Julián Ruete

He was born at the beginning of 1887 in Madrid, a city in which he would develop an extensive career linked to football. Between 1904 and 1910 he was a player, member and secretary of the Board of Directors of the Madrid Football Club (now known as Real Madrid).[2] His position was midfielder, but took no part in any of the club's four consecutive Copa del Rey final wins in the period, instead serving as captain of the reserve team.[3] He also played for Athletic Bilbao, featuring in one Copa del Rey match in 1909 and one in 1911.[4]

In 1912, he was elected President of Athletic de Madrid (now known as Atlético Madrid) for the first time, a position he held initially until 1919. During his tenure he oversaw the move to a new ground, the Campo de O'Donnell in 1913.

Two years after leaving the presidency, in 1921 he was elected again, remaining in office until 1923. In this second term, the club made advances including building a more advanced new stadium, the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid, became independent from their original parent club Athletic Bilbao, were regional champions for the first time and finished runners-up in the Copa del Rey (1921, losing to their 'cousins' from Bilbao).

In addition to his relationship with Atlético Madrid, Ruete went much further in his relationship with the world of football. He was a referee, and came to chair the National Referees Committee. He was also a director of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.

He also worked as a coach, training Atlético and Nacional and acting as technical secretary of Club Deportivo Castellón.

Between 1921 and 1922 he was became manager of the Spain national football team, leading the nation in four games that ended with victory.

He died in Barcelona in March 1939.