George McGuinness

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George McGuinness (6 October 1887 – 1 July 1916) was an English football forward best known for his time with Club Ciclista in Spain and later Real Sociedad.

Early life
- Born in Liverpool to Edward and Catherine, he studied at St Francis Xavier's College.
- In 1908, at age 21, he moved to San Sebastián to teach English to Pedro Bea, the goalkeeper of Club Ciclista, who encouraged him to join the team.

Copa del Rey triumph with Club Ciclista
- In 1909, Ciclista surprised everyone by winning the Copa del Rey, led by McGuinness.
- He scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 win over Athletic Club in the quarterfinals and added two goals in a 2–0 win over Galicia FC.
- Despite an injury, he played in the final two days later, helping Ciclista beat Español de Madrid 3–1 and score the opening goal from a penalty.
- McGuinness set a new record by scoring six goals in that Copa edition, the most by any player at the time.

Transition to Real Sociedad
- The Copa-winning players formed Sociedad de Fútbol (later Real Sociedad) on 7 September 1909. In 1910 they competed in the Copa del Rey as Vasconia Sporting Club.
- McGuinness scored both goals in a 2–0 win over Madrid FC in 1910, though the team lost the final to Athletic.
- After royal patronage from King Alfonso XIII, the club became Real Sociedad de Fútbol. McGuinness scored the club’s first goal as Real Sociedad on 26 March 1910 in a friendly against London Nodmans.
- He took part in the inaugural Pyrenees Cup in 1910, scoring in the opening match and helping reach the final, which ended in a 1–2 defeat to Barcelona (he assisted the opening goal in the final).

Statistics and return to England
- For Real Sociedad, McGuinness played 9 competitive matches and scored 7 goals (six in the Copa del Rey and one in the Pyrenees Cup).
- He left the club in December 1910 at age 23 and returned to England to teach at St Laurence’s Roman Catholic School in Birkenhead. He also played for Harrowby FC.

World War I
- When World War I began, McGuinness joined the King's Regiment (Liverpool), 30th Division, 18th Battalion.
- He sailed to France on 7 November 1915 aboard the SS Invicta.
- He fought at the Battle of the Somme and was killed on 1 July 1916 at Montauban-de-Picardie, France. A battalionmate later informed his parents that he had died in combat.