The white-and-blue treasure that is hidden in a small town of the Garraf
Xavier Pujol has a museum dedicated to Espanyol with almost 200 shirts used by footballers
Garraf“Vera, Parra, Teruel, Artigas, Diego, Casas, González, Grau, Celma, Pujol, Segarra and Egea. Pujol is my father, who was a forward and was on trial at Espanyol,” says Xavier Pujol with a smile, after reciting from memory the starting eleven from a photo from the 1950-51 season that hangs on one of the walls of the ground floor of his house, in a small inland village in the Garraf. That space was prepared to be a cellar, but Xavier, one of the most recognized blue-and-white collectors, decided to turn it into a museum dedicated to the club of his loves. blue-and-white collectors most recognized, decided to turn it into a museum dedicated to the club of his loves.
His hobby for collecting arose in the eighties, on a trip to Italy with the Garraf soccer school to play in a soccer tournament near Turin. “I discovered a small memorabilia shop with all kinds of objects from Italian teams. I was impressed by the number of pieces there were and how well displayed they were. It looked like a museum,” recalls Pujol, who bought a handful of pennants for 70 pesetas each. Upon his return, his mother scolded him.
Forty years later, Xavier has accumulated around 500 team pennants from all over the world. More than 100 are from Espanyol, some from the fifties and sixties with a practically incalculable value. He also has badges, match posters, tickets, photographs, and all kinds of objects related to the club's history, acquired in markets, internet forums, buying and selling apps, and through private collectors: “The oldest piece is a trading card from the year 1915”. At the end of the stairs that lead down to the basement, in a display case, he has an original ball from the 2007 UEFA final signed by all the players. For some time now, the 45 m² of his basement have become too small for him.
“Every 'matchworn' has a story behind it”
The most striking thing about his museum is the shirts. The first one he acquired was the centenary one, in 1999 at the celebration of the club's 100 years, where his father paraded as a veteran. He now has more than 200, 188 of which were used by players. At the beginning he started by buying store kits, but now he only looks for matchworn, shirts used by the players themselves in a match, even if they cost double or triple in some cases.
“I like them because every matchworn has a story behind it; that of a specific match or a season. I even have some with blood or grass stains. There is one from Monito Vargas from the UEFA year that still smells of sweat,” the collector comments with a laugh, who keeps some unique kits, such as a long-sleeved burgundy Puma shirt with Pacheta's name and number. It was only used in one match, at the Real Sociedad field in 1997. Xavier has become a curator of Espanyol's history.
The craze for Mont-hal
Tamudo, Molinos, Arteaga, Pochettino, Benítez, Jarque... they all have their place in the museum. “There are also three of Joan García’s. I hold no grudge against anyone,” states Xavier, who has an impressive collection of Massana clothing, the most iconic brand in the history of Espanyol. “Juvé wore this one in Leverkusen at the '88 UEFA final. And this one of Ernesto Valverde bears the Araña advertisement, the first one we wore on the front of the shirt,” he says while touching two of the most prized pieces in his collection. “This Meyba one of Rafa Marañón is one of my favorites. I am friends with him,” he adds, pointing to one of the mannequins at the entrance of the basement. Massana, the most iconic brand in the history of Espanyol. “Job wore this one in Leverkusen at the '88 UEFA final. And this one of Ernesto Valverde bears the Araña advertisement, the first one we wore on the front of the shirt,” he says while touching two of the most prized pieces in his collection. “This Meyba one of Rafa Marañón is one of my favorites. I am friends with him,” he adds, pointing to one of the mannequins at the entrance of the basement.
The jewel in the crown is the Mont-hal, the brand that dressed the white-and-blues in the seventies. “At that time, each player only had one shirt for the whole season. And if it tore, the footballers themselves had to sew it up. Since there were very few, they are highly sought after. Currently, more than a thousand euros are being paid for each Mont-hal,” analyzes Pujol, who has five. “The oldest is from a 1974 Trofeo Carranza in which Espanyol beat Pelé’s Santos. It bears the number 6, it belongs to the Paraguayan Ortiz Aquino,” explains the man from Garraf, who also has one from Dani Solsona, a legendary Espanyol player: “He asked me where I had gotten it from. It seems he doesn’t keep any from that era.”
“I haven’t even considered what economic value my collection has or how much it has cost me in total,” explains Pujol, who over the years has become a reference for many newer collectors. He is a sage of shirts and the history of Espanyol. He is also a regular at the Periconcurs, a kind of parakeet trivial that tests knowledge about the Catalan club. He has been a finalist twice. His museum is missing the champion’s trophy, and two shirts. "A white Mont-hal and one that is like a shirt that my father wore in the fifties. My dream is to get them one day,” concludes Xavier Pujol, the collector who guards a white-and-blue treasure in a small town in the Garraf.