Tito Vilanova · Biography

On 11 May 2013, a Real Madrid draw at Espanyol handed FC Barcelona the 2012-13 Spanish league title with four rounds still to play. It was the first trophy won by Francesc “Tito” Vilanova i Bayó as a head coach. Born on 17 September 1968 in Bellcaire d'Empordà, in the province of Girona, he had a long career as a midfielder in Spain's top three divisions. He then spent five seasons as Pep Guardiola's right-hand man before taking charge of Barcelona's first team for a single campaign. He died in Barcelona on 25 April 2014, aged 45.

Schooled at La Masia

Vilanova came through Barcelona's youth system in the mid-1980s, part of the same La Masia era as Guardiola. He played for Barcelona C in 1987-88 and for the reserve side from 1988 to 1990, but never made his first-team debut. A tidy central midfielder, he was better at organising play than at covering ground. In 1990 he left the club in search of regular football.

A journeyman's playing career

His first stop was UE Figueres in the Spanish second division, where he played from 1990 to 1992. His form earned him a move to Celta Vigo, where he spent three top-flight seasons between 1992 and 1995 and reached the 1994 Copa del Rey final. Short spells followed at CD Badajoz in 1995-96, RCD Mallorca in 1996-97, UE Lleida in 1997-98 and Elche CF from 1998 to 2000. He finished his career at UDA Gramenet in the third tier and retired in 2001. Records put his professional total at around 340 league appearances.

First steps in coaching

After hanging up his boots he went back to Barcelona to coach in the academy. Lionel Messi later said Vilanova was the first coach at the club to believe in him, making him a starter in the youth ranks when he had been a substitute. Vilanova then gained experience elsewhere in Catalonia. He coached FC Palafrugell in 2003-04, a season that ended in relegation from the Tercera División, and UE Figueres in 2005-06. In 2006-07 he was technical director at Terrassa FC.

Partnership with Guardiola

In the summer of 2007, Guardiola took over Barcelona B in the Tercera División and picked Vilanova as his assistant. The reserves won promotion to Segunda División B in 2008, and both men moved up to the first team. Between 2008 and 2012 Vilanova was assistant coach to a Barcelona side that won fourteen trophies, starting with the 2008-09 treble of league, Copa del Rey and Champions League. Inside the dressing room he was credited with much of the tactical work and match preparation. On 22 November 2011 he had surgery to remove a tumour from his parotid gland, and he was back on the bench two weeks later.

Barcelona head coach

On 27 April 2012 the club announced both Guardiola's departure and his successor, and Vilanova signed a two-year contract on 15 June 2012. His first competitive match was a 5-1 win over Real Sociedad on 19 August 2012. Barcelona finished the first half of the league season with 18 wins and one draw, taking 55 of a possible 57 points. On 25 November 2012, at Levante, an early injury to Dani Alves left Barcelona with a team made up entirely of academy graduates. Their runs in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey both ended in the semi-finals.

Illness and the 100-point title

On 19 December 2012 the club's medical staff announced that the cancer had returned. Vilanova had surgery the next day, and in January 2013 he went to New York to continue his chemotherapy and radiotherapy there. Assistant Jordi Roura led the team in his absence. Vilanova flew back to Barcelona on 26 March and returned to the bench on 2 April in Paris, for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain. The league title was sealed in May, and Barcelona finished on 100 points, equalling the competition record, fifteen points clear of Real Madrid. It was the club's 22nd league title. Vilanova received the Miguel Muñoz Trophy as the best coach in the Spanish top flight for 2012-13.

Resignation and death

Another relapse forced him to step down on 19 July 2013, because his treatment could not be combined with managing a professional team. Argentine Gerardo “Tata” Martino replaced him. Vilanova died in Barcelona on 25 April 2014 from complications of cancer, a week after a further relapse had been made public.