Spain mourns the death of Ferran Martorell
The advertiser presided over the club between July and December 1989 and was a director of the entity for 17 years
BarcelonaFerran Martorell Oliveras de la Riva (Barcelona, 1941-2026), who was the twenty-second president in the history of Espanyol, passed away this Monday at the age of 84. Martorell served as the top leader of the blanquiazul entity between July and December 1989 and was a director of Espanyol for 17 years. A professional advertiser, he is a figure much loved by the periquita fanbase.
Martorell took over the presidency of the entity in a turbulent period: after Antoni Baró's resignation and with the team, which was then playing in the Second Division, in a clear sporting decline. Martorell, who was then the vice-president, assumed the highest office until the elections were held on December 3, 1989, which led to Juli Pardo's mandate. Martorell had joined the Espanyol board in 1982.
Martorell came from a family with strong ties to the club (some of his relatives had been members of Espanyol's boards) and was one of the promoters of the club's youth academy, establishing, together with Agustí Mellado, the Ferran Martorell Foundation, active until 2008.
On a professional level, in 1968 he founded the Sloan agency in Barcelona. He also chaired the sector's guild and became the first dean of the professional college of advertisers. In 2012, he participated in the electoral list of Ciudadanos in the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia.
