Benito Villamarín

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Lore & Background

Born in 1917 in Toén, Ourense, Villamarín arrived in Seville after the Spanish Civil War, as a preliminary step to his planned departure to Argentina, but he ended up settling in the city after falling in love with a young woman from Seville named Ángeles Guillén. He began working in the export of olives, later making a great fortune. In 1958, he and his wife paid for the basket of the Nuestro Padre Jesús Cautivo, and in 1959 he was named Honorary Lieutenant of the Brotherhood of Santa Genoveva. He became president of Real Betis on 28 May 1955, replacing Manuel Ruiz Rodríguez. His first action was attempting to sign Telmo Zarra and César Rodríguez. Betis achieved promotion to the first division in 1958. He secured the purchase of the Heliopolitan stadium in 1961, which was then renamed after him. Under his presidency, Betis achieved a historic third place in the 1963–64 La Liga and first participation in European competitions. He resigned on 7 December 1965 due to health reasons. He died in Seville on 15 August 1966 at age 49 from cancer, and was buried in the Cemetery of San Fernando in Seville.

In Their Own Story

On 17 March 1929, the Estadio de la Exposición was officially inaugurated with an international match where Spain defeated Portugal 5-0. During the Spanish Civil War, the stadium was requisitioned by Seville City Council and handed over to the military, suffering major damages. With the help of Gonzalo Queipo de Llano, the stadium was renovated and reopened on March 12, 1939. On 12 August 1961, the stadium became owned property by Real Betis, and days later it was renamed after Benito Villamarín, who served as club president between 1955 and 1965. The stadium was blessed by Cardinal José Bueno y Monreal. In 1997, the stadium was renamed after then-club president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera, but in 2010, Real Betis fans voted to change the name back to honor Benito Villamarín.

Reader's Guide

The stadium named after Villamarín was originally the Heliopolitan stadium, rented by Betis from the Seville City Council since 16 July 1936. Villamarín arranged its purchase in 1961 for 14,036,550 pesetas paid in cash. The stadium was later renamed Ruiz de Lopera from 1997 to 2010, when a member vote restored the name Benito Villamarín with 6,107 votes (67.4%). A plaza in Lora del Río was named after him on 25 October 2017.

Did You Know?

• Villamarín was one of the precursors of exporting olives from Seville to the United States.
• He underwent surgery for a lung tumor in Boston and later received treatment for incurable cancer in Houston.
• His brother Avelino succeeded him as president for one year, followed by Andrés Gaviño.
• The source does not specify the stadium's capacity, structural engineer, or inaugural match details.

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