Before the pandemic disrupted routines, Joan Vilches (Barcelona, 1941) visited the Sant Adrià Sports City from time to time during the week and especially on Sundays to see the subsidiary. With the newspaper under his arm, his sunglasses, his three-day beard and his passion for Espanyol, spoke with employees, journalists, old colleagues and fans. It was his life as a retiree after 25 years portraying the news of Espanyol and everything that surrounded the sport, since he managed to combine his two hobbies and make a living from it. Last Sunday he died at the age of 80 at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital.
Vilches always explained that his grandfather, a soccer fan, went to see the Espanyol and Barcelona matches, but his grandson was thrown by Sarrià when he was very young. He especially enjoyed the 60s and 70s with a generation with whom, 50 years later, he would share a table and tablecloth every last Wednesday of the month at Escudella Perica and at the quarterly meals organized by the Pericos Players, with Jaume Sabaté as master of ceremonies. Vilches was always accompanied by his camera to portray those moments. Black and white photographs of an era in which, unfortunately, some of its protagonists also recently passed away, such as José María Vall or Joan Martínez Vilaseca.
Joan Vilches.
Joan Vilches Archive.
In 1991, Vilches, who as a young man had photography as a hobby, decided to take it seriously. He covered Espanyol (he worked for the club or Blanc i Blau), worked for RC Polo de Barcelona and became a freelance photographer specializing in sports, as he was present at tennis tournaments, motorcycling, sailing, horse riding…. A decade ago he decided to retire, although he continued to cover events linked to Espanyol.
His passion for the parakeet club also led him to leave a photographic and collector’s legacy at home, where he collected player signatures, newspaper clippings and countless snapshots. A newspaper library of a passionate who, thanks to his vocation, managed to be one more of that group of players that he himself saw on the pitch 50 years ago and who fired him this Tuesday at the Ronda de Dalt Funeral Home, such as Jaume Sabaté or Rafael Maranon. Former President Joan Collet also attended. And, of course, the Espanyol anthem sounded to fire a parakeet who experienced football through a goal. Vilches and his inseparable camera.