The story of Ramon Sabalo. Big people do everything with a grand scale.
Basque Ramon de Sabalo Zubiaurre was born in August 1910 not just anywhere, but in South Shields, northern England—a port town that gave the world naturalist writer Ernest Thompson Seton, George Orwell’s first wife Eileen O’Shaughnessy, novelist and Order of the British Empire holder Catherine Cookson, director Ridley Scott, and Monty Python comedian Eric Idle. Ramon couldn’t have known about the later figures, but he chose a fruitful birthplace and became a worthy son, never lost among those famous names.
Ramon’s father, Mariano—the Spanish vice-consul dealing in chemical trade in Blyth—brought the family to the English countryside. Eventually, his father’s work required a move to Barcelona, where Ramon began his football career at local clubs Fortpienc and Orta, and joined Barcelona for the 1928/29 season. It’s not hard to guess why Sabalo earned the nickname “the Englishman.”
“I was very fast and agile, because I always played on an empty stomach,” Sabalo recalled ironically. Given what Ramon would later endure, those words would take on a chilling tone.
Sabalo’s Barcelona career started with army troubles and a boycott to push for a higher salary.
Both foreigner slots at Barça were occupied—by Hungarian goalkeeper Plattkó and German defender Walter—so Ramon had to be naturalized urgently to play official matches. He was only 18, considered a minor under Spanish law at the time, so his father had to secure “provisional” citizenship for him.
Soon another issue surfaced: conscription into the Spanish army. Sabalo’s father negotiated with Barcelona to grant Ramon “soldado de cuota” status—the club would pay the state fee so Ramon wouldn’t have to serve. But when it was time to pay up, Barcelona changed its mind. In the early 1930s, the Great Depression had reached Spain, and the Catalan club was struggling financially.
Sabalo had to serve, but Barcelona managed to get him favorable conditions—he didn’t have to leave the city.
Barcelona also failed to fulfill another promise: making Sabalo the highest-paid player on the team. Instead, management began cutting salaries. Ramon was annoyed that he earned 600 pesetas while Brazilians Jaguaré and Dos Santos got 1,000, even though they didn’t have permits to play in official matches, only friendlies.
Outraged, Sabalo staged a five-month boycott in the 1932/33 season, refusing to play for the club. According to one version, it was during this time that Ramon reinstated his British citizenship and even considered moving to play in England. But to gain free-agent status, he would have had to stay without football for another seven months—something a top player like Sabalo couldn’t afford.
Still, Barcelona didn’t want to lose Sabalo. With Real Madrid showing interest in him, the Catalan club gave in and made concessions. That same year, Ramon became team captain.
Sabalo’s demands were quite reasonable. At the time, he was one of the best Spanish defenders and an international player. Short (170 cm), but explosive jumper with excellent technique and great speed. Ramon was known for his reading of the game and man-marking, considered a fiercely tenacious defender. He owed his jumping ability to Basque pelota—a squash-like game he loved playing.
Sabalo’s debut for the Spanish national team came in a historic 1–7 thrashing by England
