Miguel Esteve

Occupation: "footballer"

On 19 January 1944, a transport of over 1,900 men arrived in Buchenwald from the Compiègne police detention camp near Paris. One of them was the Spaniard Miguel Esteve. Like all the others, he had to register with the camp administration upon arrival. He gave his occupation as "footballer".

He came from Torresbesses in Catalonia, where he was born in 1915. Not much is known about his beginnings as a footballer. The civil war and the beginning of Franco's dictatorship forced the young Esteve to leave Spain in 1939. He fled to France and settled in Grenoble. He found a new sporting home at FC Grenoble, now Grenoble Foot 38. His name was first mentioned in the local sports press in October 1941. As a talented defender, he contributed to his team's promotion to the first division. He also played as a striker and scored many goals. In the so-called French War Championship of 1942/43, which was played separately in the north and south of the country, Esteve and his team finished second in the southern zone.

Im September 1943 streifte sich Esteve zum letzten Mal das Trikot des FC Grenoble über. Die deutschen Besatzer nahmen ihn bei einer Razzia am 11. November 1943 fest. Zusammen mit anderen hatte er an einer Gedenkveranstaltung zum 25. Jahrestag des Endes des Ersten Weltkrieges teilgenommen. Nach neun Monaten in Buchenwald brachte die SS Miguel Esteve im Herbst 1944 in das KZ Neuengamme. Er überlebte und kehrte nach Frankreich zurück. Er litt jahrelang an den Folgen der Haft. Seinen Lebensunterhalt verdiente er als Angestellter in der Industrie. In den 1950er-Jahren erhielt er die französische Staatsbürgerschaft und nannte sich fortan Michel Estève. Er starb 2006 in Romans-sur-Isère.