Abdelkader Bzioui was the last Moroccan footballer to play for Tangier's Union Deportiva España. The club was based in the Moroccan city during the Spanish protectorate. In Tangier, Union Deportiva España is considered as an important part of the city's heritage. Between 1946 and 1956, the northern town hosted the Spanish club which hired Abdelkader Bzioui. The latter is the last Moroccan footballer who played for the club' second division in the 1940s. The 90-year-old former goalkeeper shared some of his Union Deportiva España's memories with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. «I remember Luisito and Jenaro … The team included Tangier-born Spanish players, only three were Moroccans and I was one of them», he told the Spanish newspaper. «I was a goalkeeper who was known for his techniques. I always managed to keep the ball out», he recalls. In Tangier, the British were the first to play football. When Spain took control of the city in 1912, sons of diplomats and Spanish military officials founded their first team. Abdelkader Bzioui was born in 1928. He first played for Club Deportico Maghreb Al-Aksa, headed at the time by famous filmmaker Emilio Sanz. By the end of 1946, the Spaniards created Union Deportiva España, joining the Spanish-Moroccan federation. 45 victories, 32 losses and 13 draws Abdelkader Bzioui joined the Tangier's team in 1952. He was 24 years old, back then, and he started playing for the club's second division. At the time, «I was earning 200 pesetas a month», says the former goalkeeper. «When playing outside Morocco, we took the ferry to Algeciras and a bus picked us up to take us to other Spanish cities. We also participated in the Generalissimo Cup (Spanish Football Cup)». Abdelkader Bzioui When Union Deportiva España played in Tangier, matches were hosted by Marshán Municipal Stadium, which had a total capacity of 2,950 spectators. «I coached in Seville and I ran local teams for many years», he proudly told the same source. The Spanish-Moroccan club played 90 games and registered 45 wins, 32 losses and 13 draws. On March 2nd, 1956, after Morocco broke free from France, the club disappeared and was joined by the Algeciras football club at the Spanish league. «I joined Real Betis Balompié (Seville-based football club). I trained with them for a few months before finally returning to Tangier because I missed my family», says Abdelkader Bzioui. Taha, his grandson, believes that his grandfather was a true sportsman. «One day he came to Ceuta and brought with him a promising young man, José Martínez Sánchez, whose tests were inconclusive», he says. The Spanish player, known as Pirri, played as a defender in the Real Madrid team and in the Spanish team. He once won the European Champion Clubs' Cup and ten times the Spanish Football Championship.
