscoring prowess, Barça finished the tournament as runner-ups to Hispania AC.[5] These 8 goals earned him a spot in the top scorers of the tournament only behind Gustavo Green(9) and Joan Gamper(31). In the following season, however, he helped Barcelona win the 1901–02 Copa Macaya, the club's first-ever piece of silverware, netting two goals on the final matchday on 23 March 1902 in a 15–0 victory over Català SC.[6] The Copa Macaya is now recognized as the first Catalan championship.
In 1902, Parsons was a member of the Barcelona team that participated in the Copa de la Coronación (predecessor of Copa del Rey), featuring in the semi-finals against Real Madrid CF (then Madrid FC), the very first El Clásico, and in the final, where Barça were defeated 2–1 by Club Vizcaya.[7]
FC Barcelona