José Luis Riera Biosca (26 November 1920 – 20 May 1987) was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender for Atlético Madrid[1] and Real Zaragoza.
[2][6] Born in Barcelona, Riera stood out since he was a child for his corpulence and size, thus playing as a defender in various regional teams, such as Mirandés, Ripoll, and Athletic de Palma [es], but his progress was halted by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
[3] He quickly established himself as an undisputed starter under coach Ricardo Zamora, who placed him as a central defender, making him the first football player in Spain to play in that specific position.
[9] Riera remained at Atlético for a total of 9 seasons, in which he managed to win the League title twice, in 1949–50 and 1950–51, the Copa Eva Duarte in 1951,[1][9] and also the 1941–47 FEF President Cup, the longest tournament in the history of Spanish football, playing in the decisive match against Valencia CF in 1947, which had been in stand by since 1941, featuring in defense alongside Aparicio and keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 win.
[11][12] Riera made his international debut for the Spanish national team in a friendly match against Portugal on 20 March 1949, at the age of 28, starting in a 1–1 draw.