The Real Madrid Book of Football - Anna's Archive

{
© ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee
WITH
”
oto} pe aii- jong ie]. | ma-)@
DI STEFANO:-SANTAMARIA
Ul)
¢.\-t ec]= pre kt >)| mje)E
ILLUSTRATED STORY OF THE WORLD'S
GREATEST CLUB TEAM
Edited by
RAMON MELCON & STRATTON SMITH
REAL MADRID
Now, for the first time, the personalities and players of Aa
Real Madrid come together to tell the full exciting story
behind the world’s leading club. Their personal co- :
operation was given at every stage in the preparation of von
this book. Never before have a group of football stars had
such a wonderful story to tell.
Yet Real are more than a club: they area legend in their
own times. In the minds of supporters everywhere, Real
Madrid are synonymous with supremely entertaining
football. Other clubs, other countries compete to pay huge
_ match-fees to have the top Spanish team as visitors.
_ How much does Di Stefano earn? How big the bonus for ; he
that fifth successive European Cup triumph? In what ASN
manner did Puskas prepare for his wonderful comeback a
_ to world football, after the tragedy of a revolution? And
what do the boy-players of Real think as they sit around
‘Di Stefano, and listen . . .?
You will find the answers, and a wealth of other exclu-
sive information, in this outstanding book. It is a tribute
in which all British fans who have watched them at
Molineux, Old Trafford or on Television, will wish to
share. There is only one Real Madrid in football today.
This is their story.
The Real Mada:
ans Book of Football’
v
Mh. 7 Edited by
RAMON MELCON & STRATTON SMITH
WORLD DISTRIBUTORS LONDON

This CONSUL edition, complete andunabridged, '
3 published in England, 1962, by
WORLD DISTRIBU TORS (MAN
36 GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON,
Copyright © 1961 Souvenir Press Ltd,
Conditions of Sale - This book shall not without _

the written consent of the Publishers first given
be lent, re-sold, hited out or otherwise disposed of
. by way of trade in any form of binding or cover :
other than that in which it is published. ©
CONTENTS
THE ACHIEVEMENT
Sunset at La Taurina
World’ of the: Stars.) ).300 34
The Rewards ot Success 10 '\) ic.
This was my Dream

by Don Sant1aco Bernastu
Go, sign Di Stefano!
by Don Ratmunpo Saporta
For the love of football

by ALFREDO pI STEFANO
A few precious years
by Ferenc Puskas
Make the most of skill
by Francisco GEnro ...
The stroke of genius
by Jose Maria ZarRaca
Football starts in defence’
by Josz SANTAMARIA ...
To Europe, and discovery!
by Rocetio DomincuEz
_ We, the young inheritors
by Luis Dex Sor... ...
oe This Man Munoz ...
The Tactics of Greatness i
15. Blending the stars... ...
The Summing-Up
CHAPTER ONE
SUNSET AT LA TAURINA
_TuERE was a madness outside, a madness that grew quickly

“and in time was to envelop all Spain, and its name was “Futbol”.
But now, one evening at the turn of the century, “futbol” meant
y am insistent clamour from the strip of skeleton-white
und beside the Madrid Bull Ring, a noise that swept gustily
ough the lattices of “La Taurina” - The Lady Bull-Fighting
Fan— and disturbed those within.
_ To these customers, football was nothing, and footballers
e “Shameless youths ... daring to run through the streets
= a ball | in, their underwear, and sine mentally
and cognac, lean, swarthy men ee aside either

isperity or poverty to give these moments to talk of bull-
ers for the “Corrida” would rear in slashing colour to

| es of them, a matador’s hat, a bull’s head, a plume of
‘ba dilleros”, these were the ornament and purpose of their
eeting place.
‘La Taurina” was celebrated for the passion and depth of its
‘fighting talk. The little hostelry in Alcala Street had no
in Madrid. So much gesture, such a torrent of words! The
of this or that matador, the clumsiness of the picador - and \
!the evil of that fourth bull, with its tossing head and refusal
) run straight! Their minds were never far away from the
I, sanded arena, where taut and pensive matadors caressed
eaving hide of “el toro” with their scarlet muletas.
yet, increasingly insistent, came those shameless sounds
€ new game, the new rival to the National Fiesta. A game
uced by British sailors and businessmen, firstly in the
bour towns, but rapidly growing inwards, and here, in
. REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
Madrid, taken up enthusiastically by the student
whom had studied for a time in England. It was becomin;
direct challenge to the dignity of the National Fiesta, and
was only one course for the customers of “La Taurina”
follow: Deride the game. tie
Here were the impudent upstarts, playing on borrov
ground before the very gates of the bull ring itself! No wa
hide their shameful dress and actions, nor mute their vulga
shouting! So this night, as on many another, “La Taurina’
emptied, and the customers shouted insults and jokes a
football players. Until this night, as on many another,s
came and went on scenes of near-riot, with the bull-fg
“aficionados” and the “futbol” pioneers swapping puncl
shouting each other down. ays |
Caught in the cleft stick of loyalty and commerce, the o
of “La Taurina” must have seen these events with mixed
ings. The fame of his hostelry was founded on its devoti
the old sport. But possibly unbeknown to his regular custor
he was renting out the rear of his building as a changin
for the footballers. Whether he needed the pesetas, or
sufficient of a visionary to be aware of football’s fu
shall never know. x
In any event, he was in at the beginning of a football |
the Real Madrid Club de Futbol, club Champions of Eure
and the World, an organisation the like of which hasne
- previously been known. Real Madrid have existed since :
For four years they jogged along in the manner I have describec
until a group of University students had their club official
incorporated on March 9, 1902. ee
The prefix “‘Real”, meaning Royal, was not gained until 1
by special grant of King Alfonso XIII, By that time, football
become respectable and the Madrid club had establish
_ considerable following. No longer did the bull-fighting ;
ados stand and jeer. Indeed, many of them defected to foo!
to pay and cheer, until now there is no question of whic
has the greater following. Football has triumphed. ie
Where once the proud and aquiline face of Juan Be
ae j 8 ae
and matadors of lesser fame, looked down from the white
ashed wallsof bars and parlours in solitary dignity, they now
are with the more relaxed features of Alfredo Di Stefano,
rancisco Gento, Luis Del Sol, and others who have played a
_ part in the Real Madrid story.
. From that first dusty, ground plot beside the old Bull Ring
ow, alas, demolished — Real Madrid moved on to several other
rounds. For many years, Real played in the Velodrome in the
judad Lineal quarter. From there they went to the old
hamartin Stadium, which had a capacity of under 20,000
yectators., Real played there until the new Chamartin soared,
dike a tower in grey and ivory, to replace it. '
As a tribute to the man who made its erection possible, the
Stadium was named after Santiago Bernabéu, the present
President of Real Madrid. Capacity, at the moment, of the
tadio Santiago Bernabéu is 125,000, but the architects allowed
or a further tierof seating, all round the ground, which when
sted on will increase the capacity to 200,000.
To be big is one thing, to be beautiful is something quite
ate. But the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is certainly amon
Ost attractive stadia in Europe, or the world for that
r. Dedicated exclusively to football, with no athletics tracks
supporting posts to obstruct vision, the view is perfect from
‘seat. Care to ensure this was taken when the Stadium was
he drawing-board stage. |
pace, however, in the environs of the field has been used
t other purposes. If entering by the players’ door, one comes
nm a large and attractive swimming pool, complete with high-
ving boards, and having its own bar — next door to the
i
adium barber’s shop! Three big gymnasia are constantly in
under the supervision of fully-trained coaches, aie
e is an excellent basket-ball pitch, and several courts
—
the playing of Basque hand ball (front6n). Dressing-rooms —
numerous, exceptionally large, well lighted, comfortable and
dern. Apart from the usual baths, there is an indoor, heated
ol. Medically, possibly no ground in the world has better
Lities
Massage rooms, ee and treatment rooms are aug-
mented by a ee operating theatre for ses
anna space for training and therapeutic devices,

facilities for Press, Radio and Television.
On match. days, 800 people are employed to keep oe sion
of a ground operating smoothly, ranging from doctors to do
keepers, and including electricians, stewards, crowd-packe
bar-men, policemen, secretaries, clerks, and cleaners. To b
there on the day of a big match is a thrill in itself, as one fee
the quickening pulse of the monster, the quick, upward c
in movement and sound, the mass of argument or apie S
until the moment of the kick-off comes.
Here is the stage and the proscenium of this team we,
the Spanish, have come to respect and love, Real Madrid
this pitch, groomed as lovingly as some racing thoroughbre i, a
the great matches fought, the sweet memories forged. Yet i
no more than the stage, and the wings of it spill beyond
martin, back down the straight sweep of the Castellana
old Madrid. :
_ Downtown, the club headquarters occupy a solid six-stor
building by the Plaza de la Cibeles, a spot much loved by ¢
Madrilenians. The building was formerly a Basque hand-
front6n, known in the northern Basque dialect as Jai Alz
Translated into the Castilian dialect — Madrid is in the plain
Castile — the building now bears the name Fiesta Alegre,m
ing “Merry Celebration”. Some may think that peculi
appropriate.
wonder how on ‘earth use is ile of such space. Reflectin

_ different outlooks, Real find the problem to be just the contrary
_ = they want more space. Within the building each section of the
club has its desk, and rooms of all sorts for the ia number
Club directors and employees. A
Every day on the premises there are pe ball, tennis,
ball, volley-ball, and roller-skate hockey matches played.C
_ tournaments are staged. Any sport embraced by the
, 10 Aaa
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL _ a ae
aply provided for. Gymnastical contests, Judo, table-tennis,
Graeco-Roman wrestling, boxing matches — these and others are
‘given their share of the space,
_ Besides promoting these sports, the more obscure of which
an be grateful for the backingofReal Madrid’s wealth, the club
has athletics teams, weightlifters, kayak rowers, Rugby, base- M
ball, mountaineering, fencing and swimming groups, many of
which hold Spanish Championships and in their different fields
help perpetuate the Continental glories of the Real Madrid
So much sheer, physical activity in so wide a variety of games,

analized through a single club, is overpowering. Fiesta Alegre
glitters like a ball-room on a State occasion, when one views
ithe contribution in trophies from each section to the central
ets 2 i s
collection; sufficient, perhaps, to make Fort Knox envious!
the Fiesta Alegre is free to Real Madrid’s 50,000 members,

10 pay only 25 pesetas (about 3s. 3d.) a month for entitlement
t watch League matches, as well as most of the friendly games,
other sports as well as football. For them, the Fiesta Alegre is
quipped with a bar, library, newspaper-reading room, barber's
b op, and other services.
A series of balconies permit them, two or three thousand at a
€, to watch the various activities, but this number is often
loubled when the Real basket-ball team is playing matches for
the Honour Prize. Real Madrid are the Champions in basket-
yall, too. In fact, their team is rated the best seen in Spain for
“many years.
‘But pethaps the members’ favourite occupation is simply to
and relax, with pernod or café, and re-live by discussion the
tements of the game just past, and those promised in the
me about to come. Theirs is not blunted talk of results, but
volatile talk of artistry and artists, for in recent years they
been led to expect supreme standards, and their critique —
orrespondingly sharpened and alert.
After the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, the Fiesta Alegre - _
ot the empire of Real Madrid come to a halt there? Not
BH sy .
at allUnder the aa guiding uk of Don Santiago Bernabe
and his fellow directors, the club - launched a new and r
Spain, nothing is beyond the Midas touch of Real. Ayvast acre-

age has been enclosed, at the cost of hundreds of thousands
pounds, to literally create a “Sports City”, with training pit
athletics tracks, tennis courts, and farilieses for roller-ska D
(very popular in Spain), hand-ball, volley-ball, basket-ball, bas
ball, gymnastics, and swimming. i,
Buildings are being erected for the many indoor stat h
games. Even holiday chalets are being built for renting:
members and players, who may wish to bring their families f
expert, coaching in some game or activity. A big team of s
specialists and coaches will eventually live oh the premises. I
claimed that there is no more complete sports enclosure in p
than that belonging to Real Madrid, the club that takes
in the catholicity of its interests, however humble the ey
be considered.
Little wonder, then, that Real’s 50,000 membership cou
doubled, or even trebled, in a few days should their dire
MY suddenly decide to re-open the list. Apart from the attracti
the club’s generous facilities, it has been estimated that probal
two thirds of the Spanish capital’s population are Real Ma
supporters. After winning five European Cups, Real can hardl
find that a surprise!
_ For present members, space is reserved behind the goals
the Stadium, and on match days it is absolutely crammed. Th
hopeful of future membership must wait until the club deci
on the final expansion of the Stadium, with the third tier
- pletely encircling the ground and, as I said earlier, incr
the capacity to 200,000. Meanwhile, the “Sugar Plum” fan:
continue to press their acquaintances among the directo:
a but iy,for that all-important sa jae card,
12
REAL MADRID BOOK ¢ OF FOOTBALL
” Madrid fans get the “Sugar Plum” label from the Spanish
_word “merengue” - in Spain, a type of white sweet made with
_ the white of an egg and supposedly reminiscent of the all-white
uniforms, shirts, shorts, and stockings, of the European Cham-
_ pions. Besides the 50,000 members, Real have several thousand
season-ticket holders. They pay a sum each year based'on how
good their seat is, and are entitled to attend all League and
“Copa” matches without extra payment. The “Copa” is a
shorter tournament for a Cup given by the Head of the State,
_ For European Cup matches, or any other’ games of equal
importance, these season-ticket holders have to pay an extra sum
fixed by the directors, but at least have the comfort of knowing
their seat is reserved for them. Season-tickets are, of course, as
much in demand as full memberships, possibly the demand is
five or six times greater than the number of tickets actually
ssued. Over a season, for one thing, their holders save a con-
siderable amount of money.
_ What of the man in the street? How much is he going to
aye to pay, as he wends his way down the Castellana, to be
aught and swept through to the ground in a throttle of traffic
and people? For a top Spanish League match, which means a
ecting with Real’s eternal rival, Barcelona, or with neighbour-
ng Atletico de Madrid, the most expensive seat is usually 225
esetas (about 30s.).
Should he be satisfied with standing space in the so-called
ird amphitheatre, which is not completed, and is directly
opposite the roofed, preferred ““Tribune” in which the directors
box is located, he can watch for as little as ro or 12 pesetas
riew, though the third amphitheatre is uncomfortably exposed

n bad weather, and he may find himself craning over a sea of
la ckumbrellas, still as a column of shiny beetles.
ea ee a cause than these to Real Madrid. But saute Was

cess has educated them to be critical. Not for them a loud, —
13
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL ~
sustained and immediate exhortation to their team, as, say, aths

Highbury, Molineux or Old Trafford. é
As recently as April, 1957, when Manchester United came to.
Madrid with a huge reputation to play the first of their two
European Cup-ties, Real’s supporters could still explode from
the first whistle. Who can forget the barrage of white flowers
thrown from the tiers, the sudden, dramatic waving of a hun-
dred thousand white handkerchiefs? There was the electricity "
of dynamic support. ;
Nowadays, they are cold in their seats for the first minutes fs
each match, and only warm to real enthusiasm when the artistry *
of their wonder team has tricked its way to a two, three, four
goals lead. Then, indeed, they line each movement of the team
with their roars, “Madrid! Madrid! Ra-Ra-Rah!” and ee
every “dance” and goal. .
They ask, with wild eyes and warm blood, with the clapping
of hands and gay shouts, for more of the “dance”, more moves
of artistry, more goals. In general, the members remain reserved,
calm, and expert, leading the applause when the class or fair
play of opponents invites it. MH
Remembering the recent saga, Real officials consider the
foreign teams provoking most enthusiasm in Madrid were
Partizan of Yugo-Slavia, a spectacular team in spite of their
0-4 defeat in the European Cup, and Britain’s Manchester
United. The Munich air disaster made a sad impact on the
Madrilenians, and there was a considerable sale for a memorial
pennant conferring on the destroyed team the title “Champions
of Honour”. Barely a year before Madrid had admired the
titanic contest offered by the Manchester side, ending in a 3-1
win to Real, though not, they say, without their having an
element of luck.
For Real Madrid, those long-ago sunsets beside “La Taurina”’,
the brawls and insults in the years of their begetting, are
moments long forgotten. In this century they have acquired the
_ goodwill of millions, conquering with their art as the’ Con- ;
-quistadores of old conquered with swords, and in football|
ne establishing a comparable empire,u
eentan by any other. |
14
CHAPTER TWO
WORLD OF THE STARS
HE one real secret of Real Madrid is the care taken, after

igning him, of each star player. Disputes never. arise. Transfer
oud of the fact no player, after leaving them, has ever abused
s old club. Under the umbrella of the club’s big-mindedness,
ayers have only one duty, as much to themselves as to the club,
d that is to bring their football ability to its full expression.
Nothing else is allowed to worry them. The club is a cushion
for all their problems. Should they want to enter business, advice
nd help iis available to them. Should they be feeling mental
ain, a psychologist is near at hand with professional help.
ome physical problem? — then a doctor is at their beck and
If they fret on noting their hair is an inch over-long, then
barber will nip from round the corner |
Under the rules of the Spanish Football Federation, each
st and Second Division club is allowed only 25 professional
’ players. Yet, rules never being quite what they say, this does not
ean a club cannot have just as many players as it wishes. What
does mean is that the club must nominate, and abide by, a list
players for the official domestic competitions, namely the
ague and the Cup.
No one prevents Real Madrid having extra staff for their
any outside commitments, the European Cup, the Latin Cup,
‘the World Club Cup, for example. In addition, Real under-
everal lucrative friendly matches abroad in the course of a
and with their fees averaging between £8,000 and
oo it is clear that no star, irrespective of whether he is
a ualified to play in Spanish competitions, would be unemployed.
‘the present season, Real planned to choose its first team
om the following 25 players.
Faeepers : Denice Alonso and end
Neuiad
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
: Full:backs :Marquitos, Pachin, Miche and Pancaleth

Half-backs: Vidal, Zarraga, Ruiz, Santisteban, Felo an
Santamaria. hah)
Forwards: Canario, Del Sol, Di Stefano, Puskas, Gen
Herrera, Mateos, Pepillo, Rial, Bueno, Marsal and Simo: -
son.
This group includes five players 21 years old or andes
Pachin, Pantaleon, Felo, Herrera, and Bueno - whom it i
doubt planned to “blood” in the course of the season, preparing
on experience. ie
When stars are signed from abroad, none can accuse R
Madrid of “cradle snatching”. The men they have bought
older, Alfredo Di Stefano, possibly the most successful sign: ;

by any club in history, and a bargain at £30,000, which was th
fee Real paid the Millonarios Club of Bogota back in 1
was even then rising 28. In 1959, Real signed the fab
coloured player Didi from Brazil, when he was 32 years
Didi, whose handsome face seemed perpetually set in a
mood, had been the controlling genius of Brazil’s World ¢
winning team a year before, in Sweden. In spite of such cred
tials, he failed to “take” with the Spanish public. He lack
the speed, drive and temper of the Spanish players. Never i
decisive match was he lucky enough to wholly please the Mad.
following, though they admitted his exceptional class. Wi
and considerably richer, Didi was allowed by Real ‘to tA
“home to Brazil within a year. aa
Real replenished their star material by signing the fin
Swedish centre-forward Agne Simonsson, a Gothenburg ama
suddenly in receipt of a fat £14,000 signing-on fee, all for h:
self. Simonsson was only 25, and Real quickly surrounded
with a language teacher, temporary lodging in a Swedish
inMadrid, indeed help of all sorts, advising him “Not to wo
but to bring yourself into the situation at your own pace”.
16
‘REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
Simonsson estimates it will “Take a year before I feel and
play like a Real Madrid player. But the comradeship of the
other players was quickly clear to me, and their wish to help
"was very sincere. They appreciate that for years I have been
only a part-time player, whilst they are experienced and
sophisticated professionals. Their determination to help me to
their level is moving, and has already made me very happy to
be with the greatest club in the whole world”.
_ In Simonsson’s case, Real, for once, have been prepared to
wait while he acquires the gloss of the finished product in their
en aploy. That this is not usually the case was made clear by
eir technical manager, Mr. Emil Oesterreicher, during specu-
tion about Bobby Charlton’s possible transfer to Real. Mr.
esterreicher said;
Of course we would like Charlton. He is in world class,
eat club manager. In effect, Mr. Busby would be doing more

Charlton than we could ourselves, and it would be silly to
urb that situation!”
glance through Real’s nominated 25 players for the present
ason points to the international make-up of the team, and
achievements internationally of the players themselves.
ain’s first-choice Ces until a mild ea disease inter-

ypted his career in 1959, and at 31 is making a comeback.
e third goalkeeper, Bagur, is also 31, and even he has won |
share of honours, in Spain’s “B” team. The right-back
uitos, 28, is a full Spanish international, and the centre-
Santamaria is a double international, first with his native
ay and now with Spain. Santamaria, 31, had always
od the coolest and most self-possessed of centre-halves until
REAL. MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
international caps. His fellow! full-back Miche, 24, an

leon, 21, have both been nominated for Spain’s “B” team. |
half Vidal, 25, captain and half-back Zarraga, 29, Santisteban,
another half-back, have all won full international caps, and
Spain’s Youth team.

Di Stefano, of course, is another double international,
the Argentine and Spain. So is Puskas, the former Hunga
are other full Spanish internationals among the for

Simonsson, for the time being, continues to play for Swe
Few clubs in the world can ever have boasted such a c
expért use of it. Besides these players Rad have several yc ;

sters, achieving fame in their own right, out on loan to other
smaller clubs. They include Gento IJ and Gento II], younger
brothers of the Real left-winger. Both are considered certair
future internationals. }
The tentacles of Real into “nursery” teams are endles
disprove the theory, sometimes voiced in England, ‘that a
Madrid can get along with 25 players, so can we”. In Engl:
First Division club declares its five, six or seven team
Saturday, absorbing 35 or more professional players, and
amateurs. In Spain the connection is more tenuous, but none
less real.
Apart from its own professional staff, Real Madrid
affiliated team, the “Plus Ultra”, which plays in the
Division. It is as if Arsenal controlled Leyton Orient, with
the implications! Real’s purely amateur team holds the S|
Championship in its category, and the club turns out se
youth teams in competitions.
To be a youth player with Real Madrid offers several
ments, not the least of which is to take part in the club
- competition for young players. Real Madrid put up the
_ and the competition is open only to their own youngsters,
_ team bears the name of a first-team apie Dect 3)
18
ano’? apts annccsa” » Santamaria”, and sO on, the name
mbroidered on each lad’s jersey. .
Naturally, the lads feel themselves to Mi fighting for the
jonour of their particular hero. Quite often, the hero himself
present, to shake their hands and wish them luck. Should the
ads win well, and feel they have done their hero justice, it is
more than likely they will receive a small present from him.
These are considered happy family moments in the Real Madrid
lub, and the spirit they engender could well be valuable to the
lub in the years ahead.
Di Stefano, many times over a peseta millionaire, was so
ighted when the team bearing his name won that he ordered
t amounts of pop and sweet-meats into the dressing-room,
nd sat cross-legged on the floor for an hour, talking to the
aucer-eyed victors. He has many times gone out of his way to
ive them tips on tactics, or skills. They worship him!
Whether the player be a star, or the youngest newcomer, he
receive the same degree of consideration from, Real’s
anaging Board, which views its job as being a “Father figure”
the host of players and employees. Respect and appreciation
shown to every player, first-team or reserve or even youth,
1 because of it the player naturally feels an obligation to the
ub,or rather, a pride in belonging. Such an attitude invariably
oduces maximum effort from each of them,
also partly explains how so many front-rank stars, beginning
|only a Real Madrid contract in common, manage to adjust
each other, not only in sport, but in their private lives, and
ecome fast friends. Brazil, Argentine, Uruguay, Sweden,
ngary and Spain - here are many temperaments, shaped in
‘vastly differing environments; an apparent clash of skills and
‘ ticsacquired and heevcdu on fields far distant each from
¢ main blending factor. Success brings fabulous salaries and

ses to first-team players. Success brings comparative wealth
through their erie appearances, andinno dante! whats
that they can earn more sitting in the stand watching the
any other Spanish club.

Indeed, the reserve team plays a good many fcaale mage
through the season, and are well supported for they are v
| and might be expected to surpass hae

well-established First Division sides as Atletico de Bi
Atletico de Madrid, Valencia, Espanol, and Seville. e)
Being, as it were, the peak of the football pyramid, in Euro
as well as Spain, it is understandable that a Real Madrid conti“3
the moment they first kick a ball in earnest, Spanish’ avis

dream of it. Should they make the grade, they know their fut
is assured. Even reserve status is as good as an insurance poli
for every other team in Spain strains to contract the m
of the Madrid first team.
ete lads have a natural delight in the game, and a na

enthusiasm for its skills, the acquiring of which they
among them, is still the great release, the open-sesame

world they could not otherwise experience. Real Madrid,
the lesser clubs, are both the target and the incentive for
greater effort.
ae Hecrase of their great weight of fice in

competitions. They compensate for this by presenting
veteran players with amounts generally in excess of anyt
they would have obtained from such a match. _ ‘
In recent seasons, only such famous and devoted players as
“team captains Ipina and ene Munoz- the present coach -
sadly checked his career, was given a tremendous tribute by the

_ Madrilenians, and collected a cool £25,000!
- Molowny, incidentally, also decided to try a comeback else-
where, and Real, in their bigness and gratitude, unhesitatingly
anted him a free transfer | This care, even love, for the players
who have delighted over the years, is an impressive character-
stic of Real Madrid. When old players, long finished with the
me, run into monetary troubles, it is an unwritten rule among
Real directors that he be disinterestedly granted a considerable
mount of money, to set him up again. These discreet kind-
_ nesses endear the club to its old retainers throughout their lives.
On transfers to other clubs, Real is equally paternal and
fair, Sometimes itis necessary that their staff be trimmed, and
yerths found elsewhere for one or two players. Every help and
See and advice, is given such players in seeking con-
on “Ne parting with him. Thus there is no bar to him

aking the best possible terms for himself with any interested
ub’s early, struggling days.

Contrary to opinion abroad, Real are not unanimously
. in Spain where regional football rivalries, and with
tion in many ca arces: In the North, Bilbao, the ‘pia

Basques believe in a policy of ‘“Local men only” in their
, and have little time for Madrid’s chandelier of inter-
al stars, not the success they have won. Nowhere is the _
SE tment of Real success more bitter than in Barcelona, the -
twin giant of Balch football, and another.ie
absorbs front-rank talent from abroad.
Stefano ““Traitor” because he mentioned in anEaelich

Dink that Wolves could beat Barcelona in the eb i
comparable rivalries in Britain — barring Celtic ad Ra

They compete to have the best team, the best ground, to
aspect of the game is something ne each prize, if it

i
pete) expense of the other.
In the face of much hostility on away grounds, Real
have played silently, with sportsmanship, and something :
nobility. They are content with success and power an
“thors de série” rank. Let others uselessly dream of their
_ Like Mr. Liberace, Real can say: “We cried all the way
bank |” To the true Spanish supporter,w:
whe he may
Real play, as J. B. Priestley wrote of football, “...a
hurtling conflict, passionate and beautiful in its art”.
that, Spain and ceil is grateful.
CHAPTER THREE
THE REWARDS OF SUCCESS

_ Wuar is the relationship between success and bonus to these
_ world-famous Real Madrid stars? Basically, there is none. No
mount of bonus will make a moderate player into a good one
r, in Real’s case, a great one. No amount of bonus could inject
to the team its driving technique, nor add to its deep feeling
io the game’s artistry. Di Stefano says; “We like to play this
ie
game. “Players will play the man, not the ball, if they are
ing,” it is said. The story of Real Madrid proves that to be *
tinually more sinned against than sinners!

ike matured wine, they know themselves to be just right ©
ason
roa: wes !
A fy eeie of the directors’ attitude came after Real’s fifth ©
) | "REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
tells the story
the “Man Faster than Sound”! —
fellows reward: aR A hs
“In principle, the Managing Board decided to pay each
us a bonus of 60,000 pesetas if we beat Eintracht in Glasg
(about £400). After our victory, they decided to add to tha
special grant of 25,000 pesetas (about {160) for each Europe
Cup Final in which members of the team had played. |
Stefano, our captain Zarraga, and myself were the only thre
who had played in all five Finals.
“So we were given an extra 125,000 pesetas which, wit
original bonus, came to a total of 185,000 pesetas (about £1,25
In other words, and without any complaint having been mad
we were paid three times the original bonus promised, Ww.
naturally made everyone very happy indeed.”
That {1,250 is probably a world’s record bonus for victor
in any one match, and was quite separate from bonuses pa d te
the team along its path to the final. Another big bonus
instance, was paid for the two victories, both by three go
‘one, in the Semi-Final tie against Real’s mighty rivals, B:
celona. Feeling ran so high in Barcelona after the second d
that the Barcelona chief coach, Hellenio Herrera, had t
rescued by police from a rioting mob outside an hotel. saeg
Senor Herrera, who was also the Spanish international
manager at that time, was accused, wantonly of cours
“Being in the pay of Real Madrid!” This brilliant coac has |
now retired, if that is the word, to the comparative peace ol
-Milan’s Internazionale club, in Italy, where he is reported
paid the fabulous salary of {5002 WEEK! ‘
Brazil, after their triumph in the 1958 World Cup in S redei
received huge presents on their return home. Their
wonder”, the fabulous inside-forward Pele, was given a |
and land by public subscription in the town of his club, Sa
and a wealthy admirer presented him with a small yachi
this was tribute for victory in a competition ;even the Brazil:
failed to draw 1,250 for their Final triumph over S\
Clearly the point where income ceases to matter has bec
reached by several Madrid stars. More important, do th
24 oe
i anage toretain es wealth ? There Bove Been occasional cases
f players failing in business, or running into economic diffi-
ulty for other reasons. But in the main, and again with the help
and advice of the club directors, most players manage to put
ide sufficient to provide for their future after football.
More than a year ago, Don Raimundo Saporta, the Treasurer
and business genius of Real Madrid, remarked shrewdly to Di
Stefano: “By now, I’m sure, football must have enabled you
to save something in the region of 35 million pesetas (about
£23,000). Di Stefano mused back quickly, with a smile:
“That's rather under the mark, Raimundo ...!” This in a
country where the cost of living is a good deal less than half
what it is in Britain.
Little wonder, then, that to wear the white jersey and mono-
gram of Real Madrid is so coveted an honour. Real, indeed,
are on “Open, Sesame!” to an assured future, should a a
ce
Using signed a player, the man himself is none the poorer
their mistake. A full-back, Miguel Torres, is a case in
Zaragoza. OnJel Tartes said: “In half a year P've earned

more money with Real than in my whole professional career”.
The Brazilian wing-forward, Canario (his real name is Darcy
Silveira dos Santos), made a similarly interesting.comment, At)
the time he seemed to be a perpetual reserve, and had never been —
cho en for the first team. But Canario said: “I do not mind
ing a reserve. Even should I be kept as a reserve I will not
rn to, Brazil. I prefer being here to playing in the best
€ motivation of Real’s nie and continuing successes. To

UNaa
Contrary, probably, to opinion outside Spain, Real Male
do not have the best record in domestic competitions. They
ment: Barcelona and Atletico de Bilbao. Each of them is:

puted football master of his region, Real lord it over C
Bilbao dey jeyaley from the sheepmen, the men of the sea,
industry.
Barcelona have been League Champions eight times,
Cup-winners 14 times. Six League Championships and no
than 20 Cup wins have gone to Bilbao, who have also be
runners-up in the Championship a further seven times, Ma
trail behind these two, the eternal and ever-vigilant rivals,
but six League titles and nine Cup wins, though they
runners-up in the Cup 11 times. Possibly this even distrib
of domestic honours is a good thing for Spanish football
competition can survive if it becomes a monopoly. Public iint
would flag.
Real’s particular flair has been in the big, imaginative i
national competitions. In these, they have been unchallen
and in all the Continents have come to represent Spanish footb
almost exclusively iin the minds of millions. Not for nothi
Real’s directors in the lead when talk of new internati
competitions, such as a European League, is about! re
Real’s record, much of it ce re in this last iehie t
work of say magical afternoons and evenings. A ng

dividend for the club’s huge investment in both ir
faith. An overwhelming back-cloth before which to greet

_ visitors — or opponents!
_ The list is headed by five European Cup triumphs in succes-
q sive years since the competition was founded by the Parisian
eye
ae sporting newspaper, L’Equipe, and its leading writer, M.
Gabriel Hanot. Close behind come two Latin Cups, an impor-
eee tant competition fought by leading clubs in Spain, Portugal,
_ Italy and France. Present holders of the World Club Champion-
=
ship, Real have also won two “‘Little World Cups” in Caracas,
_ Venezuela - another important competition in the Hispanic
world.
_ They have also dominated international club competitions
4 within Spain. Twice they have won the Ramon de Carranza
a Trophy at Cadiz, once the Téresa Herrera Trophy at Corunna
- (great name of the Peninsular War!) and once the Benito
4 Villamartin Trophy at Seville. Europe or South America, it has
___been the same — Success ! Every possible test of their claim to the
world championship has been welcomed, and mastered.
In its quest for further glory or expansion, Real have even
‘studied the possibilities of touring China, the Far East, Austral-
asia. Possibly they have a man scouting the Esquimaux League
in Greenland’s icy wastes, to see if they could raise a crowd!
Should life be discovered on Mars, one might gamble that an
early message would be dispatched by Senor Saporta— “What
terms can you offer for a match against Real?”
In old Chamartin, and the new Estadio Santiago Bernabéu,
Real have proved little short of invincible, against foreign teams,
_ Plunged into defeat, and often by a dramatically big margin,
shave been such leading clubs as Penarol of Uruguay, San
Lorenzo and Racing Club de Buenos Aires, both of the Argen-
tine, Manchester United, Stade de Rheims, Racing Club de
Paris, Santos of Brazil, Hungaria, Mexico City, Charlton
Ge thletic, Fulham, Milano, Nice, Vasco de Gama of Brazil, and
oO! Feigopean and South American football aristocracy, but they

re paly a few of a hundred and more foreign teams that have
_ unfortunate misabee when Real had been ma I-
Real officials would be the first to congratulate those of 1
iwhose a and finances are as matting to silk, in the
better than a sla

And the club that can topple Real ina vital chatll ca
call itself that. For it will have achieved more than a h
great teams have done, this past few years — deprived th
stars ofjust one of those fabulous bonuses]
CHAPTER FOUR
DON SANTIAGO BERN ABEU

THIS WAS MY DREAM
Ar a match banquet in Madrid in late 1959 ‘I said, sincerely,
_ that Matt Busby was the greatest manager I had known, and
_ possibly the world had known none better. Afterwards a young
_ British correspondent approached me, and said he had been
_ “Moved by your speech, which was appreciated by every English
listener.” I could only say: “It was in my heart, and I said it.”
Perhaps, in discussing my own contribution to the emergence
_ of Real Madrid, I could turn that to say “It, too, was in my
heart - and I did it.” Not alone, by any means, but with the
dedicated help of some wonderful directors and staff, supported
to the hilt by thousands of far-seeing members, whose early
financial support made so much possible.
‘ Today, I am often referred to in Spain as the “Father of
Real Madrid”, or its “Grand Old Man”. One cannot deny that
to be identified in this way with so great a club does not arouse
a thrill of pleasure. Nor that to have our great new Stadium at
_ Chamartin named after me did not invite a tear or two, in a sort
_ of sad-joyful remembrance of our years of attainment.
IT joined Real Madrid as a centre-forward in 1912, and
_remained in the first team, on and off, until 1926. In fact I was
still an active player when elected to the club’s Managing Board.
On September 14, 1943, while the rest of Europe remained
plunged in war, the members paid me the honour of electing me
President, and I will confess that my ambitions for the club
were greater than its resources, at that time!
I have always considered football an entertainment, and that
t is the responsibility of a club to acquire the best possible
ntertainers, i.e. players of the highest class, wherever they may
e found. .
Bapland $ Gruley Mateos) Mey a Li Jon At tha ‘im
I considered him the world’s leading player, and I ls f
I found, in these hours of felieation away from my les

practice, that my mind was constantly wrapped-up with
theme of Real’s future. How could we break through th s
barrier of the ordinary, and emerge to a new level of presen
better football to bigger crowds?
Stadium worthy of such a Fate, There was no purpose to fol-

lowing an ambitious playing policy if, subsequently, the biggs
crowds could not be accommodated, and worthily.
We had no money for the scheme, but we had lene
opposition. The idea of a gigantic new Stadium for the th
“little” Real Madrid was widely described as “Nonsensica
Even our bankers refused to support the project. Yet I always felah
that it would appeal to the people who, in the long term, iA
mattered most :Our supporters, and members.
It was to them I turned, with my hands outstretched!AE
all, unless I had gravely miscalculated the changing fac
football, the new Stadium, and the team which would have to b
built to justify it, were to their benefit. At that point, we had
only 3,000 members and, I am afraid, a rather unsuccessful side :
But how tremendous was that first response to our pol
Within a few hours of our issuing bonds to collect funds for
new ground not one was left unsold. Yes, the initial 30,000 900
pesetas (about £200,000) poured into our Treasurer’s oni a
single day.
In that one day, too, because of the terms of the hous i
our membership jumped to 35,000. Old Chamartin had o1
Thus thisgreat and beautiful ground was made available to

us without any state, municipal, or institutional help. It grew
straight from the hearts and hopes of our loyal core of supporters,
their friends, and other Madrilanians whose imagination was
caught up by our plans. For me, then, there will always seem
~-a smile in every stone, and an echo of long-ago hopes in every
_ great match of today. |
Our method of financing a new Stadium was later emulated
by the Club de Futbol Barcelona, the great rivals of Real
_ Madrid. Their fine Stadium has a present capacity of 105,000.
Taking three years to build, it is certainly the newest of the
world’s show Stadiums, and cost rather more than our own,
“namely £1,750,000. Money for it was raised in three parts,
“entirely. within Barcelona. This statement by the City of its
_ faith in the club was finally justified in November, 1960, when
Barcelona ended Real Madrid’s five-year reign in the European
Cup!
a To further the setting for our Real Madrid of the future, we
also had to acquire our spacious headquarters in the City, Fiesta
Alegre. Again the support from our members has been tremen-
dous. Now, in our time of affluence, the development of our
_ “Sports City” takes Real Madrid a stage further, and there is an
“opportunity to provide benefits for these loyal members.
Members, and the masses of the general public, have been
esponsible for pushing the club ever upwards. To them, accord-
ingly, are the efforts of players and management dedicated.
We all want the best for Real Madrid. We all want to BE the
best, in whatever role we play. Not just for the sake of the pride
‘in being so, but because those who support us deserve it. That
_ is why we are always searching for new stars, the world over.
Football becomes more and more of a show every day. A
me is no longer just the pre-occupation of those who play
d manage. It has to reach for a public, an ever-bigger public,
‘the strength of a club is built four-square on its support.
one is not to lag behind, the ow must not only be good, it
must be first-class. :
Once it is accepted that the first purpose of a club is to
gamble, can achieve a great deal. Think small, iF you.
helping to retard the game’s natural historical development. TI
world must throw up more and more clubs like Real Mac :
and such clubs must come together more and more in i
national competitions,
triumphal establishment ae the European Can as the lead

club competition in our Continent. We have ei! in
will one day come.

Imagine it! - Tottenham, Manchester United, Real
‘lona, Rheims, Juventus and a host more. Such a compe
must surely stimulate interest in football generally. D
competitions will always have their place, and continue
fight to maintain standards and solvency. But we are d
with a great game that knows not the barriers of Leagu
nations, and the time is close when the initiative must be
for a European League.
We cannot retreat from history, nor shun the inev:
development. The big clubs will cry for it, and the pub’ i
_ And when it comes, nothing will benefit more ‘than the
will flock all men of genius, players and management, stretc

their talent to meet the new demands upon it, and enr
football thereby. Can one seriously doubt it would be so?—
When that time comes, I think Real will be prepar
Madrid, because it demanded them, and made them poss;
has seen great teams and great players. God willing, they 1
see many more. To have contracted Di Stefano, Gento, Del |
ii Kopa, Didi, Dominguez, Santamaria, Puskas, Canario, Pa
Marquitos, and so many others was not simply greed
> world’s best, nor an expression of our wealth.
Primarily, these players were bought as needed to mai
In this tremendous game against Eintracht, Di Stefano slams the ball
hard and high into the net to put Real into the lead.
‘pj4om ays ut joafsad Jsou ays fo auo aq Isniu naqoudsag Sauyy UsapoUu jnfiinvag S11 yyy “1ysiu Jo wnipojgy ay
aHIT
D JOYS WOAL
D UsDPOW IJSI]DAIANS
“UY asay
SI [JD ay] AuosD
fo ‘Wafap
é :ak 2 co Ee
The team display with pride their fifth European Cup trophy.
is our main asset. To repair and enrich it is clearly good sense.

_ We live as an image in people’s minds. It would not do to let the
image decline, or be distorted, before taking action.
In exchange for their money, and for their faith, we
“contract”, then, with our supporters to provide football of first
quality. I am astonished, from time to time, to think there are
club administrators who do not seem to accept this “contract”
as their first priority. What other motive can there be for direct-
_ ing a football club?
Each season, Real Madrid takes in cash some 100,000,000
pesetas (about £665,000) from matches played on its home’
ground, including those for the European Cup. Our Treasury
draws a further 30 to 35 million pesetas (£200,000-£230,000)
for the friendly matches played outside of the Bernabéu Stadium.
All that is provided by football since, apart from basketball,
which is self-supporting, our other sports sections usually show
a loss. :
Travelling expenses, of course, in an organization such as
Real Madrid’s, are high.
The first team is constantly flying in and out of Spain, or,
in view of the long distances, travelling by sleeping car within
our country. For Sunday matches, the team invariably departs
_ Friday evening. In that way, the journey can be passed almost
‘entirely by sleeping procera, and on arrival freshness is
retained.
_ Before home matches, the team usually comes together in
some Sierra village near Madrid. Most popular with both
players and club is the wonderful Felipe II Hotel, in San
‘Lorenzo de El Escorial. Some 18 miles from the capital, but in
the Madrid province, the place contains the celebrated monstery-
palace, built by Herrera.
_ Such concentrations begin on Thursdays or Fridays, immedi-
ately after the ordinary daily training. They do not end until a
_ few hours before the start of the match on Sunday. They have
_ proved most valuable.
All this travelling and living together must, I think, generate
extra team spirit, produce new ideas, and be conducive to greater
33
understanding between the players. In combination, so many —
talents, temperaments, and brains — separated en bloc from their —
everyday environments — will, in theory, strike sparks off each _ f
other;specially when prodded by continuing success! ia
Another heavy expense, of course, is the maintenance of our
huge Stadium, specially on match days, when the number of
employees achieves huge proportions. There are around sixty
gates opening into the Stadium, as well as hundreds within it,
for communication between the different sections of the ground.
Each of those doors, of course, require men to take care of them,
250 in all. a
To supervise them, there is a team of inspectors, touring
round to watch out for disputes — and people attempting admis- — z
sion without a ticket!
You would be surprised at the vast number of urchins who yi
lurk outside the Stadium on match days, waiting for the best
opportunity of slipping in unobserved. They have an unceasing —
battle with the gate-keepers over the years, but who is winning —
at this moment I would not care to guess! Bd
At all events, there are 50 inspectors, and sometimes more
for a very special occasion - when the battle with the urchins —
may become extra desperate, and we feel the need of reinforce-
ments to out-wit them. I am told this side-show can be enter-
taining in itself, and has its aficionados | Wis,
Once inside, any one of 200 ushers is available to show a
supporter to his seat. This huge staff is marshalled by five chief —
inspectors, who in turn come under the Head of all ground staff.
A further 100 people are required to sell tickets, and possibly
another 100 to supply cushions. In aggregate, for a big
match, Real need a total of over 1,300 employees at the Sta~
dium. aM
These are just facets of the giant that Real Madrid has ~
become in my near-so years close connection with the club, as
player, director, and President. They are a far cry from our
struggling early days, and our greatest leaps forward have only |
come in the last few years. Mat:
It is a story that moves me still, when I retire to Alicante fora
34
ing, a little Felecaad! Yetsechiee our ete achieve- ay)
tis
s thefriends we have made, throughout the world, he isa
They have befriended us, and that is

3 a memory to cherish.
For in the last analysis, wae football is not just a break-
isa PE aetionstip in ane We ees to stimulate and perioes

that which we have to offer. In Real’s case, we begin with no
more to offer than a faith in good football, and it was made to
work by great players and great supporters. One can ask ai
CHAPTER FIVE
DON RAIMUNDO SAPORTA
GO, SIGN DI STEFANO!
My first really big assignment for Real Madrid was to contract,

of all people, Alfredo di Stefano! The story behind that signing
is still not widely known, and yet must surely be unique in the -
history of world football.
I had just completed my first year with Real Madrid, as the
club’s Treasurer - or as the French often describe me, its
“Finance Minister” ! As always, the Managing Board was alert
to news or developments abroad that might concern us. One
such news item concerned the return of Columbia, the South -
American nation, to F.I.F.A.’s authority. sat
Having broken with F.I.F.A., Columbia until then ope tateAG:
outside of international football ites, Countries within F.I. F.Y Want
could have no dealings with her. %
Now, all of a sudden, relations were restored. And of imme- —
diate importance, it became possible for us to negotiate for Di
Stefano, whose reputation even then was huge throughout the —
South American Continent, and had not gone unnoticed in —
Europe. I was the man appointed to go to South America. :
Di Stefano was an Argentine player, and had belonged to
the River-Plate club, for whom his father had also played. On —
the occasion of the famous “Strike’”’ by leading Argentine stars, _
on their failing to come to terms with their club, Di Stefano had a
left for Bogota, the Colombian capital, to play for the ;
Millonarios. i
Players from other parts of the world - including Englag OR
had converged on the short-lived Eldorado in Colombia about
the same time, abandoning their own clubs. But Di Stefano was —
the prize catch, the man whom we had to sign. Events sir
_ then have proved Real Madrid’s judgement absolutely righ
36 | i
From the start we had formidable competition, and from

our greatest rivals in Spain itself - Barcelona. Their managers _
flew South with the same purpose as myself: To find a way of
contracting Di Stefano. Such was the haste, that we both
thought we had won - and in fact, each of us had half-won!
In Bogota, I came to terms with the Millonarios, and was
given an option. I cabled back that information happily to our
President in Madrid. But about the same time, across in Buenos
Aires; the Barcelona officials had bought an option from his
Argentine club, River Plate. They too cabled back what they
thought to be news of a big success! _'
Each of us claimed Di Stefano. For a time it seemed to be
deadlock. The trial of our respective cases would have tested
King Solomon. “Who signs Di Stefano?” — the question was
asked up and down Spain, by none more fervently than the two
“sae
sets of supporters, our own and Barcelona’s.
Finally, the highest sporting authorities in Spain met to settle
the dispute. Their decision was to be binding on both of us. Yet
no one would have anticipated that decision. For they decided
that Di Stefano would play for one season in the colours of Real
Madrid, and in the next for Barcelona.
He would play alternate seasons with the two clubs for the
balance of his career. Can one imagine what the situation must
have seemed to the player himself? Two sets of loyalties, two
sets of friends, even perhaps two homes! Yet so it had to be.
Happily, this strange position lasted only six weeks. Di
Stefano was playing well enough with us, whilst he settled
__ down. But he was performing no wonders, nor indeed giving
any more than a hint of the tremendously valuable player he
was subsequently to prove. All this was carefully noted by
_ Barcelona’s leaders,
_ One day, quite unexpectedly, Barcelona decided to sell us
_ their rights. Real Madrid quickly agreed, and for all of us there
was relief at having the business settled. But twenty-four hours
later Di Stefano scored four goals, and put on a fabulous
performance.
Real Madrid won by five goals to nothing. And the team we
37
beat? Barcelona! Few football transfers, indeed, can have had so

many rare twists as that of Di Stefano, until the moment when
he became entirely and wholeheartedly a great player with Real
Madrid. And for me it was revealing and exciting meme
to the world of top-class professional football.
For it was not my knowledge nor love of football that bronete
me to Real Madrid, at the invitation of Don Santiago Bernabéu,
our President. I was born in Paris, of Spanish father and French
mother, on December 16, 1926. When I joined Real as Treasurer
I was only 26 which, I suppose, would make me one of the.
world’s youngest football administrators,
But my first love was basket-ball. In 1952 I was appointed
by the Spanish Basket-Ball Association to organise a tournament
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Real Madrid. The tourna-
ment was a success, and brought me into close contact with —
Senor Bernabéu, who subsequently asked me to join Real’s
Managing Board.
At first, I will confess I wanted to refuse. I pointed out to
Don Santiago that I was far from being a football expert. In
spite of that, I was appointed Treasurer, on an honorary basis of :
course — as are all the Real Madrid directors. We do not earn a
single peseta.
From that point, my passion for football has fully developed,
and is now as extravagant as anyone else’s. For our work, the
reward we value most highly is the friendships we are constantly _
making, both in Spain and abroad. I particularly value my own _
friendships with our players.
Each day, players come to me for advice, not only in i football |
matters, but in their private business affairs. It is a pleasure to
be able, in some small way, to ease their minds. At Real I am,
above all, the players friend, and have attempted to make them —
look upon the Treasurer as such, irrespective of what Treasurers _
may be at other clubs.
At their arrival, during their stay, and at their leaving, we
remain good friends. In my years with Real I have never had
the slightest friction with any player. This is reflected in what _
may be called their annual ‘Vote of Confidence”, when su a
38
"eo eth nt aeemRULE
Nae
sign blank contracts, without any amount in money even

being mentioned. They know they can trust the Real Madrid
Managing Board.
Our policy up to now has been to contract a great inter-
national figure each season, and it has yielded tremendous
dividends to our club.
In 1952, we contracted Francisco Gento; in 1953, Alfredo
di Stefano; in 1954, Jose Hector Rial; in 1955, Raymond Kopa,
the brilliant French centre-forward whom we subsequently
transferred back to Rheims; in 1956, Jose Santamaria; in 1957,
Rogelio Dominguez; in 1958, Ferenc Puskas; in 1959, Didi
from Brazil, who within a year returned home; and in 1960,
Agne Simonsson from Sweden.
From now on, because of the severity of Spanish Federation
regulations regarding the contracting of foreign players, I do not
know if we shall be able to maintain our policy. If we can, then
our eyes will be scanning the world’s horizons once again, for
the man of the moment.
If we cannot, and the men across the seas are impossible to
sign, then we shall look within Spain, and compete for the best.
‘We have never overlooked our domestic players. Indeed, it is
not so long since we signed the outstanding young inside-
forward Luis Del Sol.
Del Sol was with Betis of Seville, but is now a ‘‘Madridista’”,
and has won recognition in the Spanish international team. On
his form so far revealed, foreign experts have often told me they
consider this young Spaniard will be the key forward in the
Real Madrid of the future.
As Treasurer, I limit myself to reaching a financial agree-
ment with new players. Experts, of which I am not one, decide
which players interest us, and will fit best into our pattern of
_ play. Once they have nominated the player, I have never wasted
time in arguing with him. Nor is it necessary, for he will, I think,
not receive a better offer from anywhere.
I hold that players are the Club’s best assets. If that is so, they
“hy
in
must be dealt with grandly. We are not looking for a bargain,
: but for the great player, and he deserves everything that his rank
39
and artistry can get. The more money a player is paid, the ore’. i
it will indirectly help my club. I am convinced of that.
Similarly, when Real Madrid agree to play abroad, my work
is confined to the financial arrangements. We are often accused
of asking for guarantees considered excessive, but that is not so. —
The Real Madrid team represents to us a very big investment,
and there is no point if the reattlting product is to be sold
cheaply.
But more important, the first people to benefit a such
matches are the clubs paying these so-called “excessive” fees.
Because Real Madrid are popular and successful and have many — |
of the world’s leading stars, the home club can be certain of a —
“Full house”, and with it a huge income from the match.
The international currency for match guarantees is usually
the U.S. dollar. In the last year abroad, Italy’s Sampdoria club
of Genoa paid us 35,000 dollars (£12,500) for a game, and in ,
addition covered all travelling and hotel expenses for our party
of 25, the air journey being by special charter ’plane.
Hambourg, Fiorentina, and the organizers of the traditional —
match in Oran against Stade de Rhiems of France - the team
beaten in the European Cup by the English Champions, Burnley — ts
~ paid us very similar amounts. But in every case, the home
club made a great deal of money, and clearly cannot com-
plain.
On average, we accept one out of every 25 invitations made !
to us to play abroad. It is physically impossible to arrange dates
for more than that. Last summer we played in Germany, Den-
mark, and Norway, and also in Cadiz, Spain, for the Ramon
de Carranza Cup, in which Atletica Bilbao, Stade de Rhiems,
and Eintracht-Frankfurt, our opponents in the 1960 abe ae
Cup Final, also took part.
Later we played, and won, the second match for the World ‘
‘Championship against Penarol of Uraguay on our own prounes ah
and paid a flying visit to play Manchester United.
We have played Manchester United five times since the cally
part of 1957, twice in the European Cup, and three times in
friendly matches which could truthfully be described as bhi In
40
bs
he
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL ©
the corresponding period, we have only played one other Eng-

lish team, Wolverhampton Wanderers, in friendlies, losing 2-3
in the mud at Molineux and being held to an excellent 2-2 draw
| in Madrid, when Wolves played really well.
Our relationship with Manchester United is a particularly
friendly one, at every level in the two clubs. We never dicker
over terms, and the hospitality is warm and genuine on both
sides. On the last occasion, the two teams exchanged jerseys in
the dressing-rooms after the game, and I can assure Denis
Violett that HIS jersey is valued every bit as much by Di
Stefano as vice versa!
Some time before the match, it seemed “probable that Di
. Stefano and maybe Puskas would be unfit to play. From Geneva
where I happened to be, I telephoned to Matt Busby and said:
“Matt, I would not like to feel yourself let down if some of our
stars cannot play. You are free to postpone the match, if you
wish.”
Matt would not hear of it, and said Manchester was looking
f
forward to our visit. Many other clubs may have been tempted
to say ‘“No Di Stefano? No Puskas? We do not want to play”
but not Manchester United. I mentioned Matt’s reply to the two
stars concerned when I returned to Madrid.
“Whatever happens,” they said, “We want to travel with
the party, and to play if it is at all possible.” Di Stefano,
_ particularly, was remembering Real Madrid’s wonderful and
spontaneous welcome in Manchester a year before, one of the
_ most heart-warming tributes it has ever been our privilege to
accept.
Surely enough, they both turned out, and enjoyed the visit
tremendously, though Alfredo would probably not have been
- passed fit elsewhere, even for a League match! We look forward
to continuing our friendships in England, and possibly widen-
ing them, though Manchester United will always have our
deepest sentiment, and be closest to us,
These close friendships in many countries, and we like to call
our closest friends our “Ambassadors”, are a joyous aspect of
the ca of the Real Managing Board. Football is not just a
matter of success, it is a problem of creating a happy atmosphere

in which every personality can be fruitful.
In our years of success, the world, perhaps, as the English
say, has been our oyster. Yet the more lasting success has been
this making and keeping of friends. For they hold more true
than the mere results of matches, and are remembered longer
than trophies, important though they be |
CHAPTER SIX
ALFREDO DI STEFANO
FOR THE LOVE OF FOOTBALL
FoorsaL to me is not a more or less uncomfortable profession,

but a wonderful and unequalled hobby. I say that in the full
knowledge that I am 34 years of age and have had, as the
_ Americans say, the “Best of it” throughout my career, success
and honours, rewards and privileges. You must take my word
for it that, had I remained a humble player in Buenos Aires,
my joy in the game would not have been less.
It has been said that my seven years with Real Madrid
coincided with the club’s greatest period of success in its history.
If I have played a part in that success, I have only repaid a
group of wonderful employers and team-fellows. And my contri-
bution is as nothing, beside the memorable moments, the
_ rich colours that life as a Real Madrid player have provided
pb me:
I came to this great club humbly, aware of its traditions,
_ and the many great players who had gone before — goalkeeper
_ Ricardo Zamora, full-back Jacinto Quincoces, centre-forward
_ Gasper Rubio and inside-forward Luis Molowny, to name but
a few.
And in my time in Madrid, there has been the unceasing
_ pleasure of playing beside men of superb skill, intelligence and
_ comradeship. In quick succession arrived such as Gento, Santa-
maria, Kopa, Del Sol, Puskas, and many others. One could
never feel the “undergraduate” at any time with such a team;
q but rather, as a member of a highly successful faculty of pro-
_ fessors. Men who gave as much as they took in the complex
passions of match- play.
In Britain, it is quite common for good players to continue —
their careers until rising go years of age — and, of course, in
Stanley Matthews you have a dedicated and wonderful player i
p 43
able to break even that age barrier, yet remain a challenging f

figure. Matthews performance may yet have made him the
invaluable ally of all ageing stars, everywhere! He has proved
that if a man takes care of himself, and if his art be of high
quality, he himself is the best judge of when he should
retire.
Much though I love the enthusiasm of Spanish football
supporters, there is no denying they are capricious, on this point
of age. They tend to tire more quickly of their idols than in ~
Britain. When a player reaches 30, they take the attitude that
he is finished, and should he continue, then he is playing “Extra _
time” ! I like to think my own case, and indeed that of my friend
Ferenc Puskas, will help to change their minds.
Perhaps, impishly, I try to make this point when our own
Real supporters come to watch us train. My own zest for the
game is undiminished, and I will train as heartily as any man,
and enjoy doing so. As one gets older, one realises the full value
of retaining perfect physical condition, and taking care of one-
self in private life. To make that enthusiasm self-evident I am
often the last to leave the training field.
Before doing so, I will try all sorts of tricks with the ball, :
using the instep, heel, knee, indeed all parts of the body. In-
variably, in training, my tongue is showing, in a wide grin;
quite natural, this, and just another expression of my joy in
having chosen football as my profession. I will even go between
the goals, and it is no secret that I shall not mind if ever called
upon to show my goal-keeping prowess in an emergency|
My friend Bobby Charlton of Manchester United takes ;
similar pleasure in being a goalkeeper in training sessions.
Perhaps he imagines himself a Frank Swift, just as I imagine
myself a Zamora! It is harmless fun — nothing so serious as the —
clown wanting to play Hamlet. And none can know if these
private “‘hobby positions” may not one day become useful, in
“am emergency.
At all events, those few watchers of our training can hole
no doubts about my enthusiasm, and staying power. Should I ~
not undergo serious injury, and in that way I have been lucky
in
my career, and further, if it does not offend those gentlemen

eternally forecasting my retirement, I think I can play for at
least two, three, maybe four years yet.
One thing I am sure about. Should Spain qualify for the
1962 World Cup Finals in Chile, I shall be there, working hard
for a first-team place. We should be an experienced blend by
then, well capable of adjusting to South American playing
conditions, and I am sure Spain can do well.
Of course, as now, there will be critics crying that I am
“Over the top”. They say it each season about Real Madrid,
with unfailing regularity, and are just as often proved wrong.
Perhaps when we were at last beaten on an aggregate of four
goals to three by Barcelona in the European Cup they considered
their “‘forecast’’ a success at last. Well, within a week or two we
_ won a League match 5-3 at Barcelona, to open up at that time
a four-point lead in the Spanish League Championship. Was
that the performance of a “finished” team?
Barcelona are a strong and talented side, and when a rivalry
‘such as theirs with Real Madrid has lasted so long it was, I
suppose, inevitable they should have their turn! We Real
Madrid players did not begrudge them their chance of winning
the European Cup. We wished them well, in the best interests —
of Spanish football. For ourselves, we buckled down with deter-
‘mination to winning the Spanish Championship, and so re-
qualifying for our favourite competition |
_ Frankly, Real Madrid rises like the phoenix each season
from the ashes made of it by the critics the season before. We are
never, it seems, really ‘Too old ... unable to lift our own
_ boots”; we come again, strenuously, to new successes. In fact,
I think Real Madrid is as strong now as five years ago. Perhaps
_ even stronger, for to me the quality of our football always seems
to be improving.
Nowadays, it is easy, harmonic, well-linked — having the
semblance of exhibition football, but at the same time deadly
- efficient. Those pessimists who have hung their woeful forecasts
on us these last few years must by now have bitten their finger
nails down to the raw flesh. Yet the strength of our football is
45
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL ( TR aa
clear for them to see, however dark and forceful their new
presentiments of our failure!
When I mentioned our determination to win the Spautehs
Championship, and re-qualify for the European Cup, I chose
my word carefully : Determination — and hard work, the two go
together. Real players have never considered it enough to be
simply virtuosos. Pride in club, responsibility, courage, and
ability to work — these things are just as important.
Every professional player owes maximum effort to his club.
To hold anything back, even for a single moment, for the sake
of comfort or convenience is a deception on his employers. It is
a betrayal of the supporters who trust him. I can never under-
stand non-triers. If they have no natural eagerness to play
football, let them try something else, rather than mock the game.
This is a point I have always felt strongly about. In my seven
years with Real, I myself have probably missed less than half-a-
dozen matches, through injuries. Many a time, even once or
twice when I have been running a temperature, I have still
persuaded the managers to let me play. Football is a great game,
and when one is with a great club is should be a privilege to
play and give of one’s best, a privilege hard to sacrifice.
_My greatest pleasure is in hitting goals! For five of my seven »
seasons with Real I was the leading goal-scorer, but came second
to that dynamic left foot of my good friend Puskas last season.
Goals are the final accomplishment in football, the sweet “breath _
of relief” which comes after a clever build-up. Whatever one’s
joy in the swift intricacies of midfield play, it is surpassed by
that sudden, catching moment in the penalty area when one
shoots for goal!
My son Alfredo, now five years old, is clearly acquiring his -
father’s tastes. I help him a lot with his ball control, and he loves
every moment of it. But he will often run away from me, just for
the sheer pleasure of kicking the ball into a goal-net, and follow-
ing on all fours to retrieve it! There are obvious signs there of —
his future bent. In fact, his command of a football already
astonishes me ~ and others, too, at the Estadio Bernabéu when r
take young Alfredo with me for a half-hour’s fun.
be
46
What will I have to tell him, as he grows older? Certainly I

would not prevent him following me into professional football,
ifI think his ability and enthusiasm warrant him taking the
plunge. If he has that enthusiasm, he will not need me to tell
him how satisfying a game football can be. Nor that each
match is an essay in brain, instinct and skill.If he does not
recognize such things for himself, he is not the material for
professional football.
But perhaps I can take him by the hand, and with firmness
_ tell him that one has to devote oneself entirely to the game. One
has to be wholehearted, for the capricious footballer never makes
a consistently good one. Anything prejudicial to one’s football,
anything superfluous to one’s career, must be avoided. One must
never become bored with training and match-preparation, how-
ever great a burden it may seem at times. }
If a move is not mastered easily, then hours of work must
follow, and be accepted happily, until it is perfect. 1 know that
natural ability for the game is the first requirement. But it is
even more essential to be properly trained, properly rehearsed in
the tactics of the team, and properly briefed in all details, how-
ever small. Ability is one thing, but how many recognize that
behind the easy flow of a particularly good Real Madrid per-
formance are many hours of work, and painstaking care for
detail ?
Every player makes mistakes, but every player does not need
to repeat those mistakes. With will and hard work, almost any-
thing can be achieved in football. It is fatal to sit back, and be
proud of our strengths; it is professional, and wise, to constantly
bend ourselves to our shortcomings. Players are too often judged
by their mistakes rather than their successes; but it is up to them
to correct those mistakes, and so better themselves in the general
_ opinion.
_ Whatever a player’s class, he is never master of everything.
_Eyven at my age, I continue to experiment with new moves every
day — a new, more difficult method of passing a ball, an original
trick in shooting. It prevents me from getting bored, and im-
roves my game. There is always something to learn. A player
; : fi
who thinks otherwise, and ceases to take care of himself, will —

never remain a star, even should he have become one. One has —
to work, work, and work.
Work will always produce the result wanted. A move on the ©
pitch, to the crowd, can look a stroke of genius, as if the men —
concerned had spontaneously plucked that particular moment
direct from Heaven. The impression is that it must be awfully
difficult, impossible to equal, or even repeat. By and large, it is
not so — far from it! f
Usually, it will have been the product of patient work in
training. Possibly, in the first few disastrous attempts at that —
movement, it might well have seemed impossible. We may feel —
as small and inadequate as a child practising his first violin solo.
Yet, like that child, if we do not become bored and discouraged, ©
the movement’ will be mastered, and even become easy of
accomplishment —a new, facile trick for our repertoire.
Because of these demands by football’s technical side, some,
players only half-develop their ability. Because some trainers are
not perceptive or knowledgeable enough, they do nothing about ~
this stunted growth. They get used to the player as he is, and —
lose sight of what he might become. The inadequacy, in this
way, of player and trainer alike is virtually a crime against
football, for it is the duty of professional football to make the —
very best of its assets, for the sake of the public who make pro- —
fessional football possible. |
Many players, for instance, master the ball only with one foot.
One has to rank exceptionally high, like a Puskas or Gento for
instance, not to badly need the other foot. Even these two have ~
worked hard to master the ball with their “Silly leg”, as we
call it, and can do so when required. It should be the target of
every player to be two-footed, irrespective of whether one will ©
always remain stronger than the other. |
South American players are usually gifted ball-players. i—
Control of a football comes easily to them, it is almost a gift of ©
their environment. But they are careless of physical condition, —
_and even resentful of putting hard work into that sort of train- j
ing. Careers are generally shorter, and they like to romance with —
48
i oe maa! ee
the game, rather than approach it with a thoroughly professional

determination.
Europe, though technique seems to be improving each year,
still does not pay sufficient attention to mastery of the ball,
which in my opinion is the eternal key to efficient football.
Europeans, and they include in particular the English, are pre-
occupied with speed and physical condition, vital elements both,
but by no means an end in themselves. The very mention of
weight-training, as practised in some European countries, upsets
me. Are we turning out machine tools, or football artists who
_ achieve efficiency in the only possible way, by mastery of the
ball?
In spite of this, I do not support the view that English
dominance of world football is at an end. Many of we Real
players, in conversation, are agreed that England has all the
elements required in a great footballing nation. My own feeling
is that the gravest weakness in match-play by English sides has
been among the forwards. Their moves are repetitive and
monotonous, almost naive.
The “WM” system used to be, and continues to be, sound
enough, for defence as well as attack. But football is constantly
evolving new styles and tactics, particularly at the highest level,
and it is there where many English sides are “found out.” A
player should never pursue set runs throughout a match, for
that simplifies the job of the man marking him. There is no
element of the unpredictable, so vital in a successful side.
As a centre-forward, I am always on the move — up, back,
_ and across - trying not to be fixed in one position, and so allow-
' ing the defence to see too much of me. Or I may be trying to
avoid “bunching” with other forwards. Or I may be reading
_what is to come, and be moving quickly to help the next man
on the ball. Or I may be moving with no attacking purpose
_ whatsoever!
_ For forwards should accept it as part of their job that they
should help the defence. When the opposing attack is in Pposses-
sion, you obviously are out of the game. What do you do? Just
accept that position, while the defence tries to come through a
a 49
difficult time? If the defence fails, the forward’s job Beas (

that much harder — he has to score more goals ! So the obvious
thing is to get back quickly and help the defence. It eases your
own job over the whole game.
I think nothing of popping up at centre-half or full-back,
to cover a colleague who has had to leave his position. We are all
footballers, and as such should be able to perform competently
in all 11 positions. The number on one’s back does not mean a
thing. Forget it, and play the game as you read it — were it not
for their convenience to supporters, we could do without num-
bers altogether.
When we beat England 3-0 in Madrid in May, 1960, the
Englishmen defended extremely well, and though we finished
with a flourish we had to work hard for the victory. Had the —
ground been dry, instead of in poor condition because of rain,
we may have won by a bigger margin. In that match, I was —
disappointed with the England forwards, for they showed little =
flair and initiative.
At Wembley, on another poor pitch, we lost 4-2 the followidle "
October. There was no doubting that the win was well-earned
by England. I could barely believe these were the same forwards,
with the exception of the strong centre-forward Bobby Smith, —
who had shown comparatively little in Madrid a few months —
before. England played with courage and skill, and could ea
train on toa very useful team indeed.
None had improved. more than the Chelsea inside-right, —
Jimmy Greaves, quick and elusive, almost dominating on the_
ball, and terribly dangerous anywhere near the goal. He took my
eye, as did Bobby Charlton - whom I put among the English —
players I have liked most. Some others were Billy Wright, Tom —
Finney, Stanley Matthews, and the late Duncan Edwards. —
Edwards was in the Manchester United side we beat in the ©
European Cup, after two fine matches. The Manchester team
made a magnificent impression on me. They had colourful and —
outstanding individual players, and as a team were as powerful —
as any we have ever met in the European Cup. What a sad day —
it was for me when our Treasurer, Don Raimundo Saporta,
50
telephoned my home with news of their disaster at Munich,

None deserved more the fullness of a great career.
My good friend Matt Busby will, I am sure, produce another
great team ~— but how quickly will the atmosphere of British
football be ready to receive another great team properly? In
Spain, the social rank of a good-class player is very high, and he
is paid sufficiently well to live up to that rank. At Real Madrid,
one is taught to be something more than a more-or-less cele-
brated football player, i.e. to live and behave in a proper manner.
We feel under a moral obligation to do so. Supporters and
critics are intelligent. They know when to praise, be silent, or
protest. Football is a way of life having a special dignity, and to
let these people down is unforgivable. The more so now that
Spain has world-ranking as a football power, and we have heavy
international commitments.
_ In Spain, one sees every day the greater attention being paid
young players, and the high-quality material that is resulting.
For Spanish lads learn fast and in Chile, and subsequent World
Cups, I hope my adopted, beloved country will show all this.
_ There is no finer game than this one, which these youngsters,
in their turn, will hold in trust. ...
CHAPTER SEVEN Sy
FERENC PUSKAS
A FEW PRECIOUS YEARS
My football life has fallen into three phases. The first two were —
the Hungary of my youth, and the Hungary of my maturity, the —
“Golden Team” in a land where little else sparkled. Nowadays, _
and in the football sense, they seem a wonderful preparation for —
this vivid third phase, a few precious years with Real Madrid. ~
With Hungary, I came to Wembley and shared in victory
over England. With Real Madrid, I came to Hampden Park and
before a yet greater crowd had a hand in winning a European”
Cup Final against Fintracht-Frankfurt. What an area of Pe
sonal experience falls between those two peaks in a man’s’
career. :
And again, both were an ocean away in time and experience —
from the mind of a little boy in Budapest named Ferenc Puskas. —
In those days, I only saw as far as a football, and only thought i
words and ideas important if they came from my father, who
a for three years centre-half in the first team of Kispet. Dared —
to think, then, that years later Kispet would be re-named —
at and that I would captain them to a glorious name in iH
Europe? iG
I am grateful to my father for all the coaching that he did —
NOT give me. In Hungary, boys, in their own enthusiasm, ;
learn to control a ball almost from the time they can walk. My —
father packed me off to play whenever I wanted to, and
guardedly took my side when arguments arose about all the
shoes and sandals I was ruining! ;
But he never favoured teaching me, or filling my mind with ’
iehinical advice. He would say: a
“While you"re growing, you should be free to develalsyour q
own style.” He was right. After the years have passed, and a —
_ boy cue to play seriously within a team, is the time for hard 44
work and coaching. Until then, let the game be a romance, and
boyhood the years of courtship.
Next door to me, lived a dark, well-built boy whose passion
for football equalled my own. We were the closest friends then,»
and we shall always be, in spite of a separation caused by events,
His name was Jozsef Bozsik, and he was to grow to be the right-
half in the great Hungarian side, and also a Member of Parlia-
ment, at a time when I was an Army officer.
I have never seen a better wing half-back than Bozsik. We
developed together on the streets, kicking at anything kickable.
In those days, to play in the streets was not prohibited. We lived,
too, quite near the Kispet ground, and often had the use of a
fine field adjoining the first team’s pitch.
Bozsik and I were inseparable. Soon we were playing together
in Kispet’s Juvenile team, under my father’s eye. It was 1937,
and I was just ro years old. Six years later, still together, we
passed into the club’s professional section. Sandor Kocsis and
Zoltan Czibor, companions later in the Hungarian team, and
iow again in Spanish football (both are with Barcelona!), were
then still juveniles. ‘
In 1945, in Budapest, began the second phase of my career,
_ the first in manhood. I appeared in my first international game,
scoring Hungary’s first goal, from inside-left, in a 5-2 win over
Austria. That, incidentally, was the first time that Bozsik was
not playing with me. His first “cap” came a year later.
Bozsik, I think, has now played in about 125 international
_ matches. My total would have been much the same had I not
abandoned my country during the Revolution of 1956. To then,
I had played 84 internationals and scored 85 goals. Though it
became Honved in 1949, Bozsik and I had remained with the
- club we had joined as boys.
_ Experience of the technique and match-preparation of Hon-.
ved was a wonderful thing. At times, we could achieve a
breath-taking pitch of performance. The players had been
_ together a number of years, and understood each other perfectly.
_ As we provided eight or nine of the players, this advantage was
_ carried through into the national team,
¥
1
53
‘REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
. Hungary’s forward line was barely changed throughout six? |

years, formed of Budai, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, myself, and Czibor.
Such it was when we achieved victory by 6-3 against England,
at Wembley, which for many of us was the achievement of a
lifetime; certainly nothing could match it in the minds of our
Hungarian supporters !
I shall never forget that day. Even now, in my Madrid home,
I occasionally glance at a large, framed photograph of Billy
Wright and I exchanging pennants, with the Dutch referee, Leo
Horn, between us; the preliminary to what was to follow. ...
England had never been beaten by a Continental team at
Wembley, so we went on to the field quite calmly. If we lost,
was it not to be expected? Would anyone think the worst of us?
If we won — and how we won! — the whole world would sit up;
the game we played would become part of history.
Luckily, we scored a goal within a minute of the start. No’
amount of tactical talks can equal a start like that. We relaxed, ~
we created the game as we knew we could, and had done a

hundred times. What followed, with all respect, was relatively ~
easy. Not that England failed to put up a wonderful fight, which
largely went unrecognized iin their own country.
Two of Hungary’ s six goals were mine, that day. I also stoped
another two in the return match in Budapest, when we won
7-1. Goals have always had a knack of coming well for me. I
was leading scorer in the Hungarian League five times.
Victory over England at Wembley made us confident in our
strike for the highest honour in football, the World Cup. But in _
1954, in Switzerland, we were beaten by West Germany in the
Final. The result was at odds with all the logical forecasts, but
football-happily, in the long term — is like that.
The Germans played very well, and with great state
They had the luck, and the ability to take advantage of that 3
luck, which was to their credit. In the aftermath of that game,
I was sadly credited with statements about the Germans which —
were widely misunderstood. All that is past, fortunately.
Past, too, are those Hungarian days. Just one more thing to —
collapse in a Revolution. I will not deny my debt to the Honved
34
aNie REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
and Hungarian teams, within which we lived, as it were, a life
within a life — creative, appreciated, rewarding, and having its
share of comradeship and humour. For me, a phase in life was
closed abruptly, and beyond recall.
Yet the Puskas luck held out. I was lucky enough to be
signed by Real Madrid, and join that “Castle on the hill” in the
minds of so many of the world’s players. When I was first
contracted, many of the club’s supporters and watching experts
thought it poor business, and that I was virtually finished with
football.
To argue my case, I had the satisfaction of finishing the
leading goal-scorer in Spanish First Division football in my first
season. Not that it meant anything in my own mind. I knew
from the first that I could fit - indeed, who could not? - with
such: great players as Gento, Di Stefano, Del Sol, Santamaria
and the rest.
Having an eager left-foot always looking for goals, and
playing with such first-class team mates, I did not consider my
_ scoring feats at all extraordinary. None knew better than I that
‘Victories are won by teams, and that we are inter-dependent.
I was charged with being slow after my early matches in
Spain. Modestly, I beg to point out this was,-and is, an illusion.
Spain favours fast, driving football, which is to the appetite of
our supporters. I, too, think football should be a fast game — but
the ball should run faster than men!
Individual speed is a serviceable advantage. But to run madly
and without purpose is of no value. The ball must be moved
about quickly, preferably on first contact; to run with it is too
often only wasting valuable attacking time.
I think I am as fast as the next man when I think it neces-
“
sary to produce a sprint, to get a ball that can be reached. But
_ it isabsurd to run a useless race, if one is not going to reach the
ball. Nothing practical is achieved, and you rob yourself of
_ reserves that might be needed immediately afterwards.
With experience, a player discards the coltish habits of youth.
_ He becomes a wise, old jockey, pacing the'race to his advantage,
and producing his mount to win at exactly the right time.
35
REAL MADRID BOOK OF aaitetencicn
Because he is playing more of the game with he head a his

feet, the unwise watcher will term him a lazybones.
Nowadays, in fact, I am doing more running, fighting for
the ball, and tackling, than for a long time. Physically, I am in
infinitely better shape than when I arrived in Spain, and
probably better than at any other time in my life, including my —
years with Honved and Hungary.
Possibly this is because I have never had so great an incentive
to become so, and to work out the balance of my career with
care, dignity and wisdom. Not only as a football team are Real
Madrid brilliant. Our well-linked, harmonious, and easy play on
the pitch is an exact reflection of our lives off it. |
I feel I have become part of a great family, and have Houde
contact with genuine friends. Envy and bad temper do not exist.
Nor fear. We get along each with the other extremely well. Our
directors are gentlemen, considerate and wise. We are dealt with —
wonderfully; and each one of us tries to respond in a like way.”
‘The present Real Madrid trainer-coach, Miguel Munoz, has _
the advantage of youth over his predecessor, Fleitas Solich of
Paraguay. Solich had plenty of goodwill, but he was not close
enough to modern football, in his methods, to direct a team of
Real’s aspirations. \
I am convinced that nowadays it is vital that trainers be
young men. Only young men, recently finished with their play- —
ing days, see to the heart of present styles in the different teams,
It is a shortcoming of some trainers that they care solely for
physical training, and play down the technical side. '
Every player should be an athlete, but it is more important
to master the ball, to know how to trap it in any position, to pass —
it on without delay, and to slip automatically into good mts
positions. Modern players resent trainers who ignore technical ©
matters, Hs
Munoz is different. He knows a great deal about football, Ba, i
‘
sets a high value on skill and tactics, and was himself a wonder- "
ful player with Real until a very few years ago, and an inter-
national into the bargain. He conducts training with common
sense. Cis
Young and up-to-date, he is aware of today’s problems and
challenges, and has the energy to meet them, From the touch-
line, he reads a match with great perception, and is able to
make his points to us quickly and valuably. Not less important,
he is a friendly man, sympathetic to the player, and taking his
side in almost everything!
Training for the young player is, of course, largely a matter
of opinion. | have told how my father never gave me technical
advice. I also think the time to begin working on a footballer is
when he enters a good team, with his playing style already well-
_ defined. .
Spanish youngsters are generally not allowed to play football
with a professional team until they are over 18. On the other
hand, they begin to say a player is old when he is scarcely 28.
In my opinion, a player should be permitted in any team, regard-
less of age, so long as he is physically able to meet the demands
on him. :
That way, the precocious youngster would not be discouraged,
and turned away from the game. Brazil gives a lead. One has
_ only to think of Pele and Coutinho, both great international
"stars, in spite of their youth. Real Madrid, I trust, are sufficient
_ example of how valuable experience can be, at the other end of
the age-scale !
‘In-spite of this artificial “active age” thinking, Spanish foot-
ball must be rated among the world’s best. For instance, were
Spain and Brazil - the World Cup holders — to fight out an
international tournament at club level, one cannot doubt that
- Spain would win.
_ Even the national team, in spite of one or two bad results —
and one can mention a matter of 4-2 at Wembley! — could be
‘A expected to hold Brazil in Madrid. As the national team deve-
lops towards the 1962 World Cup Final in Chile,Ihave no
doubt Spain will be going close for the title.
_ What of England? Where does my old adversary stand in the
_ football world of today? Briefly, I would say as high as any, and nie
better than most. English football has lost nothing which could
not bequickly recovered, if the right enthusiasm is shown. _ ‘i
Bi. ers
Within her reach, England still has her basic strengths i

abundant and high-class raw playing material; good technical
men ; economic power ;and a mass of wonderful fans.
It may be asked: “If that is so, why does England still not
lead the world?” From a distance, my first thought is that it is
due to British insularity. England still does not have sufficient
contact with football abroad, neither in match-play nor ideas. I
believe firmly that, in the long term, any country’s football
benefits from close international contact.
I think, too, that the countries within the United Kingdom — —
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - should join
forces. Nothing would more dramatically re-instate the name of
Great Britain in world football. Why make four parcels of
British talent, when one will do?
Personally, I cannot support the view that when British
football goes through a bad time it is due to the extremely low
level of salaries. I do not think football “output” is directly ©
linked with earnings, as if the game were controlled by some
set of Trades Union rules! ;
Honved, for instance, produced some of the happiest football
I have known. Yet we were not paid a penny. We were all
amateurs, with full-time jobs outside of football. Not that Lam
preaching on behalf of amateurism — far from it | For 1am now
a prosperous and contented professional.
So, though I would not blame any decline in English stan-
dards on the players’ low wages, I WOULD attach part of |
the blame to the lack of individual incentive for the player of
high rank. If professionalism is to be the thing, then it must be —
a free and competitive professionalism, in which the player of
high consistency and achievement gets his just
j reward.
There is a difference there, and I trust it is clear. A low level
of earnings is not wrong in itself: Perhaps the game in England
cannot afford more, though this I would doubt, for the English —
Football League must surely be one of the biggest and richest :
in the world.
But what is wrong, and very wrong, is that all players must
q
R
earn the same, and there is no allowance for the man of

58
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL _
outstanding qualities. No competitive business outside of football

could retain its best men under such conditions, and we at Real
Madrid, accepting our “differentials” happily, would be appal-
led should such conditions ever apply in Spain.
For a period in England, I felt that not enough freedom was
granted the individual player to show his skill, to “colour” the
game. Teams I came across played excellent football, strong in
its principles, but altogether too monotonous, lacking in zest,
and what I might perhaps term “geniality”. However good it
__ be, to repeat the same move over and over again makes the
opponents’ work easier, for they know what to expect.
Similarly, English club sides seemed more pre-occupied with
defence than attack. Quite unlike Spain, where the art of
counter-attack is considered of first importance. Week after
week, glancing through English League results, one seemed to
spot an unhealthy number of 1-0’s, 1-1’s and so on.
Some teams found methods for breaking this defensive dead-
lock. Wolves, for instance, whose methods I met at first-hand |
_ when my old team Honved was beaten at Molineux in 1954.
Yet Wolves, I felt, though respecting their approach, lacked
the finesse and variety of movement to make them a lasting
_ force internationally, though I imagine it will not be long before
_ Mr. Stanley Cullis re-shapes his side for these greater chal-
lenges.
Manchester United, from our observation of them, were a
finely-made team before the air disaster, and their style was well
_ adjusted to the needs, say, of the European Cup. They must
have been among the most inspiring of English club sides
though, without their players, it must have been difficult to
‘copy their style!
_ Related to this period of defensive-mindedness — a theme I
shall pick up shortly again — is the covering of English full-
backs. I doubt if it is adequate for modern football. In the main,
English backs lack speed and, though it is dangerous to general-
ize, even a high enough degree of skill.
_ It is not enough, today, for a full-back to give old-style
_ ss pedestrian cover. He needs brains, speed, and skill comparable _
Ba
fo Cina i i
Coa 89
to that of the men playing upheld, Given these assets, he will

want to use them and this in turn could help to quicken the
trend back to attacking football.
Opposing forwards in modern football each need special
covering. Some can be marked by zones. With others, zone-
marking is simply madness. Stanley Matthews, one of the
greatest wing-forwards I have seen, would “kill” any full-back
who gave him two or three yards in which to work. A full-back
would have to stick to Matthews like blotting paper.
Yet, perhaps, I have known only one wing-forward whom ~
it is completely impossible to cover, my Real Madrid team-mate,
Francisco Gento. If Gento decides he wants to play, no player
on earth can hold him. His dramatic speed, with the ball under
control the whole way, his unorthodox strokes of genius, and
his shooting power make him a nightmare problem for any
back.
Only by grabbing him at the start of his run, or by other
forms of unfair play, is it possible to restrain Gento. Matthews,
on his really good days, has been known to be dealt with
similarly. One deplores it, but it is possible to understand how
either of them can demoralize a full-back, and reduce him to
doing anything.
Latest reports suggest English clubs are on the upgrade. We —
at Madrid were particularly impressed by Burnley’s defeat of the
great Stade de Rheims team in the European Cup. And even
more impressed by reports of their coming back from being —
four goals down to drawing 4-4 at Tottenham only 72 hours
later!
Burnley, Tottenham, Everton and, when restored to better
form, Manchester United, would seem the key teams in the —
return to attacking football in the English League. In addition
to them is the thrust and promise of such as Wolves, Arsenal,
and Manchester City. Any country that can boast seven or eight _
top-class club teams will surely be in a strong position.
Meanwhile, I myself am rising 34, and so giving thought to
my future. For the moment, I am content with a quiet and plea- _
sant life in Madrid, with my wife Erszebet and a mischievous
han my ldvugtten How much longer
‘retain myfan-given i of “Atomic Gun’? ii
think I can retain my condition for two or three years. yet.
fter that I will devote myself to the life of a trainer, preferably
ith a Spanish team. Spain welcomed me from an uncomfort-
bleexistence in Vienna after the Revolution, and in Spain. 1!
will aes for another pe of the Puskas story.
y
MOVER Ea akuntasil yeu c i UNS i Feo
CHAPTER EIGHT
FRANCISCO GENTO
MAKE THE MOST OF SKILL
I aM a dissatisfied player. Not with my club, my contract, nor

my way of life. But with myself, and these raw, bubbling
elements of my ability which I try so hard and constantly to im-
prove, and make more efficient. I am also dissatisfied with my
position as a left-winger; accepting it gladly only because I
know it to be the one in which I am of most value to Real
Madrid.
Were “Paco” (that’s me !) allowed to decide, he would seek
to be an inside-forward. Setting out, let me add, with a sense of
inferiority! For in my career I have been privileged to have the
help and example of two men I consider the finest inside-
forwards I have seen, Ferenc Puskas and Hector Rial. With the
experience of knowing their high standards, I would probably
be more confused with self-questioning than ever - “Did I do
the right thing there? Am I in the best position at this moment?
Should I have worked to give a pass, instead of shooting ?”
Yet still I cherish the hope of gaining first-team experience in
an inside-forward position, just as my old friend Alfredo Di
Stefano has told you he would not mind a League appearance _
as goalkeeper! Possibly an emergency will one day meet the
private wishes of us both. Meanwhile, heads more wise than my
own ensure we both keep the positions which have brought us,
and Real Madrid, success after success.
Of course, in match-play I often work through the inside-left~
position. I have much more ground in which to operate, and use
my physical attributes — speed, strength, and a shot. But one
cannot consistently usurp the part of an inside-forward colleague,
and probably friend, nor expect him to run freely as a “dummy”.
He has greater experience and probably greater ability in his
own job than you have.
62
But speaking of myself only, I am convinced that a move to

inside-forward would increase my efficiency. I would, I think,
score many more goals, because one’s relationship would be
closer to a greater number of attacks, and one would be offered
a wider variety of shooting positions. For a wing-forward hungry
for goals — as, for instance, England’s Bobby Charlton - it must
be teeth-gnashing to drift along in the wake of a successful
attack, and have had no part in making the goal!
Recently, the former Hungarian international wing-forward
comrade of Puskas, Toht, said that if I had the football intelli-
gence of Enrique Collar - an outstanding player in Spanish
League football — I would “Undoubtedly be the top figure in
world football.” I take that as a compliment, as well as a
criticism. But I would point out that I am still only 26, and still
_ working as hard as ever to improve my reading of a match, and
how best to contribute my own skills. None knows better than I
that “football intelligence” is as much a matter of hard work as
inbred gift.
Yet I think it equally important to have initiative, and an
individual approach to the game. What would football be if we —
were all completely orthodox, and set as firmly as if in concrete
on theoretically correct lines? When I first joined Real Madrid,
I was charged with being too much of an individualist, always
attempting absurd moves. Almost every day I would try out
something new, either alone or with team-fellows. It is, I think,
possible to confuse imagination with stupidity — if the attempt
to do something new is not successful.
Adverse criticism did not dishearten me. Nor, indeed, did
any of the understanding players and officials closest to me. They
appreciated I was working hard to make the best of those
attributes with which I was born, and were patient. Nowadays,
_ with a reputation to support me, I continue to try out new, some-
_ times puzzling ideas - puzzling, at times, even to me! But
_ because more of them are successful, I need no longer walk in
fear of protests.
_ I think this creative work in training of the most vital impor-
: tance. Artistic football is an effect, not an inspiration of the
C 63
va
moment. Preparing for it is rather like building a wall brick iy

brick, not like making one bold stroke with a brush across the
canvas, then standing back to admire. One must be prepared to
rehearse tirelessly, without losing the impulse of feeling for the
original idea. The freshness and effect of it can await its turn to
be admired — by the public and the opposition!
When training, I devote quite a lot of time to trapping and
releasing the ball with all parts of my body. To such things as
back-heeling the ball accurately, without a moment’s hold-up in |
the game. In fact, to all those supporting skills that take my
fancy, and which in my mind’s eye I can foresee being of value in
match-play. One can never enrich one’s own, nor the team’s,
aggregate of skills too greatly. So often, a difficult situation in
match-play can be solved by the quick-thinking use of one or
other of them.
In these thoughts and aspirations a man needs, of course,
understanding in the people about him. With Real Madrid, one
gets that in full measure. We learn and borrow ideas from each
other, and so retain a fresh and fruitful atmosphere in all our et—
preparation. Many members of the Real Madrid team may li
possibly not have achieved their present stature had they not o
been a part of such a wonderful set-up, nor involved with
the wide experience and ability of so many ousting
players.
I have always believed that Matt Busby, the English manager
whom we have come to admire most, shares my idea that if one
has a broad base of really good players, the successful effect will
produce itself. With guidance and stimulation, of course, the
~ possibilities of any team with at least five or six top-class players S
oN
are limitless, and those a shade below the top-class will never
_ look to be so, because of their relationship with the better men.
When this situation comes about, the real initiative in bein
_ sessions belongs to the players themselves.
For a time at Real, we had a well-known Parga trainee
Fleitas Solich. In most respects, Solich was an experienced and e
e
eSee
shrewd trainer. But he never really accepted that in a team of the

highest standards, the creative power is generated among the
64
‘REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL —
;players themselves, who could achieve an intimacy of mind and
movement to which no trainer could possibly condition them.
To be frank, Solich failed with us on that one major count — he
did not understand the team.
Training now, under Miguel Munoz, is perfect and beauti-
fully balanced. He is alert to our physical condition, our
behaviour, and the subtleties of the technical side. He never
panics, nor shows he is upset. With his own playing days so
recently behind him, he understands us as a team, and has a
sure grasp of our problems individually. Knowing him so well
as a fellow player for many years, all of us had hoped for his
appointment for some time before it came.
Human qualities are as important in a trainer as technical
know-how. In a sense, the trainer, as the club official closest to
the team, is also its conscience, and its giver of confidence. If he
is dealing with intelligent men, he must credit them with dignity
and not attempt to bully. If his players are experienced, he must
be able to speak briefly and well, directly into the wave-length
of the player’s thoughts, and know without seeking it that he
__ has their respect.
Munoz has this relationship with the Real team. He never
_ exhausts any man in training, having an unfailing instinct for
the exact amount of work required to retain the player’s verve
and condition. He is never dismayed by the rank of any team
we are to play, and there are no misunderstandings in team talks,
as we approach the problem coolly, until we are all of one mind,
_ Confidence and condition thus go hand in hand, in as civilized
a way as is possible in football.
Thus, in terms of efficiency, we can achieve the relentless
_ performance of, say, a machine. If a match is going against us,
we do not get discouraged. We continue to play on at our normal
tempo, quite nerveless, confident that, given normal breaks, we
can turn the match back into our favour, however difficult the
position. I think this has been one of the greatest attributes of
a Real Madrid in my time.
Matches of great importance have been won in this way,
including three European Cup Finals. Against Stade de Rheims
in Paris we were losing ny
2-0, and Gee bys
3-2. ‘Against Milan, 3 ;
in Brussels, we were down 1-0, and later 2-1 - in which match, a)
incidentally, our winning goal came in extra time from an —
admittedly lucky shot of mine! Even in Glasgow, where we
eventually won 7-3, we were a goal down to Eintracht-Frankfurt
within a few minutes of the start. To come from behind so often
has been no accident.
In that connection, preservation of an even temper, refusal
to give way to the countless irritations that can come in match
play, is vital. Footballers should never show anger on a pitch.
Spanish players, in the mind’s eye of followers abroad, are often
considered ternperamental, and there have been occasional
incidents to strengthen this impression. But by and large, you
will find temperament in the Real Madrid team at a discount - —
indeed, considered a dangerous enemy to our efforts,
Bad temper in football never achieves anything practical, but
.can make a match disagreeable both to players and public. I
know from experience that there are full-backs, for instance,
who, finding that correct means of marking and tackling are
not enough, will cut down an opposing forward by any des-
perate means. If one becomes tired of being kicked and floored,
the resulting battles with the offender can mean it’s 50-50 which —
of you eventually finishes in the dressing room! |
In that way, a player discredits himself, and at the-same time |
seriously impairs his team’s chances of a win, by depriving it of a
player. As he cools off, he will inevitably begin to kick himself, — |
and ask if it was all worth it. He may even suddenly realize that —
his opponent has been ‘“‘needling” him for just this purpose, to
make him lose his temper — for with it is lost also his concentra-
tion, and if that goes the player may just as well not be on the
field,
Concentration, and the determination to make the opponent ‘
speedily lose his confidence, are required from the very start of
a match. It is part of the secret of the wonderful Stanley
Matthews that he has also followed these precepts. Far better to
stand up to unfair play for a whole 90 minutes, and throw your-
self on the mercy of the referee, than declibesaaruinPee
_ team’s chance of victory, and the public’s hope of a high-class -
football spectacle.
Occasionally, I have lost my temper. In every case it cost me
dearly. Now I know.that it is better to become colder rather than
hotter; to keep calm and collected, and without any show of
temper settle down to making your unfair opponent look a
clumsy chump by “killing” him with pure football. Such a vic-
tory can be specially prized, and were more and more teams of
similar mind we should soon have no such thing as “Dirty” foot-
_ ball, which is an enemy of the world game, and brings it into
' disrepute.
In expressing my attitude to the game, you will by now have
understood that I firmly believe that football is an active and
dignified profession. I do not argue this out of any acquired
sense of responsibility because of my captaincy of the Real
' Madrid team, in the absences of our popular club captain,
Zarraga. It is what I feel, and as I have felt from my earliest
days with Real Madrid, the club which I think has done most —
as much by kindness, as money — to give the profession a new
dignity.
It delights me that I have two younger brothers making
_ Progress in the game. My only hope is that it proves as full a
_ life for them as it has been for me. In judging them, I only hope
_ people will forget all about me, and not make comparisons.
Irrespective of name, a player must find his own level by dint of
his own class and ability. Were I thinking of my own brothers
impersonally, as a critic, I would still however be kind to them!
_. Julio is known in Spain as “‘Gento II”, and Antonio as “Gento
_ Tif’. Both have a lot of class, and could go a long way. Until
recently, Julio was outside-right for Plus Ultra, the team spon-
_ sored by Real Madrid in the Spanish Second Division. Through
that connection, he is really a Madrid player and, given the
chance, he would surely be a success in the Real first-team. He is
- fast, tricky, and strong.
_ However, it has been decided that another year’s experience
_ will benefit him, before he tackles his greatest dream, to play for
Real. Several Spanish First Division sides are anxious to obtain
him on loan from Real for a season, among them Repaeel of

Barcelona, Valladolid, and Mallorca. Almost certainly he will "
join Valladolid, who lack a regular outside-right, and play the
right sort of football. I have a sister there, too, to look after ©
him.
Antonio is an inside- or centre-forward. We have decided the
best thing for him, for the moment, is to return to our home
town, Santander, for whom he currently plays. It is a good
opportunity for him to develop his game, and I hope he will
take advantage of it. Similarly, he can be well cared for, for our
parents are in the town. Family care of the young footballer can
be vital to his subsequent career,
As you may guess, being the most experienced player in a
family of footballers can have its responsibilities. We are a close —
family, anxious for each other’s welfare. Yet I can honestly
imagine no happier profession for my brothers than football, and
nor can they. In fact, were we even to suggest it I am sure we
would have a mutiny in the family in no time at all!
Money, of course, is the most obvious - if not, perhaps, the
most important — reward of a professional footballer.In Spain,
we consider our contracts and bonuses to be a private matter
between ourselves and our club. This, of course, does not prevent
supporters and others from guessing at the figures, often wildly.
It may be of value if I were'to give a few pointers, at least about
bonuses.
The size of such bonuses is sometimes scoffed at as “blood S
money” by critics, the inference being that a club’s directors are
desperately trying to buy the result of a match, to encourage us
to do anything within or without the laws and spirit of the game
to achieve the victory. We Real Madrid players are under no
such illusion. We view these bonuses as being large or moderate,
in relation to the importance of the match, and as no more than —
an expression of thanks from a generous employer who believes, i
“as you might say, in profit-sharing |
Never has the bonus attached to a match ever seca my ‘)
play one way or the other, nor that of any of my colleagues,
insofar as I know. One plays the best football of which one is
capable in any challenging match, and cannot dramatically
improve the performance in proportion to the fee. If that were
true, what sort of player is he who hires out his talents from
match to match? Not the type we have at Real Madrid.
I will repeat one firm example, mentioned earlier in this book,
of the generous and detached manner in which the Real Madrid
Board has rewarded its players. Before we beat Eintracht-
Frankfurt for our fifth European Cup Final victory, each of us
was promised a bonus of 60,000 pesetas (about {400). We
certainly considered this ample reward — and, I imagine, British
readers would go further! For I understand that had an English
club team made the Final, their maximum reward would be £50
appearance money — and a further {4 if they won!
After our victory, the Managing Board made an even warmer
gesture. They decided to pay each one of us an extra 25,000
pesetas for every European Cup Final in which we had played.
Di Stefano, Zarraga and myself had played in all five, so we
drew a total bonus of 185,000 pesetas (about £1,250)! When
asked if we had done well out of that Final, I could only wink
and say: “Not bad at all !”
For the Semi-Final that year, against Barcelona, we earned a
bonus of 40,000 pesetas for the two matches (about £265).
Earlier we had played Jeunesse D’Esch of Luxembourg and the
Olympic-Nice team, of France. It has been conjectured, and I
will make no comment, that totalling the European Cup matches
with Spanish League and Cup and friendly matches may have
brought aggregate bonuses to some members of the team of
750,000 pesetas (about £5,000), in a single season.
Coupling such figures with considerable signing-on fees and
salaries clearly indicate that to be an established player with
Real Madrid has its points! Possibly the real importance of high
earnings, however, is that they remove all sense of fear and in-
security from a player’s mind. He is able to put everything out
of his mind except dedication to his job. Were he making £5,000
a year in private business as a part-time interest, it would still,
in all common-sense, have to come second to his football.
___ An important part of my career, of course, is my appearances
69 Pp
tg
a
See— a
with the Spanish international team. My selection, bythe then

Spanish team-leader Ramon Melcon, was not welcomed at first.
The “first” was against England in Madrid on May 18, 1955.
The result was 1-1, though sincerely I think we deserved a
win, albeit narrowly. More personally, many football followers
claimed me too inexperienced for the team.
Fortunately, I seem to have established myself, in spite of that
moderate beginning, which was the first of several matches I
have since played against British teams, at club and national
level. I have always had a soft spot for English football, though
I confess I have thought it to have fallen to a low level in recent
years. Bad phases are not always symptomatic, though they are
alleged to be — such phases must come to all teams in turn, maybe
even Real Madrid!
However, there are a few points which may hold true. We
at Real Madrid have known the value of frequent international
contact, much more so than may have been evident. Weare quick
to spot, analyse, and if necessary borrow a new idea fallen
across in our travels or matches. Both England and Scotland
would, I think, benefit from such contact. It would be a pity if
their football, with its enormous strength, were to stagnate
dangerously, because of an unnatural isolation.
Along with more international matches at every level, British
teams may profit from giving greater thought to their attacking
methods, They play well enough, but within limits which
quickly become clear. Any attack is monotonous and undanger-
ous if it follows a dozen or more similar attacks — where is the .
element of surprise, the sudden sleight of foot that catches the
opponent off-guard and bewildered? ° P
In a way, this is related to what I was writing much earlier,
in connection with the need to allow any player individual
expression, and to learn from his own mistakes. Team tactics are
necessary in football, but only insofar as they allow freedom of —
movement, to greater or lesser extent, to the players. Ifa player —
is shackled to acting in the same way through a game, he will
stop giving his maximum effort. / ve
It is a pity, too, that British football frowns on the importing i
7°
5 toy BP EE rad ties 107

‘REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL ~
of foreign star players. I firmly believe the general level of club
football in Spain has benefited enormously from the presence
and example of such men. There is always something to be
learned, indeed, something inspiring, about such men as Di
Stefano, Puskas, and Santamaria, of my own club; Kubala,
Martinez, Evaristo, and Kocsis of the fine Barcelona team; and
in the past, such transient stars of the Spanish firmament as
Raymond Kopa of France and Didi of Brazil. t
One seems to find, in the youngest generations of Spanish
players today, an emulative ball control, and considered ap-
proach. They have studied their heroes, in match-play and
training, and weighed-up the riches which they have brought to
Spain from the world’s soccer fields. Spain had plenty of fine -
native footballers before the arrival of these great men from
overseas; but none will deny that their presence has not been a
benefit.
Having said that, I must follow by mentioning the many
English players whom I have seen, and been delighted with. In
the past, there were, of course, the model wing-forwards of the
age, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney, and the popular
England captain, Billy Wright. There were three more, in a team
we at Real were to know well —- Manchester United. Duncan
. Edwards, Eddie Colman and Tommy Taylor were admirable
for their courage and drive, and their collective ability to create
quick, dangerous openings.
Three more must be mentiongd, all of whom figured in the
4-2 winby England against us at Wembley — Jimmy Greaves,
Johnny Haynes and Bobby Charlton. Charlton was particularly
eye-catching in the second half against us, but my opinion of
him is based on several meetings. There have been newspaper
» reports that one day Charlton will play for Real Madrid. If that
should prove true, he would be a great gain to Real.
_— Though Charlton would be in my squad, I think he would
just miss my World XI! Such an XI is terribly difficult to name,
_ for there are so many great players whom one simply has not
seen. But my favourites, among players within my experience,
__ would, I think, be hard to improve upon. I would have Antonio
Ramallets of Spain as goalkeeper, not having seeh Russ
Yashin. 3 eee ne
At full-back, I would choose my Real Madrid team-fellow,
Marcos “Marquitos” Alonso, and not simply because, like me,
he was born in Santander! At left-back, the tall, elegant Nilton
Santos of Brazil. Wing-halves become more difficult to name,
there have been so many fine ones. But I would plump for
‘Jozsef Bozsik of Hungary at right-half, and allow for dispute at
left-half between the late Duncan Edwards and Juan Segarra, of
Barcelona.
At centre-half, I would not hesitate to choose Santamaria,
whose class in that position is exceptional. Forwards, of course,
are more of a problem, with the stars of two Continents tugging”
for recognition. Yet Matthews, continuing his peerless way into
the mid-4o’s, must surely be an automatic pick, and on the other
wing I would be inclined to give a place to Brazil’s “Little
Bird”’, the fleet-footed Garrincha. ;
The three inside-forwards choose themselves, I think — Ray- *
mond Kopa, Di. Stefano and Puskas. Kopa’s position in France
is centre-forward, whilst with us at Real Madrid, during his
stay there, he played largely at outside-right. However, gifts
such as he has are rare, and I would use them anywhere — even to
the exclusion, reluctantly, of Rial, one of the cleverest and most
practical forwards with whom I have ever played.
Rial, Pele, the little Brazilian negro “wonder boy”, Luis Del _
Sol, of Real Madrid - whom I think is already one of the best —
players in Europe - Luis Suarez and Jesus Garay of Barcelona,
Kubala and Czibor of the same club, Piantoni of Rheims, Ben —
Barek, that wonderful dusky Frenchman, Dido and Luis
Molowny, former Madrid player of fantastic ability, would
complete, or rather, amplify, my group of invincibles. shat
Casting through those names evokes a scramble of memories, _
colourful, exciting, sometimes poignant. They gleam proudly as —
fleur de lys on a golden cloth. I do not apologise for their being ft
nine players among them who have been with, or are still with, ~
Real Madrid! Rarely has one team combined, over the years,
so many of the world’s outstanding players and they fight into
os etaallakiJ began c co ail a dissatisfied —
ne I close by repeating that that dissatisfaction has never,
_ in any way, concerned this greatest of clubs. I count myself lucky
to have been a part of it, through such gd and successful ,
“times.
CHAPTER NINE
JOSE MARIA ZARRAGA
THE STROKE OF GENIUS
Reat Madrid could have lost the first European Cup Final.
Had we done so, and so not carried on to win five European
Cups in succession, what a different face there would have been
on European club football in our time. Quite possibly the highly-
successful French team, Rheims, may have competed much —
more closely for that glory which we made our own.
In Paris, we were 2-3 down to Rheims. At left-half, I was
- covering quite well a man who was later, for a time, to become
my team-fellow, Raymond Kopa. Yet time was ticking on, and
Rheims were having quite enough of the play to have produced,
at any time,a “killing” fourth goal. Rarely have Real Madrid ”
more urgently needed a stroke of genius.

And all of a sudden it came — from a quite unexpected source,
Di Stefano, Gento — these great players were giving their all, —
but the luck was not with them. It was then that Marcos ©
“Marquitos”, now our right-back but playing centre-half that
day, picked up a ball deep in our own half. Bravely, he raced
upfield with the ball, daring every tackle.
After a split second of surprise, some of us anxiously shouted
at him, in excited Spanish — ““What are you doing? Quick, give _
it to so-and-so. Get back in the middle, for Heaven’s sake!”
The tall, handsome Marquitos kept his head down, and ignored
us, producing skill and speed enough to get a glance at goal, |
and in that same moment scoring with as glorious and exciting”
a drive as I will ever wish to see. 4
So it was 3-3. Within minutes, with the whole team once
more buoyant, Francisco Gento produced one of his fantastic —
stampedes, driving into the Rheims defence like an elusive white
_ dagger, and creating a winning goal for his good friend Hector
Rial. Wb had won. We had accomplished that first wonderful
MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
ht towards ieelnicus for so long the European Champion

Clubs Cup.
Only afterwards did I reflect that the Marquitos goal was
not just a stroke of luck. An event at that time in that place,
never to be repeated— for often since, similar strokes of indivi-
dual genius have rescued us from difficulties. It was a natural
result of Real Madrid’s fluid approach to tactics; and the great
stress we place on giving complete freedom to the individual
player to act in a game as he “reads” it, and use his initiative to
the best advantage.
It was not a fixed attacking novelty, practiced beforehand —
as, for instance, when your Maurice Norman moves into the
opposing penalty area when Tottenham win a corner-kick. It
was something that happened entirely in the mind of Marquitos,
the strapping fellow from Santander. He saw his moment, and
he accomplished what he set out to do: And Real Madrid were
grateful.
One cannot have good tactics without good players, and
vice versa — unless the team manager is an absolute dolt! Real
Madrid’s strength is that we have both, good tactics and good
players, ini ample measure. Our first strength isi the team effect,
‘poised, well-lined, dramatically quick in counter-attack. Our
second is the high skill of individual players, allowing them to
act independent of the tactical plan when it is necessary.
I call such situations “A manoeuvre of intuition”. I am not
in favour of dribbling or ball-holding for the sake of it, far from
it. There are many eye-catching inside-forwards, for example,
_ who can impress with their ball control, until you have watched
them carefully and noted precisely what they achieve. Often it
is nothing: In fact, for all their skill, they have worked against
their side, for repeatedly not giving the ball at the right moment.
In England, I think, this fault — once seen — has tended to
become a charge against all ball-players, often puitaisly. I have |
a great respect for the knowledge of the game’s finer points
: shown by British crowds, particularly that wonderful. Scottish
_ crowd at Hampden Park which gave Real Madrid such a fine
welcome. But there are still crowds, even technical men, in
England who under-estimate the good player with was ball- f

control— the “Get rid of it !” mentality.
Possibly the ball-fiddler, the man with ball wane! but little
else, has helped in this way to betray his kind. To some extent, —
he has contributed to the growth of rigid tactics, designed so as
to be not dependent on individual skill. The plan is the master,
the player the servant, submissive and not allowed to express his
full personality. Some English club teams have apparently
achieved fair success, domestically, with such methods.
Being corseted in such a concept, the general English style
has tended to be excessively monotonous. This in turn must take
the mental edge off any player. His contribution to football has
been deliberately limited to a physical labour. He is an artisan,
when he could be an artist — and having created such an atmos-
phere, club leaders, with equally terrifying logic, can argue their
players are not ““Worth paying more!”
In this undue emphasis on team tactics, I think England has
become separated from modern football. This is a pity, because
England has the players, the financial resources, the technical
men, and, in the main, the supporters, to produce several club
teams of the highest class. International success is really a
pyramid, based.on home resources. In that sense, England has
greater potential than Spain, France, or any other European
football country.
Just as a good inside-forward knows when NOT to shoot, so
a good team knows just when and how to break its conventional
pattern of play. Absolute freedom for good players always pays _
off | Di Stefano, Puskas, Gento, Del Sol and other Real Madrid |
players have won many matches which were going against us,
by producing some unexpected individual move. It is these
extra dimensions in their play that build their reputations, too;
not simply conventional conduct in a conventional pattern. They
have the flair to be match winners, which is a priceless attribute. —
How many English sides have such match winners? Men
_ who can take a game by the scruff of its neck, irrespective of —
the team’s situation? Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney, Bobby —
Charlton, Jimmy Greaves — after them, are there many more?
REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL —
I know of little evidence to suggest so, carefully though I go
through the reports and scores of the Saturday League pro-
gramme!
Our match-winners have meant a great deal to Real Madrid.
Since I joined the club 12 years ago — and I’m still under 30!
— Real have always played much the same type of football. A
type I consider by far the best ~ a blend of technique, team-
work, individual ability, and not least, enthusiasm. Yet even this
high-quality team performance would have met its Waterloo
more often, but for our match-winners — for that is the way of
football,
Success is a help in itself, of course. With success, our
enthusiasm, individually and as a team, has grown stronger. We
are now conditioned never to anticipate defeat, nor never to-
be discouraged, however bad the situation. Equally, because of
our own experience of pulling back many a bad position, we
never take success for granted. However well we are winning,
Real will maintain the correct rhythm to the end, whether it
leads to victory by two goals, or ten!
Because we concentrate so deeply on our performance, we
have acquired another attribute. We seem to be completely
insulated against local atmosphere. It never affects us one way
or the other, at home or away. You could say we carry our
own ivory tower around with us, and believe me it has been
valuable! For on most grounds abroad, the crowd aches to see
Real defeated, and in an important competition like the Euro-
pean Cup this hostility is heightened to a sometimes frightening
extent,
The collective temperament has another valuable aspect, with
Real Madrid. When we are faced with a really difficult match
of outstanding importance we seem to enjoy specially high
morale. An extra degree of courage, felt inside each one of us.
_ What a weapon this can prove in a close battle! So it was,
though we did not win, when we finally went out of the Euro-
pean Cup for the first time, in Barcelona in November,
; 1960.
Historic though the moment was, and morale-shattering
‘though the final aggregate score of 4-3 might have been to

other teams, we were satisfied with our performance. We felt
we had not had the breaks, by and large, with the decisions of
the English referees and linesmen, in both matches. That is not
a complaint, for the luck in such things tends to equal itself
out over a period. It is simply an observation.
We could not ride our poor luck that time, but it still tended
—a point to keep in mind next time! - to bear out my view that
when two teams are nearly level in technique, individual skill,
and luck, the deciding factors would normally be temperament,
courage, and this thing called “Success mentality”. We have
these factors on our side, and most times they are able to turn
such matches in our favour. They will continue to be a strength
‘in our certain future challenge to win back the European
Cup. ne
As you will guess, m tremendously proud of being the
club’s captain. I like to think that I always have, and will, given
of my best_on the pitch. But since becoming captain I have
become absorbed in the club more than ever, and with my new
responsibilities. | have never married, and friends often pull my —
leg and say : “We can see you will have to divorce Madrid first,
Jose — or it will be bigamy!”
Our trainer, Miguel Munoz, is a close friend, for he ied I
played alongside each other in the first two European Cup ~
Finals. He preceded me, too, as team captain. So we have a
great deal in common. Miguel was a fine, strong player, and
as the man in charge of the team has proved an equal success.
He has a grasp of all sides of his art, and understanding of
human beings into the bargain. No better man could have been
found to fill his job. a
He gets maximum co-operation from the players. We all take
great care of ourselves, appreciating that we are athletes, and
that professional football is a big responsibility. Good-time boys
realize, often too late, they are only shortening their own careers, y
_and letting down the Club, Just as an aircraft pilot would not
take his ’plane up if he were drunk, so a player should not come —i
to football tired, because of a wild private life; you must live.
78
vite i Kes
RID BOOK OF FOOTBALL

according to your calling, and football demands perfect physical
condition. f
“La Vie Bohéme”’ can look attractive to the growing young
man, and he may consider we older players somewhat dull for
preaching against it. Yet to every youngster I would drum it
home that retaining a good physical condition is the
first require-
ment of a successful football career. Stanley Matthews, Di
Stefano, Puskas, Didi, Tom F inney, Roger Marche of France —
literally dozens of pre-eminent players with long careers behind
them are the only examples one need offer.
Like Gento, I played against Matthews in my first interna-
tional for Spain, against England in Madrid in 1955. England’s
team at that time was excellent, but with a bit more luck we
. should have won. My clearest memory is, of course, of the
fantastic class of Matthews, and the devastating effect of his
wonderful ball-control. From left-half, I often had to mark him
+++ quite a job |
I have a sneaking regard for English wing-half play, and
- have often been told that, in my strength at least, I could pass
for an English player! My model half-back, existing in my
mind’s eye, is an untiring fighter, a good kicker of a ball, able to
give a long or a short pass quickly, and flexible enough to pro-
vide any type of cover for different opponents. Primarily, his
job is defensive, but he must have the ability to take part in
attacks also.
When covering a player, one is often guided by the trainer’s
instructions, within the team plan. But usually, I like to stay
close to my man. It means that’quite often I can reach a ball
sooner than he can, by being close enough to intercept, or tack-
ling just as he receives the pass. Most Spanish forwards have a
» high level of ball-control, and it can be fatal to give them space.
. With his skill on the ball, the Spanish forward has the best of
it, when trying to dribble round you.
ee
Because I play the man close, I am often accused of being
n tough - particularly on opponent’s grounds! This is a glib way
of dismissing the type of player I am. To my mind, I am a
practical player, not a brilliant one. My task is functional, not _ Pit
_ decorative. Tuco I never cease to ae nor harrass m
opponent. It is my job to do so. Without ever supportin roug)
play, I think football must be played hard. Ws Sea
We defenders, as it were, must sweat it out in the engine
room, while the forwards are up top, manning the guns, and ~
answering back. Engine-room. manners may not always be
perfect, but we have a job to do — and in any football team,
there must be a contribution of sheer, physical work as well as
scheming brilliance. And with Real Madrid, these factors are —
known and appreciated. The workers c can have no grumble iain
their lot! ii
From time to time,.too, each of us in defence can dream ah
producing a stroke of genius to equal that of Marcos “Mar-
quitos” in the first European Cup Final. A vital goal to ring —
around Spain! For as I have said, Real Madrid’s approach to —
the game is an encouragement to everyone in the team to use his
initiative, and make of himself a match-winner. There is a.
challenge! And if one can meet it, one will be the prouder for—
having done something important for this Club, no, this sors:
we know as Real Madrid.
CHAPTER TEN
JOSE SANTAMARIA
FOOTBALL STARTS IN DEFENCE
Tuoucu I am nicknamed “The Wall” by Madrid followers, I

think a centre-half back should be anything but that. In my
opinion, football begins out of defence, and defenders have to
be every inch footballers. The higher the level of play, the more
important this becomes. My authority for claiming this is a very
wide-flung experience, for apart from my experience with Real
Madrid and Spain I fought through the final stages of the 1954
World Cup with Uruguay, the then holders.
True, a centre-half must have the right defensive qualities. He
has to be strong and resolute, able to “‘bite” at forwards man to
man when necessary. He must be master in the air, and on the
spot to tackle on the ground. If he were no more than that, then
perhaps “The Wall” fairly describes him. Yet he will find in
higher competition, as I say, that strength and courage are only
part of the job.
To play a maximum role in the team’s efforts, the centre-half
should have a technical turn of mind, and a calm temperament.
He should be reading the match closely, and know exactly what
to do when an opponent’s attack breaks down. There is no point
to accomplishing a good tackle, if, once you have possession, you
‘simply kick the ball upfield, hoping for the best. More often
than not, by doing this you have simply given possession away,
and set-up a new attack against yourselves.
The first ball in a counter-attack is of the greatest importance.
‘Counter-attack is the characteristic of modern football, and the
speed and intelligence with which it can be accomplished is a
mark of class, putting one team above another. The 4-2-4 game,
in essence, is a game of counter-attack, the strength of it based
on the speed with which the ball can be sent up to the advanced
forwards, assuming the forwards themselves are of the right type.
_ But whether your forwards operate in pre-set positions or
OBE
“REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
not, they depend completely on the quality of their service from ”
behind, If it
i be poor, though the defence may be playing a great
“stopping” game, it has largely failed the forwards - who,in
turn, by a few undiscerning fans, may be blamed for the break-
down of the team’s effort! At Real Madrid’s level, we cannot
afford poor or unintelligent play in any part of the team,
Though I am myself quite strong and powerful, I take most
pride when reading myself described as a “Technician”, for that
is how I try to do my job. Nothing practical is achieved by giddy,
hesitant play. If you are giddy under pressure to the point of
losing all control, the opposition has you by the scruff of the
neck. If you are consistently hesitant in distributing the ball, ©
there is one solution — sit down and think about the game!
But if you overcome both these dangers, and are using the
ball well, you are worth your weight in gold to your team. You —
can claim as direct a part in victory as the forward who hits the ©
goals! For you have worked to establish the well-linked pattern’
of play from its starting point, in defence. Without that, the ©
forward has to work twice as hard for half as great result.
Every time I am harassed into kicking a bad ballI bite my —
lip. Those of you who watched Bobby Smith have such a chal- —
lenging match against me when Spain were beaten at Wembley —
might think I finished with my lip very bloodied! Maybe so.
But though such occasions arise, you must not let them alter
your basic approach to the game, for the truth of it will be borne —
out over a period of time.
Real Madrid players never indulge in unnecessary kicking. |
It is better to hold the ball every time, and make every pass tell. -
In that way, an economical performance is created. So long as
you have possession, and men of great ability, you can create
anything you wish within a game, lowering or raising its tempo, ¥;
“freezing” the ball for purposes of either spectacle or rest, or :
maintaining a furious drive. To watchers, it gives a relaxed
effect — but how long would that last if a particular defender
were constantly kicking wildly, and without thought?
Relaxed play, over a period, gives a team a proper adjustment, :
In a similar way, a psychiatrist may adjust the confidence of
82) : ae
individual with a set therapy. Nothing must jar the treatment,

or it will not succeed. So a team must hope that no member of
it coarsens the play, with either hot-headedness or lack of tech-
nique. In that sense, defenders can be particularly vulnerable,
when experiencing great pressure. “Keep calm” is a must in-
struction, then. :
Football, after all, is not so much a physical game, as a com-
munication of minds. Experience prepares one for the game,
and when allied with quick, shrewd thinking and a fair amount
of skill produces the so-called “Class” player. I am grateful for
my own experience. At 31, I have been acquainted with the
game in almost every footballing nation of the world.
My parents were a Spanish couple in Uruguay, which gave
me a double international qualification. Because I played for
Uruguay first, I had to fulfil the wait laid down by F.I.F.A.
before I could qualify to play for Spain, on joining Real. Being
so cosmopolitan can, of course, present occasional problems of
mixed loyalty |
With Uruguay, in Switzerland in 1954, my team-fellow was
the great Juan Schiaffino, our finely-balanced, beautifully con-
structive inside-left. We shared some wonderful battles in that
World Cup, beginning with a 7-0 win over Scotland — whose
team manager, Andrew Beattie, had resigned on the eve of the
match — in hot weather which suited us admirably !
We toyed, I am afraid, with the Scots in the second-half, and
our performance encouraged us to think we had a fine chance of
defending our world title. This confidence was shaken rather, in
the quarter-final, when England put up a fine performance
against us, in spite of our winning 4-2. It was described at the
time as England’s best game for years.
True, we sustained two injuries during the game, our centre-
half (I was at right-back!) and captain Varela and outside-right
Abbadie. Borges gave us a goal lead after five minutes, but
England had a couple of good scoring chances even before Nat —
- Lofthouse equalised in the 16th minute.
_ We led again in the 39th minute, Varela — yes, our centre-
_ half, never afraid to attack! - scoring with a long shot, slightly
83
- REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL
against the run of play at that time. Soon afterwards Varela had —
to go off to have a thigh bandaged, we had Abbadie limping -
and my friend Schiaffino dropped back to help out the defence.
Even then, just after halftime, it was Schiaffino who came
through, beat Billy Wright and Gil Merrick, and made it 3-1 tous.
Tom Finney reduced it to 3-2 in the 68th minute, but 13
minutes from the end our inside-right, Ambrois, who had also
been limping, tried a low shot from outside the penalty area and
to our astonishment and joy, scored! Matthews and Finney both
had good chances subsequently, but we won, albeit closely, a fine
and interesting match, possibly one of the best in the tourna-
ment.
Meanwhile, Hungary — at that time, the mightiest football
power in Europe — were winning their quarter-final by the same
score, 4-2, against our neighbours from Brazil. That match,
refereed by the Englishman Arthur Ellis, whom we have since
met in the European Cup, was apparently full of scenes, and was
to become infamous as the “Battle of Berne”.
Whatever may have been anticipated in Hungary’s following
match against another South American team - us! — it never
happened, In retrospect, that Semi-Final was a brilliant match
in which to play, and was later described often as the best in the
World Cup Finals that year.
Luckily, it produced no old scores for me to settle with my
good friend Ferenc Puskas, when we later came together in the
Real Madrid team! Puskas had not appeared in the Hungarian
team since their first match, against West Germany. But he was
to play a gallant part in the Final, in spite of his brilliant team
being surprisingly beaten 2-3 after an unexpectedly-gifted
German performance.
Against Scotland, we had shown our skill. Against England,
our fighting spirit. We felt well prepared for this challenge from
the talked-about Hungarians. This match, again, was handled
by a British referee, Mervyn Griffiths. However, we were a goal —
down— thanks,I say blushingly, to defensive blunders! — in 13
minutes, scored by Zoltan Czibor, who is now with our great
rivals Barcelona.
84
We were not at full strength, missing particularly our injured
captain, Varela. Nor did we produce an adequate forward per-
formance. Nandor Hidegkuti, that cleverest of centre-forwards,
now a qualified coach, made it 2-0 immediately after half-time,
and our cause of winning the World Cup outright - for a win
in the Final would have been Uruguay’s third — seemed lost.
Our bad misses in front of goal halted with only 14 minutes
to go. Hohberg, the centre-forward, cleverly beat Gyula Grosics
in the Hungarian goal. At this time, too, the Uruguayan team
was feeling the benefits of the splendid play of our right-half,
‘Rodriguez Andrade, who was the man of the match.
Hungary, perhaps unwisely, as I think Puskas will now agree,
played for time after Hohberg’s goal. But with only three
minutes to go we achieved an exciting equaliser, again through
_Hohberg, who was injured in the attempt. We had forced extra
time | The dream of a third World Cup was once more alive, and
a real challenge.
{In extra time, we suffered injuries, and as it grew dark a
player I have come to know well since, Sandor Kocsis, headed
two goals to give Hungary a 4-2 victory. Has there ever been a
more graceful and dangerous header of a ball than Kocsis in the
world? This tall, dark fellow of unique gifts is now doing
extremely well, like Czibor, with Barcelona.
From these necessarily skimpy notes of the Uruguay team at
that period you will see some degree of confirmation of the
_ claim that football must start in defence. The wonderful prompt-
ing of Andrade which held us together against Hungary; the
vital goal from centre-half Varela against England. Just two _
important instances of attacking initiative in defenders.
As I was saying earlier, a varied international career does
produce strange loyalties. Raymond Kopa, for instance, had the
_ mixed pleasure of playing both for and ‘against Rheims, his
native club, in European Cup Finals involving Real Madrid.
In my first European Cup Final with Real Madrid, in Brussels
during the World Exhibition of 1958, I found myself confronted
directly by my former Uruguay colleague, Schiaffino. He played
centre-forward for A.C. Milan, the team which had beaten the ~
Bass 85
Munich-destroyed, then reconstructed, Manchester United team
in the Semi-Final. After our 3-2 win, I barely dared look Juan
in the eye!
More recently, I had to help Real Madvid to our big win over
Penarol, the club from my native Montevideo, which gave Real
the World Club Championship. Puskas, of course, has these
mixed feelings more often than | - for every time we play °
Barcelona his fellow-countrymen Kubala, Kocsis and Czibor are
on hand ! It is not serious, for football is a healthy international
community, and old friends can talk about such pers with a
smile.
Reviewing the many fine teams against which I have played,
I honestly suggest Real Madrid surpass the lot. Real are a
generous and sporting side in their approach to the game, a good
attribute in itself. Possibly the team also provides a better go-
minute spectacle than others I have named; there is a lasting
feeling for artistry, and even when playing one senses a real fate
for theatre!
I think the inner strength of the team is more firm, too, in
the outlines of its play and tactics. Part of this is due to the
unique family spirit which fills the club, from President down
to the youngest player. We are all very happy, and that means
a lot. No feuds, no frictions, no bad temper - and the ability to
show a sensible, common front to the world, and be firm friends ©
among ourselves.
Because of the influence of her two main and successful dike
Real and Barcelona, on the international team, I think Spain ©
too is heading for much better times. It pune me that Spain
has not proved her real rank in world football this last few
years. I still think, despite Wembley, that her potential is greater_
than England’s! !
In fact, we may well be heading for a time of maximum
prestige together. That Spain enjoys such parity is due entirely
_ to the great care given to the development of young players in
. recent years, creating incentives for them, feeding them in every —
way with enthusiasm. I wonder every day at the masterly ny
| control shown by incredibly young Spanish lads.
86
REAL MADRID BOOK oF ‘FOOTBALL
In thesethings, Spanish football basics up to that of any

country, including Brazil. This may reflect itselfin the attractive
role I expect Spain to play in the 1962 World Cup Finals in
Chile.
You may be sure that Real Madrid players will be compete
enthusiastically for places in that World Cup side. Some will
certainly make it, for there is no club side in the world with so
many outstanding players. Nor so many enthusiasts, for it is not
money that makes them the way they are: They took up football
as a hobby, and their delight in the game retains its freshness.
That they are paid well into the bargain is considered merely
as good luck. Play for pleasure, give pleasure — you can always
collect later|
‘CHAPTER ELEVEN
ROGELIO DOMINGUEZ
TO EUROPE, AND DISCOVERY!
WuenI traversed the oceans, like so many of my Argentine

countrymen, to come to Europe in 1957, I discovered what was
in many ways a different game. My reputation, as a goalkeeper
who had won some two-dozen international caps, preceded me
to Real Madrid; but once there, I had to work as hard as any
youngster joining the club at the bottom to improve my
*keeping.
Luckily for me, I was given time to settle. My signing, I
think, surprised Real followers. For at that time the club’s No. 1
goalkeeper was one of Spain’s best-known players, Juan Alonso. —
What on earth did they want with Dominguez? It was not for
me to reason that one out. I contented myself with studying
Alonso’s play, and doing the work on my own weaknesses.
A goalkeeper should devote at least two or three hours a |
day to training. He must, of course, concentrate on his special
needs. For instance, heavy exercises are necessary to ensure
him a supple waist.
His reflexes are important, vitally so. Other players should—
pressure him, by taking quick, short shots from every angle. —
One can warm-up, and build confidence in the handling of the
ball, by beginning with a series of longer shots, and closing —
inwards to the goal-line. Be active all the time, thinking out
ways in which your colleagues can work on your weaknesses, —
and so improve them. be
Mine were several, and in themselves a pointer to the different _
styles of finishing one finds in South America and Europe. —
Leaving my goal-line to rush for the ball, jumping high to —
catch it, or punching it away — these things were all strange to —
me when I first arrived. One rarely did these things back in i
Buenos Aires and so, with Real, I must at first have looked _
hesitant, even timid.
:
88
I was slow to make up my mind to leave my line, and
instead of giving the ball a hearty punch I would only finger
it away. Thus, too often, the ball was still up for auction, so far
as opposing forwards were concerned. At that time they must
have been grateful for all the moments of danger with which I
presented them. Not, I hope, any more.
In the Argentine, the main requirement of a goalkeeper was .
that he throw himself like a serpent at a forward’s feet! Forwards
almost invariably favoured dribbling the ball almost to the goal-
line, drawing the goalkeeper, then trying to slip it under or past.
his body. Crowds, too, are fond of this style of finishing.
They are shrewd aficionados of ball-control, and to see a
goal come this way increased their pleasure. They had the same
feeling for it as a bull-fight crowd, approving a particularly
colourful pass with the muleta that might leave the bull on his
knees — only in football it was we goalkeepers playing the part
of the stricken! In any event, Argentine forwards felt obliged to
_attempt their goals in this way.
Rarely, in those days, did I have to combat long, swerving
shots from just inside, or even outside, the penalty area. To this
side of the game, then, I had to pay a lot of attention. I had to
learn the hard way not to be caught napping by the. longer
shots. I had to extend my area of vision, and adjust my mind
to accepting these new problems. One learned, of course — but
quite a few mistakes were made along the way!
Knowledge of the men against whom he is playing is invalu-
able to a goalkeeper. Once having adjusted to Spanish football,
Thad to settle to this next vital job — studying and remembering
the tricks of individual players. Such knowledge sharpens one’s
_ anticipation, flair for which is any goalkeeper’s greatest gift.
Tf you can “Get there”, the stopping part is comparatively
easy.
i "|also helps to prevent you being on the ground helpless,
due to unfair play, while an opponent grinningly scores! No
player has to stand for more of this sort of thing than a goal-
keeper. Unfair play is not exclusive to our Spanish League
competition, cither — it is a hazard of the goalkeeper’s life the.
89
world over. Little wonder that, as a race, we are considered .

short-tempered |
Some forwards push you when you are about to spring
forward. Others will quietly hold you from behind, when the
referee’s attention is elsewhere. When you are in the air, clutch-
ing at a ball; you may often feel a sharp bump in the small of
the back! Or when you are on the ground, a boot may “accident-
ally” trot across your outstretched hand. The hazards are innum-
erable, but after a time you get to know the culprits, and if you
are expecting trouble you can go some way towards avoiding it.
To be taken in by this trickery can ruin a young goalkeeper.
In Spain, as an example in general, we have a wonderful forward”
named Eulogio Martinez. He is with Barcelona, and is wise in
the ways of out-witting a "keeper. When he is around, you have
to pay him as much attention as you do the ball, whether they
are together or not. For his timing is perfect, when he acts.
At the critical moment, Martinez charges you before you
can move. While you are desperately trying to avoid him, his-
fellow forwards get the ball into the net without much difficulty.
A goal similar to that came at my cost in one match at Barcelona.
It took me a long time to live that goal down, in my own con-
science at least, for it probably cost us the Spanish Champion-
ship. At the end, Real and Barcelona had equal points — and
the Barcelonese took it on goal-average. ...
My big chance at Real, while I was still adjusting my style, —
occurred through the ill luck of Juan Alonso. He was suddenly —
affected with a minor lung disease, and sadly had to suspend his _
activity in the game almost completely. Happily, for we are good
friends, Juan is now well again - and we are competing for that
first-team position.
We goalkeepers are given a lot of attention each day by the
trainer, Miguel Munoz, Like my team-fellows, I respect his —
methods. He fairly beats us up every day, but they are useful —
beatings, for he knows what he wants - and has a high standard
for goalkeeping. He keeps us supple and fast, and works on our
positional play and anticipation. Results seem to be very good! —
Like my fellow Argentinian, Di Stefano, I retain a business
go
interest in our home country, in my case a wholesale foodstuff’s

business managed by my father. Perhaps one day I shall live
there again, but if not, I shall not pine. I have recently signed a
new three-year contract with Real Madrid, in the course of
which, should I be good enough, I will also qualify for selection
in the Spanish national team. My wife is happily settled, and
recently presented me with a child in Madrid.
The Argentine has been a useful source of recruitment for
leading European clubs, apart from Real - whose signing of Di
Stefano must surely be one of the most rewarding acts in history!
Before him, many other good players made the change, and in
doing so reflected great credit on the high standard of Argentine
soccer. There was the great Monti, who played for the Argentine -
in the first World Cup and Italy in the second.
Gomez moved to Milan for the then record transfer and
signing-on fee, and Montuori helped Fiorentina to a record
Championship in Italy in 1956. In addition there have been such
as Orsi — who also. played for Italy in a World Cup ~ Martino,
Santos, Gabino Sosa, Paco Garcia, Ignaci Romero, Corazzo,
Ferreira, and Evaristo. These are just a few, and it is little
wonder that the Argentine international selectors often mourn
their passing!
Football, of course, is tremendously popular in the Argentine,
and that makes possible the production of a large number of
players. In Buenos Aires alone there are 15 major football
grounds, with a total capacity of 747,500 spectators — the chief
of them belonging to Racing Club (100,000) and River Plate
(95,700), the last being the first club of Di Stefano.
In our country, the game owed its beginnings almost entirely
to the influence of Britons, so I, naturally, have a soft spot today
for British football. Two brothers, Thomas and Jack Hogg,
founded the first Buenos Aires Football Club as early as 1867.
In 1884, a Scots teacher, Alexander Watson Hutton, founded
the English High School, in Buenos Aires. Other schools
followed his example of having football in the curriculum.
Mr. Hutton was the first President of the Argentine Football
_ Association formed in 1893, and well into this century football _ “a
gr
oe minutesa meetings, and so on, were invariably written in —

English !Mr. Hutton’s High School also won the Argentine ‘i
Championship nine times in the first 12 years of its existence. —
So, as you will see, British influence began the train of events
that led to Di Stefano and myself joining Real Madrid. -
At 29, I can hope for another couple of years at least of use-
fulness to Real Madrid. With this club, I have had the privilege
of appearing in two successful European Cup Finals, against
Stade de Rheims in Stuttgart and Eintracht-Frankfurt in Glas-
gow. With luck, I may yet have experience of a third. But
should I myself not be there, you can depend on Real Madrid
being there. I have never known a more dynamic team. ¥
CHAPTER TWELVE
LUIS DEL SOL
WE, THE YOUNG INHERITORS
Wuen Madrid followers say I am the heir to Di Stefano’s role

in the Real team I am more apprehensive than pleased, Such
frequent claims are embarrassing to a young player who, not so
long ago, came to Madrid from another Spanish League side,
Betis. For to me, Di Stefano is the greatest player I have ever
seen, and the things he does in a match will, I think, never be
equalled.
They say I resemble him in my positioning, and in the way
I move. Would that such things were true! All that is happening
is that I am trying, as best I can, to take some of the weight off
Alfredo in midfield, He is the pilot; I am learning hard to be
the co-pilot. He is rising 35, myself 24. It is a natural relation-
ship, designed to maintain the drive in our team.
Broadly, my game is that of a third half-back in, say 4-2-4
tactics. Ihave to work to exercise some sort of control in mid-
field, and to work closely with our very good wing-halves. Each
of them reads a match very well. If he back-pedals to a deep
defensive position, I look to play the attacking pass that would
normally come from him.
Should the wing-half himself decide to attack, I steal behind
to cover him. Such a rule is simple enough, but it needs under-.
standing between the players, and needs to be accomplished
quickly. For if the opposition is a shade quicker in its thinking,
and the change-over is slow, they can create a dangerous situa-
_ tion with one quick pass. And though the crowd may not at
first see who is at fault, I will know it is I - and so will my team-
fellows!
Tn fact, the task comes more easily for me because I have had
playing experience at wing-half. Alfredo, of course, has com-
‘ plete freedomof movement. Thus in a sense I am the “other
mp py tal eae RN HieTEs
43 BAY
self” of this beautifully constructive player, on hand to assist

him whenever necessary. For this, I need to study Alfredo’s play- -
ing personality, his tricks and ideas. To do so is an education in
itself, and a privilege to any young inside-forward making head-
way in the game.
Indeed, in such a team a young player can barely fail. One
cannot feel a misfit, so long as one understands one’s job. The
game flows easily, carrying you along with it in a relaxed
manner. The only thing you have to fight is the accasional feel-
ing of wanting to stop, and simply admire some of the play of
your team-fellows | To thing out what they have done, like some
spectator, and store it away in memory for the future.
Football produced by this team is harmonious, well-adjusted,
fast, and above all terrifically penetrative. Scoring a goal is
almost an anti-climax, like the last note of a fast waltz, to what
has gone before. And the ways of getting to goal have an infinite
variety; nearly all of them imaginative, original, and at some
_ point touched with the genius of an individual. Were I not
having the pleasure of playing, I would do the next best thing -
buy a season ticket!
Most other teams have to sweat it out, to achieve anything
like the same performance. Madrid manage it without getting
excited, pursuing a smooth rhythm of play which it is very
hard for an opponent to break. For we have a deep-rooted
confidence behind the team’s skill, and we anticipate that it is
this confidence which will be the first target of a thinking
opponent. Few of them have ever reached it; possibly none has ¥
completely destroyed it.
Real’s performance is the logical outcome of the club’s policy.
The simple, easy effect is the hardest to achieve. I recollect being
told of a saying by the fine English coach, Arthur Rowe : “Foot-
ball is an easy game, it’s the players who make it difficult” |
Real are, perhaps, proof of Mr. Rowe’s words: The team’s
strength is in the intelligence and understanding of its players.
A forward line comprising such international figures as Di
Stefano, Gento, Puskas and Canario must easily create chances
of its own volition. When supported from behind by players of —
94
the highest rank, and fed on a period of success, such a combina-

tion becomes invincible, or nearly so. There is no real, or lasting
substitute in football for the top-class player. Method can
achieve a certain amount, but only in combination with good
players does it become lastingly successful.
I was happy enough with Betis, the Seville club. My family
and friends are there, and I have always lived in the area.
Breaking frome one’s roots has its difficulties. Yet I know myself
to be happier in Madrid. Football is my immediate purpose in
life, and at Real I am part of the greatest football organization
in the world. It is easier to play, and the future always looks
expansive. To know and be a part of great football is more re-
warding to the player in love with the game than anything else.
\Because the broad lines of play sit lightly on one’s shoulders
at Real it means a player can express his personal skills and tricks
‘more fully. He can be daring. He can indulge his body swerve at
will. He can dribble, or juggle the ball, and chance a long shot.
So long as he is active and thinking, his team-fellows will take
the weight of his whims and fancies; accepting them as a
responsible contribution to the general effort.
I cannot stress too highly how important it is, to a player’s
confidence, to be allowed such individual expression, outside of
the general pattern of play. The more I think about Real Madrid,
the more I become convinced this dimension of individual play
has been vital to their long success. In such an atmosphere,
young players mature more quickly, and correspondingly the
team gets the_benefit of the real football that is in them.
Such football should never be repressed, as it seems to be in
some countries. There are more ways of tripping the opposition .
into making a mistake than can be achieved simply by correct
play. For many times two good teams following a correct
_ pattern will reach deadlock; it is then that the individual must
come into his own, and turn the match in his team’s favour.
That is why a good team can never have too many good players,
even though, from time to time, a lesser player may be more
correct and useful in the general pattern than a gifted indivi-
eae
Skill, in whichever way it is shown, must be nursed and

valued. Once a player has skill, it is only necessary to condition
his mind, firstly, and then his body to top-class football. Skill is
the ingredient without which no team can be great, inter-
nationally. There is no substitute for it. It must be encouraged _
in the young everywhere, just as it is, with great love and
attention, in every Spanish youngster.
Self-development of a player, complete dedication to his job,
and the technical side of it, is best achieved if he feels detached
from the normal worries in life, money and security. Such
factors are removed completely from the mind of every Real
Madrid player. He has no cause to worry in any respect. He
need never take his eyes off the main purpose, better football.
I do not think there has ever been, or ever will be, a Real
Madrid player dissatisfied with his earnings. On that count, Real
are different from, probably any other club in the world, The
Managing Board act like gentlemen in every respect, and treat —
their players like gentlemen. “You play, we manage — and we
will go forward together,” is the theme of club policy, and every
nuance of that sentence is fulfilled.
Similarly, the technical help available to each player isi con-
sistently of the highest standard. In Spain we train virtually —
every day, guided by a balanced programme unlikely to exhaust —
or put too much strain on any player. We scarcely rest even on
Monday, the day after our League matches — normally, a rest —
day throughout the football world. We may take the occasional
Saturday off, should the season be well advanced, and our —
muscles feeling the strain of much work.
In controlling our match preparation, Miguel Munoz has
_ proved magnificent. In that, I echo the sentiment of every Real
player, many of whom have already said as much in this book.
I have never known him make a mistake in judging the exact —
training programme required by a particular player, for he —
views the “maintenance” of each of us as a separate problem.
His methods are largely new, and invariably modern. He makes ;
training a joy, full of variety. t
Indeed, I imagine his chief Giihicus does not concern the ¥!
96
RR MAN RABE Pee
individual physical condition of a player, but the overall strain

on us of many hours of travel. The Spanish League Champion-
ship is a tough competition, though our 30 matches are 12 fewer
than those played in the English First Division. But in Spain it
is the repeated long travel to away matches which wears one
down — more wearing, I think, than the playing of several
matches on end.
Were Real the club of England’s capital, London, most away
matches would be encompassed in a single day, to and fro. For
the northern matches, a club would travel leisurely the night
before. In either case the journey is never long enough so that
it cannot be quickly dismissed and overcome. But in Madrid,
we have to get away on a Friday before a Sunday game to make
our destination with sufficient time to spare.
The club makes careful travel arrangements, short-cutting
the journeys as often as possible by using aeroplanes, or railway
_ sleeping cars. But one still feels the strain of such long stretches.
There is no solution to it, and in my opinion it certainly equates
the greater number of League matches played in England.
Should a European League ever emerge, I suppose the travel
problem would be more acute!
One compensation for the strains of consistent top-class foot-
ball is, of course, to take care of yourself. In that sense, I think
the behaviour of Real Madrid players to be a model. Each of
them knows he has a “lot on the ball”, when balancing his foot-
ball future against his private life. So he is wise enough to avoid
careless living. However gifted a player, he would not endure if
he lives wildly.
He would be silly to himself, and disloyal to the team, to
abandon his best physical condition. I have recently married,
and like my team-fellows am now enjoying a quiet family life.
Spanish football has a lot more to offer its players in the future,
not the least being the immediate target of the 1962 World Cup
in Chile, I have already been capped, and my play well-received;
I intend to follow-up these good beginnings.
_ My acquaintance with English football is slight, though I
_ played in Spain’s 3-0 win against England in Madrid in May,
Se ;
1960 — and in the return at Wembley, when welost 24.In

both cases the English seemed strong and technically good, to
me, and showed far more power in their second performance.
However, they probably lack real inspiration and originality,
though that may come with an increase of confidence in playin
teams abroad.
Until he has such confidence, it is difficult for an international
player to produce the full range of his club performances, on
which he was presumably chosen. National selections, like club —
teams, depend and hope for a period of success to establish this
all-important confidence. England might achieve it sooner by
playing more matches abroad at less irregular intervals.
On the other hand, as Ferenc Puskas has said, the power of
the United Kingdom countries would take a big step forward
were they to pool their resources, and play as Great Britain.I
do not fully understand the present separation. To me it seems
the same as if Spain had representative selections from the Bas-
que country, Catalonia, Castille, Valencia, Andalusia, Galicia,
Asturias, Aragon, Extremadura, and so on - reducing inter-—
national competition to an inter-provincial level. ied
But that is a problem belonging to England, and outside the
province of a Spanish player. We are interested, of course, just —
as we are interested in national trends and styles everywhere.
For Real Madrid has become, by dint of big-minded leadership, —
an international institution, and its stars have established their
names in many a home, in the mind of many a youngster,
abroad. To know they have pride in the team is, in turn, some-—
thing to make we ourselves proud. at
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THIS MAN MUNOZ
Ristne 41, Miguel Munoz is tall, heavy, and saturnine. He is

also intelligent, grave, and forthright. Until three years ago he
’ was wing-half and captain in the Real Madrid team, playing in
fact against Manchester United in the Semi-Final of the second
European Cup in 1957. Munoz won medals in both the first two
Finals.
Now, at a young age, he is in the second year of a three-year
contract as Real Madrid’s chief coach, best-paid and most
powerful appointment of its kind in world football. His methods
have proved popular and successful with the players; moreso
than those of his infinitely more experienced predecessor, the
_ Paraguayan Fleitas. Solich.
There is little doubt that Munoz’s reputation will ride the
Madrid disappointment of being narrowly beaten by Barcelona
_ in the sixth European Cup and that he will lead his team to
new glories in seasons just ahead. He would seem to have estab-
lished himself as the man in charge for a good time beyond the
length of his present contract.
Friendly, receptive to modern trends, open-minded as to the
best means of achieving a particular end, Munoz is claimed by
fellow technicians to be already among the best coaches in Spain.
His rise was quick. On ending his playing days he took charge
of Plus Ultra, the Spanish Second Division team which is a
subsidiary of Real Madrid.
He gave Plus Ultra a fresh and vigorous morale, and quickly
realized the full potential of the players he had at hand. They
became the most attractive and effective team in their Division.
On Solich’s departure, the Real Madrid Managing Board, bear-
_ ing in mind perhaps what they knew of the feelings of their
- senior players, appointed Munoz without hesitation.
In his first season, he took over at a time when the senior Real
99
Madrid side was flagging, at least in the eyes of its supporters.

Were the key players too old? Was there dressing-room dissen- —
sion with Solich? These and other questions were constantly
asked at the time of the take-over, but Munoz gave them no —
attention. Dissatisfaction may have been a cause of what had
gone before, but that was quickly solved by his personal popu-
larity with the players.
Many of them had been his colleagues in the Real and
Spanish international teams, for the Madrid-born Munoz had _
won eight full caps, mostly at right-half. Surviving him still as
players were Zarraga, Di Stefano, Gento, Alonso, Marquitos,
Rial, Santamaria and even younger men, Santisteban, Ruiz and
Mateos.
To his close friend Di Stefano, Munoz was known as “el
Chato” — the snub-nose! But his effect on the team went beyond
personal friendships. After Solich, who in a long career had
established a reputation as South America’s leading coach, this
thinking group of players were agreed that a top-class team in
modern football required a young trainer, closely in touch with
the game as it is, not as it was.
They were thus as determined to make Munoz a success, in
the early stages, as he was determined to help them. Absolute
co-operation was established overnight, a new urgency in protect-
ing the legend that was Real Madrid. The first results were the
Semi-Final victories in the European Cup over the great and —
!),
feared Barcelona (feared, that is, at least by Real supporters
and the Final win in Glasgow over Eintracht-Frankfurt.
Were this Imperial Rome, Munoz would have been granted —
a Triumph. Instead, soccer-crazy Madrid hailed him a genius,
and Real, as usual, were forthcoming with an appetizing bonus.
In his heart, Munoz knew, however, that he had taken charge at _
a difficult time. He had inherited an atmosphere of supreme —
success, but to maintain it he did not have the same freedom
as his predecessors, i.e. to arrest any decline in the team by,
recommending the signing of a key, world-class player. Spanish _
Football Federation regulations have tightened considerably in :
that respect. ae
ae
In the foreseeable future, Real, as it were, are on their own,

their cheque-book powerful only within Spanish borders. Not
that that, if the success of Del Sol is to be the criterion, is a
crippling limit! In the meanwhile, Munoz determined to make
the most of the good years — and the plural is surely reasonable -
remaining to the present team. Hard work and understanding
could yet extend its life.
Training begins each morning at 10 o’clock. Sharp at that
time, the players are out on the pitch, fresh from the traditional
pretraining massage. None lags. To get the muscles working he
sets them off on straightforward ‘‘jerks’’, though they are varied
and timed differently for each player, according to his physique
and technical quality. Then, in groups or individually, the
players walk, trot or sprint, none to the point of feeling fatigue.
For the slow, a sprint; for the fast, a longer exercise to build
stamina. Some work on stomach exercises, to make supple their
waists. Others leap up and down. Each of them goes silently and
wholeheartedly into his particular work. They are as well-drilled
as a dancing class, and Munoz strides from one to the other,
drawing barely a moment’s breath. He may sound something
like this :
“Gento! Kick with your right leg, on the run. ... Faster,
faster!
“Puskas! Walk another half-lap, go on!
* “Santamaria! Quicken up that sprint a little !
“Dominguez! Bend your waist as far as you can. ... More,
more!
“Di Stefano! Run at top speed with the ball, and give a short
~ pass to Del Sol! Again! ...”
Thus the pattern of the morning’s work grows, the physical
‘work as varied as possible, so as not to bore: With that phase
: completed, there is a short breather, and Munoz calls for foot-
balls. Just off the pitch, waiting assistants hurl in 12 or 14 balls,
_ almost invariably one to each player. The players snap them up
hungrily, and are already getting the feel of their working-tool
as Munoz considers the next step.
_ “You four!” he directs, “Make a circle and keep passing
sea
tor
a ball short to each other. Don’t hold it! One ue at‘the

ball only.
“Gento! You’re to run on to fast passes from Zarage,
control the ball —and shoot with your right foot only as soon as
you’re in the penalty area. .
“Ruiz ! Be on the other wing, and come in to tackle Canario
as soon as the ball is crossed to him. Canario, you must try to
shoot first time on the run.
“Dominguez! Don’t go to sleep there, between the posts.
Pull up anchor, man —come out and use your hands!”
As far as possible, Munoz attempts to introduce situations —
that could occur in match-play into the training programme.
Players are more receptive to such situations, and learn more
from them. The further removed an exercise is from match-
play, the more likely it is to ‘die’ in the coach’s hands, and have
no long-term effect.
Full training matches are played on Thursdays. Injuries can
often result from such matches because of the excessive zeal of
the junior opposition, in trying to score off the senior team and
thus make the point of their own quality. To avoid this, Munoz
takes his first and second professional teams, mixes them up to
form two teams, and fields them against amateur sides in the”
club.
Munoz himself usually acts as referee in both practice
matches, supported by two assistants. He is always ready to stop
play, if not pleased with a particular point. Or he suggests a.
certain move, and is not happy until it has been accomplished_
several times. Occasionally he will pull out an individual player
to correct a shortcoming. He is the nerve-centre of the whole
thing, and in thorough command,
Di Stefano, Gento, and Dominguez, unless directed’ to. pen:
the pitch earlier, are usually last to conclude their training.
Before and after each session, Munoz checks the weight, pulse,
_and rate of recovery of his players. Once the active part is over, _
the players withdraw to their magnificent dressing-rooms,
-showers, and warm-water pools, before giving themselves over
to the masseur’s art, once again. =
102
Training has been watched, closely and for free, by probably
quite a few Club members. They are asked to observe one rule:
Silence. Applause, an encouraging shout for a trick by their
particular idol, or a critical humming when an attempted move
goes clumsily, all are forbidden. Players must not be reminded
they are being watched. They may give way to vanity or ill-
feeling. Self-display is not the purpose of group training.
Munoz admits to have learned something of his art from
each of the top-class trainers he knew during his playing career.
“Something borrowed, something new” could describe his eager
outlook. As a player he was noted for his superb positioning,
even temperament, and clean technique. Similar virtues can be
read into his approach to match preparation. He is still “el Capi”
(affectionate diminutive of captain) to long-memoried Madrid
fans.
His problems, of course, are not limited to training sessions.
As the conscience of his team, it is for him to consider and advise
on all problems affecting his players’ welfare and performance.
Even in a club as successful as Real Madrid, these problems can
be many. Travelling arrangements alone are a headache.
Madrid has only two First Division teams, the other being
Atletico. Almost every other Sunday, then, the team has to
travel, and considerable distances. For instance, Barcelona is
more than 700 Kilometres away from Madrid, Granada over 400,
Vigo nearly 700, Palma de Mallorca nearly 500, Bilbao 450, and
worst of all, Las Palmas (in the Canary Islands) nearly 2,000!
*Planes are used when possible, but most players dislike this
form of travel. As much time as possible is given to the journey,
to spread its strains. Real normally set out Friday evenings, and
rarely return until the Monday after the game. Actually,a
_ player must even travel for a home match — though admittedly
not nearly as far!
He joins the team in a hotel or resort close to Madrid. The
_ players are concentrated there until a few hours before the kick-
off. Munoz defends concentrations, though some trainers have
discontinued them. He says: |
“Concentrations avoid many minor disturbances to the player.
103
( i
He is removed from acquaintances who may unsettle him

constantly harping on the coming match. He avoids, too, the
plague of people wanting tickets for the game, which is always
enough to pester anyone out of his senses. When they’re to-
gether, and away from it all they can relax, walk, read, pla
cards, or just drowse.
“Training continues, of course, but is generally lighter than
usual, because the match is so near. The heavy work has been
accomplished earlier in the week. The important point from
then onwards is to settle the players into the right frame of
mind, and ensure they go on to the field, individually and as a
team, fully informed and with the right sense of purpose.” iM
Food during such concentrations tends to be rather light,
with lunch on match day being advanced two hours. Normally
the menu would be boiled ham, fried hake, and a lean, roasted
beefsteak. A little wine is served with the meal. Fresh fruit, in —
abundance, follows, and fruit juice. Coffee is normally waived,
and of course liquor is not permitted. wy
Players who are normally trencher-men tend to be critical of |
such dieting, and of concentrations in general. They argue that —
both can be harmful, for removing players from their habits
and family life. The boredom, they claim, wears a player down
much more so than city life. Ernesto Pons, chief coach of —
Barcelona’s Espanol club, has discontinued concentrations. — :
“They are not necessary,” he says. “My players are all sen-
sible, as every genuine professional should be, and know how —
to behave properly.” The same, of course, could be said of every
Real Madrid player, but one cannot blame clubs for taking —
every step to avoid mishaps before an important match. In ©
actual fact, the majority of Real players favour these concentra-
tions. Net
Sometimes, of course, the concentrations can fall awkwardly! —
Jose Vicente, the tall, cool young goalkeeper recently signed i
from Espanol by Real, says: “Just remember the last time we —
played Manchester United, in Manchester. First we had to meet —
the time fixed to report at the club. Then the *bus trip to the air a
port. Followed by a wait until the ’plane could leave. ey
104
Tater, the worries of \the flight, always so uncomfortable
and unpleasant. We land. A bus into London. A train to Man-
chester. Another hotel. A wait while rooms are distributed, and
luggage sorted. Then a wait for the match.
“Afterwards, the same ordeal is repeated, until the taxi finally
lands you at your own doorstep again. Only it doesn’t! For we —
had to unpack our suitcases at top speed, greet our families in
passing, change, pack again, and race back to the club, where
a ’bus is waiting to leave for Escorial, 50 kilometres from
Madrid, for a concentration before the following Sunday’s
match. ...”
This sort of fatigue, not match fatigue, is felt by Real season
after busy season. Luckily, unlike so many players abroad, they
are all full-time professionals, and do not have “Part-time
minds” for the job. Consistently, they turn weariness, and bore-
dom, into new successes. It would not be possible but for the
players high class, genius, courage, enthusiasm, and full devo-
tion to their craft.
As a moral arbiter, then, Munoz’ job is comparatively easy.
Though he must be watchful, he is not given cause for concern
about any player’s private life. Indeed, they rarely leave their
homes during the evenings, for fear of feeding gossip, if nothing
else, to the talkative, critical element among supporters! Munoz
can concentrate his full art and attention to physical and
technical preparation, which, in his players’ eyes, he does
i ead well,
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE TACTICS OF GREATNESS
Wiruin a single part of a single book, such as that which

follows, it is impossible to give the full length and breadth of the
means employed by a team such as Real Madrid to achieve its
success, One can only discuss the team’s tactics in general, and a
few in particular. For to analyse the subject in full, and colour
that analysis with examples drawn from over the years that
prove its truth, would be a book in itself.
Nor, perhaps, even then, would the analysis be complete,
unless it made generous allowance for the countless contribu-
tions of individual genius which — quite outside the general and ~
correct pattern — have turned the course of important matches.
One cannot properly grasp the whole motivation of this wonder-
ful team, as one can the workings of a watch. Sufficient, then,
to discuss a group of loosely associated ideas characteristic of
the team’s play.
As everywhere, Spanish football employs various systems of
playing. The basic formation is the classic “WM”, or 3-2-2-3.
But as in all competitions in which strong and weak teams exist,
this basic formation is often modified, either for positive or
negative ends, according to the team’s situation and opposition.
Half-backs are usually the movable “pawns” in this battle of
wits, withdrawn into deep defence or advanced into attack to
fulfil the coach’s notion. aay
The two most common systems in Spain are 3-3-4 and 42-4,
this last being the one successfully followed by Brazil in the
1958 World Cup and, indeed, by the present England team. A
third system in evidence, is based on one or both wing-forwards ©
playing deep, and from there acting as feeds to the attack. Real
Madrid, generally, elect for 4-2-4, with left-half Zarraga or his”
deputy Ruiz lying back with the centre-half. tee
Del Sol, the inside-right, links with Vidal in midfield, and,
until match-play makes its own arbitrary changes, the remain-

ing four forwards play up. Should Real have their opponents
back-pedalling, the advanced attack is suddenly augmented to
five or six players. Or to less than four should the opponents be
playing the “Cerrojo” — or “Bolt” — system of defence, which
requires a more open method of attack.
Because of its supreme and proved attacking potential, Real
Madrid often meets the ‘“‘Bolt” system. Before the Second World
War, the “Bolt” system - introduced by the famous Swiss
‘ national team manager, Karl Rappan — became, along with
Herbert Chapman’s “WM”, the best-known system in the
football world.
Pulling the “Bolt” means that a team’s wing-halves are used
to cover the opposing wing-forwards. A full-back marks the
centrefoward. The other full-back plays slightly behind his
colleague, in case he should be passed. One of the wing-halves
has to be mobile enough to get back even behind the second
full-back, as a last reserve, should he be required.
Meanwhile, the centre-half is busy in midfield coping with
both inside-forwards, and naturally expects help when possible
from his own inside men. Following this method, Switzerland
had an excellent national team before and after the war, and
proved that it is not just a defensive method; it all depends on
the attitude of those who make use of it.
Naturally enough, the “Bolt” can confuse any attack, even
_ that of Real Madrid. The crowding of players in the goal area
is in itself a nuisance. A forward’s work is complicated if he
cannot find room for manoeuvre, and his companions may be
_ marked by even two defenders apiece |
4
The best way of beating the “Bolt” is to withdraw and re-
~ deploy out to the wings. You must open up the play, often using
_ the long pass to achieve a quick change of direction in attack. Pets
Fast, skilful wing-forwards —- and Real have them in Gento,
_ Herrera, and Canario - can beat up any “Bolt” defence. Sooner
_ or later one or two men must be drawn from their standard
_defensive position, and someone must be left unmarked to.
receive a pass.
sa
In this play, too, Real have found it advisable to leaveafor!;

ward “hanging”, clear of the defence. The man in defence with
no specific forward to mark will be inclined to edge forward to
be handy to the spare man, and if necessary control him. There
again space is created in the defence, through which a quick-
‘thinking and acting forward can make ground.
You must draw such a defence, and work to create space,
nor attempt to master it man to man. Complex short-passing
moves through the middle achieve nothing, coming up against a
wall of defenders. It is worth remembering, too, that if you
invite crowd-play the defence, should it be so inclined, finds it
so much easier to shove and kick opposing players, and thus
increase the risk of injuries.
Returning to the basic Real alignment at the beginning of a
match, one has to remember the habit of the individual player.
Should Di Stefano be playing, he will also stay back with Del
Sol for long periods, to build up the play. Goal-hitter Puskas
will be content with an advanced position, handy to the goal
area. Gento likes to play a little deep, to make best use of his
tremendous speed on to a long pass.
Diagram 1 and 2 illustrate, as Miguel Munoz sees it, the
habitual movement of the normal Real team following a kick-off.
From the stock alignment in Diagram 1, Zarraga (or his deputy,
Ruiz) shades back into defence. Vidal moves forward. Del Sol
and Di Stefano (eight and nine) are in touch in midfield. Puskas
and Herrera are well advanced. Gento is warily in an inter-
mediate position.
Real, of course, have possession. Now the opponent’s defence ©
is falling back to its goal area. Del Sol and Di Stefano advance.
So does Vidal (4), while Zarraga (6) forays over the half-way
line, ready to intercept any hurried clearance out of defence, —
and feed it quickly back to his forwards. This position can * |
seen in Diagram }.
In this: particular foeipavel line, the pat contreifenprena ae
Puskas. Di Stefano is almost always behind him, co-operating—
constantly and admirably. Their Ne alone can often
Man with many memories. Ferenc Puskas sits with his Spanish “Foot-
baller of the Year” trophy.
A game against their ancient rivals, Barcelona, and here referee Arthur
Ellis shields his face from the words of Mateos.
Ouch! — a not-so-happy moment for Vicente, hurt while stopping another
Barcelona attac
Families of players and members of the Club can enjoy the beautiful
swimming pool set in the Club’s grounds.
&
‘REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL,
» midfield, wall just as often by--pass both, and pressure a defence

with accurate right-to-left passing that links direct with Gento.
They have formed an extremely dangerous partnership within
a game.
Del Sol, Di Stefano, and Vidal are in effect a “catapult”, and
_ the best ball they spring usually finds Gento - who moves like an
arrow on goal, or explosively attracts a good part of the defence
before passing back to the unmarked man. Diagram 4 illustrates
this simple, but consistently profitable, Real play.
_ Every habitual attack of Real Madrid, of course, is designed
to make maximum use of the great skill available to the team.
This skill, in its turn, simplifies attacks, and makes them look
incredibly easy. Diagram 5 shows a typical bout of inter-passing
between Di Stefano and Puskas, a move again productive of
many goals, and carried through at top speed. They vary it,
_ from time to time, by introducing a third player unexpectedly
_ with the final pass, instead of shooting.
The third man could often be Vidal, a right-half of extra-
ordinary stamina and fitness, rather similar to the late Duncan
_ Edwards, having more pace than Duncan but not his accuracy.
~ Vidal is fond of shooting, and as he is a conversion from wing-
forward has a good shot. When he joins the forwards, Del Sol
shades back to cover his position.
The unexpected lunge from a defender is often worthwhile.
Right-back Marquitos is the Real player least gifted with ball-
control. But more than most he likes to attack, and his strength
and courage will carry him a good long way. His shooting,
_ however, is something of a lottery, for he is not very accurate.
~ Yet from time to time he has produced a valuable goal.
_ When he goes forward, Santamaria shifts ground slightly
to the right, to cover Marquitos, the left-back shades into the
centre, and Zarraga, the left-half, will cover the opponent’s _
price wing. Because there is constant encouragement to indivi-
_ dua initiative there has to be this habitual shifting to cover the -
- gaps, barely noticed by a crowd.
‘_ Diagram 6 illustrates another familiar play by Real, the long
diagonal dribble to the right by the dangerous Gento, ending
113
lle cae a i
REAL planters BOOK OF FOOTBALL
with his Eecanpticp a goal with his right foot or, more often,
kicking hard cross-field to his left, where Del Sol has crossed
over to wait for the chance.
Gento and Puskas are clearly the principal goal “strikers” in
the Real team. Di Stefano, now rising 35, is still a magnificent
and complete player, of front-rank quality. But he is no longer
as dangerously fast as he was a few years back. He has to pace
his game more carefully, and not expend himself too freely after
_ his former fashion - constantly moving over the whole area of
the field, at one moment defending, in the next prompting his -
attack, and in the next again, spear-heading that same attack.
Was there ever so marvellous a worker? In spite of anno
domini, his inclination is still to help the defence when he can.
He can still effortlessly return quickly to attack, though not so
often through a match. Nowadays he puts his trust in Puskas to
carry out the main scoring mission, and it is the Hungarian he
is most times trying to find with a pass. The partnership of
veterans is possibly without equal in Europe just now.
The other compensation in Di Stefano’s fractional decline
on field is, of course, Del Sol. This elegant youngster is perpetual
motion, one-minute a deep prompter on the right, the next a
_ “striker” through the left, his commanding skill and enduring
stamina making him a go-minute danger.
Del Sol’s long passes create many goals for Gento and Puskas,
particularly the latter. Puskas is always “trigger happy” in front
_ of goal. He invariably receives a pass cleanly, with the ball under
immediate control. He tends to shoot cross-wise, and powerfully,
_ judging the shot to enter the net close to an upright. Or he will
produce a masterly body swerve, sprint a few yards — or rather,
_ scamper !- and score with a light touch, studiedly wide of the
_ goalkeeper.
_ Puskas is a master of dead: ball kicking, Real Madrid leaders
indeed knew what they were doing when signing this allegedly-
_ finished Hungarian maestro. They bought a combination of
re superb skills. What did it matter if the body needed time to
recover its fitness? At the price, he has proved cheap. It is
galling to think that Puskas’s early hope after the Hungarian
By) 115
Revolution was a plice in

i English football, but thatBritishrales
made it impossible.
ue
‘
_ Puskas takes nearly all the free-kicks awarded in the a

ing half. Whatever the distance, he usually shoots for goal.if
Almost always the shot is low, and he can make it swing in
mid-air one way or the other like a good seam-bowler in cricket.
To produce the effect in Diagram 7, with a long-distance shot,
he kicks with the outside of his foot, making the ball “come
back” in a manner often alarming to goalkeepers ! i
Diagram 8 indicates the result when he kicks with the front _
part of the inside of his foot. Such facility with free- kicks raises
them above an otherwise mundane means of re-starting play
after an infringement. Puskas does not know the number, bu
credits a fair number of goals through his career as having be
scored in this way. His left-foot is dynamic, iin perfect control
of the ball. Goalkeepers being aware of his gifts, he often varie
“tricky” free-kicks with a power-boosted shot direct for goal
The straightforward thing iis, to him, an alternative!
. Another variation in the taking of free-kicks involves Gento,
Puskas, and Di Stefano standing close together by the ball
When the whistle blows, Gento just lifts his foot gently un
the ball so that Puskas or Di Stefano, without barely having
move, can hit it hard into the goalmouth. Real have collecte
many goals with this trick.
Puskas and Gento share the taking of corner-kicks, ‘atea
Gento is accurate and a hard kicker, either putting the ball t
the far upright, or shooting hard and low just above ground —
level, hoping for a deflection off defender or attacker alike
Puskas is more subtle, kicking the ball apparently on the
diagonal — but once again, it swings late back into the goal-
mouth, as in Diagram 9. He varies the length of the kick accord
ing to which upright the goalkeeper takes his py as
Diagram ro. ‘
Puskas, possibly, is still the finest goal-finisher in Fupot n
the ball is on the ground — should it be in the air, his main ri al
would be his former Hungarian colleague, Sandor Kocsis,
with Barcelona. With the free-kicks and corner-kicks des
116
“he has earned many goals, to set beside his countless goal
normal match-play. eas
Real forwards have a superb gift for holding a ball, and
using forwards in close support as “‘dummies”, to help free a |
forward somewhere else from close marking. To have the sp:
man is an aim of all attacking play. As an example, one can
imagine that right-winger Herrera has the ball on his touchline.
Del Sol, Di Stefano, even maybe Gento, will rush towards him,
as if to take a pass. Naturally enough the defenders having to
mark these players will, in varying degree, follow them closely.
Herrera would feint as if to short-pass to any one of these
men up in support, but then recovers to give a long pass clearof
the men around him to find, perhaps, Puskas, who may we
have only the goalkeeper to beat. This type of play, illustrat
in Diagram 11, has infinite variations, most of thena capable
‘disorganizing a defence. Gento illustrates one of them
Diagram 12. BHO 8 |
| The fact that Gento can often run himself into trouble is no
due to any selfishness, in seeking to draw a bead on goal. E
will be trying to attract to himself as closely as possible two
three defenders. Once past them, or even in the moment wh
they are flat on him, Gento will hit the ball back on the diagona
and with experienced foresight, Puskas or Di Stefano or Del
will be hanging ‘free, to shoot. ;
Di Stefano, incidentally, has also passed over the responsibili
of taking penalty kicks to Puskas. Di Stefano’s habit was to kic
the ball as hard ashe could, beginning with a gentle feint
his right before shooting for the top angle to his left. Almos
invariably he had the goalkeeper going the wrong way. Pusk
again, is a more subtle maestro on such matters. He ha
wonderful last-second “change step”, and the goalkeep
fooled by the position of his body and supposed shooting
until it is too late.
Puskas is deadly accurate, and tends to hit the ball lo
just inside an upright, as he does in match-play. Diagram r
and rq illustrate the wide margin of deception put acros:
goalkeeper in a proven nine cases out of ten! Little wonder h
118
PUSKAS GOALKEEPER GOAL
DIAGRAM 9
PUSKAS
DIAGRAM .10
119
DIAGRAM 11
“PUSKAS
has inherited from Di Stefano the mantle of the club’s leading
scorer. One cannot imagine him being dislodged from that
position, should he remain free from injury.
Until this point, we have been discussing exclusively means
of attack, What are the characteristics of Real’s defence? Gener-
ally, Miguel Munoz favours man-to-man marking. Zone defence
is only used on rare occasions. Opposing forwards are stuck to
like paint, marked much more closely, indeed, than is usual
even in England.
Full-backs take wing-forwards, avd so on, excepting that
_ centre-half Santamaria switches to the most advanced forward,
should the opposing centre-forward be playing a withdrawn
game, and hoping for him to follow. Man-to-man marking
ensures more constant attention to enemy forwards, specially in
‘the penalty area. Should the opposing forwards try to out-wit
by inter-changing positions, or drifting back into deep-lying
positions, the Madrid defence abandons them, and concentrates
or a period on straightforward zone defence.
The defence prides itself on its football skill, and tries all
the time to bring the ball under control, and give an intelligent
pass. Occasionally this may have the appearance of courting
“unnecessary danger. But in their experience, particularly under
‘the tutelage of the mature and skilful Santamaria, the Real
«defenders know that the hurried clearance is no clearance at all,
but a gift of Possession to the enemy.
This, then, is not a definitive note of Real Madrid strate
and tactics. Indeed, such a definitive note can probably never
be written. Even the players would be struggling to explain to
you exactly how the team functions throughout a match. For
so much of it is created themselves within a match, on a base of
only loosely associated habits and movements.
Blackboards are rarely used by the coach, except, perhaps, to
troduce a problem to be worked out in that day’s training. —
Munoz knows the blackboard has its uses, but he knows that
ckboard mathematics rarely stick long in a player’s. mind.
y are simplified and mastered more easily if tackled in
tages, out on the training pitch. Out there one can build
I2t
j
GOALKEEPER Bat OAL

up habits that will eventually relate themselves in match-play.

Because their players have been together, in the main, for
several years, Real Madrid have few tactical problems. The
key players understand each other perfectly. Each of them has
superb skill, which makes them readily responsive one to the
other. Good football has become a habit, artistry a common-
place. To attempt to reduce it to a fundamental pattern would
be a disservice, for it would under-estimate, in its coldness, the
full richness and flavour of this mightily generous team.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BLENDING THE STARS
Reat Madrid is a club stuffed with talent. The Spanish ruling —

permitting each club only 25 full-time professionals is in no way
a handicap. In effect, the top 25 are all first-team -men, ready
at a moment’s notice to accept promotion. The very young
player, the up-and-coming man, these are retained in the amateur
teams, or should they be wanting professional status, are diver
to another club dependent on Real’s patronage, such as Plus Uh
Having so many stars in reserve is one of Real’s grea
strengths. But it is also a problem, for every good player has his
own strong characteristics, and the team has to be adapted to
accommodate him. One does not replace a Di Stefano wi
another Di Stefano, nor a Gento with another Gento — indeed
a club would be uniquely blessed were it able to do so.
Naturally, most managers would say a heartfelt “That'smY
sort of problem I don’t mind having!” And Real have never
shown signs that their excessive talent grieves them, neither, Yet.
changes in personnel closely influence a team’s tactics, every
bit as much as the nature of their opponents. It is interesting |a
discuss how Real dove-tail their many star names, some of ther
front-rank players in their own right but seen in public o
‘occasionally. ee
The presence (or absence) of Di Stefano is the key change,
at any time. Whenhe plays, there is no need for two orthodox
inside-forwards, i.e. forwards who attack and defend, cove:
a lot of ground, maar: the play for ae, and doing ‘the
all the link-work necessary.

Thus they leave inside-left Puskas and outside-left Gente
perform as a striking pair, along with the outside-right,w
Pie may be - for though Herrera, the usual ome has won
124
REAL MADRID’ BOOK OF FOOTBALL
tull international cap, the right-wing is undoubtedly the one
spot in which Real cannot count on a really outstanding player.
This is accepted as the normal -first-team forward line, and a
brilliant one it is.
For the moment, Di Stefano’s deputy is Hector Rial, ap-
parently slow and heavy - an image of him endorsed by all
‘Spanish supporters — yet, reputedly, the cleverest player Real
_ Madrid have. His gifts are of a more subtle kind as, for example,
_ are those of Manchester United’s Denis Violett. Only the sup-
_ porter reading a match closely will catch his breath, and realize
just how great has been the contribution of either player.
Bs Intelligent, calm, able, and elegant on the ball, Rial has a gift
for conceiving an attack before it happens. Thoroughly two-
_ footed, and of high personal skill, he is a genuine inside-forward.
The man who covers the ground, either deep or advanced, in
defence or attack. The man able to beat an opponent, and
retain perfect balance and control. A man of stamina, able at any
time to contribute an accurate shot, or do a lot of running off:
the ball.
In the eyes of one experienced Real Madrid official, Rial
among the three or four best players his club has had in the
past decade. High praise indeed. Diagrams 1 5 and 76 illustrate
_ how the weight of the team is re-distributed from, as in the first,
an attack featuring Di Stefano, to, as in the second, an attack
“featuring Rial. For Di Stefano, the forward line works on a
sh3
allow “W” (though still within the team’s general 4-2-4 style),
: ith Di Stefano and Del Sol slightly withdrawn from the
o ‘i
three
strikers.
_ Gento in the past has shown astonishing co-ordination with
ial, and when the latter plays the left-winger tends to depend
avily on his inside-forward. Thus Puskas, as in Diagram 16,
remains firmly in an advanced centre-forward position, though
he may be wearing the No. to shirt, Rial links closely with
fento as an orthodox inside-left, and Del Sol shades back to
k permanently as the midfield link. The Gento-Rial partner-
is the result of steady work in training, and is a superb
irance against any injury to Di Stefano,
\ aS 125
HERRERA
©
Di STEFANO DEL SO
®@
HERRERA
DIAGRAM 16
126
Sho
=,
They inter-change positions with perfect understanding, and
perhaps neither works as well with ‘anyone else, barring Di
Stefano himself, who has played with both over six or seven
years. But with Di Stefano, Gento is thrown more on to his own
resources, for Alfredo views the whole pitch as his Field of the
Cloth of Gold, and is constantly reviewing the position in every
part of it, too busy to devote his full attention to the exploiting of
a single partner|
_ Di Stefano, however, now has another deputy, for whom
_ future alowances must be made. He is Agne Simonsson, the
clever young Swedish centre-forward who in late 1959 hit two
of his country’s winning goals against England at Wembley. At
the time Real signed Simonsson, he was ranked fifth in the
annual list of top European players published in the great
Parisian sporting newspaper, L’Equipe, which founded the
European Cup itself.
_ Simonsson is a constructive player, but not yet the sort of
driving finisher beloved of Spanish fans. As yet, he has been
assigned to no specific position, and it will perhaps be necessary
forDi Stefano to retire before the Swede - who himself claims
he needs at least a year to adjust to Spanish football — can claim
"a permanent first-team place. He needs to quicken up, and iron
_ out the slackening habits of his amateur days.
-_ A Real reserve who nonetheless continues to win full inter-
national caps is the 25-year-old Mateos: This temperamental
' youngster was for several years a first-choice player, and ranks
highly still in the Real Madrid hierarchy. When he plays, he
airs up with Puskas in a twin-spearhead drive, for he is an
pert finisher, good for goals from any distance, as his past
European Cup record shows.
When Mateos plays, Di Stefano or Del Sol, whichever of —
them is playing, has virtually to do the link work for four
strikers, instead of three. That set-up is Real’s most accurate, —
though not necessarily the best, expression of the 4-2-4 style.
Diagram 17 illustrates how much weight is carried by Di Stefano
or DelSol, with the remaining forwards in advance of them,
f ig to be fed. j .
127
@
HERQERA
©
DI STEFANO of DEL SOL
DIAGRAM 17
The history of the last few years shows the value ofth
loyal players, vacillating though they do between first-team
“reserve status. In the 1956 European Cup Final in Pari
Madrid were two goals down to Rheims within 11 min
yeeucthe start| On the halt-hour iit was Hector Rial who mad
goal, to make the score 4- 3.

Mateos played a valuable part»in the 1957 2-0 vin
_ Fiorentina in Madrid. A year later, against Milan in Bru
Hector Rial scored the 80th minute equalizer (to make th
2-2) which forced extra time, and made it possible for
to hit the winning goal in extra time. In the 1959 Final.
Rheims again, in Stuttgart, both Mateos and Rial played i
2-0 victory, and Mateos scored the vital first i wit
minutes!
ined their contribution to the Real Madrid suce
h gh st classisan bintold Nese Though tactical
t changes have
. to e made to accommodate them, in each case the team is
altering.
Were one to guess at the Real Madrid team of the immediate
re, or at least the attack, one would probably nominate the
line of Del Sol, Simonsson, Di Stefano, Puskas, and Gento. Del
Sol is a genuine footballer, effective in any position, and at
utside-right could continue to perform as a liaison officer,
beside. Di Stefano. This move would solve Real’s problem of
finding a place for Simonsson, whose pre-eminence surely
lerBands it.
uld he quicken up, and be prepared to finish more
ongly and often, he would fit well into such a line. No player
; more determined to do well than the tall Swede, who has
1 happily with his family — and Spanish-language tutor! -
id. He loves-his football, is proud of the chance offered
, andis intelligent enough to make sure it works out well.
Vh oe happens in the 1960's, none will dispute that Real
Ee omens from gtiuloee inauspicious ln

y have created a legend, and set a standard, which those who
)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE SUMMING-UP
only remarkable thing in the emergence of Real Madrid iis

so few recognized the inevitability of the logic and imagination
that propelled the club upwards.
Unlike the mass of English clubs, Real Madrid h
had to bear the ivy of Victorian roots, nor the moss 0:
‘legislation. True, they were founded in 1902, but not un
That they have a natural gift for the game was borne ou aye
later in Madrid, when Spain (by 4-3) became the first Con
tinental country to beat England.
civil wars in European history, and a long period of econot

depression. Yet in spite of these things, the richest and
sophisticated of the world’s clubs has climbed a
present position. How has it been possible? :
» Firstly, through the courage and imagination of one fo)
own ex-players, Don Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste, voted in
- Presidency in 1943. It was he, with the support of similar]
directors, who committed a moribund club, little know. i
Spain, to asking vast loans from the Madrid public |for <
Stadium. That - required courage. It was he who, from:the
"ideal of front-rank football. That requiredi

imagination.
Secondly, because Real Madrid met a demand. In its
the corrida was hie, ground, and was no longs
FE a ¢tr
_ dignity and culture. They respond to ‘colour and artistry, and

"images in which they can believe. For years, the ceremonial of
the corrida had fulfilled these needs.
Senor Bernabéu recognized that football, if it were to win
pre-eminence, had to be on a similarly heroic scale. He was
lucky only inasmuch that he judged the future, and acted on it,
ina country and at a time where such expansion was possible,
_ and officially approved. He got the money for his projects,
because the people offering it were also given a voice in the
running of the club. He got the players, because he paid them
_ what they were worth. And the players brought Real Madrid to
_ international greatness. é
Football was “sold” to the Spanish public, but not by any
chilling subliminal means. Football of a bigness and level in
__which its creators fervently believed was communicated to a
mass of people of equal fervency, the idea was married to the
market, which is good business and, in this case, has been good
orfootball, too. By contrast, English football has had to mature,
from its very beginnings, in an atmosphere of limitation, even
outright prohibition.
Football was first noted in the 14th Century in England,
and thereafter the records ring a sadly similar note of complete
_ prohibition from one monarch after another, attempting, in its
lace, to encourage archery in the interest of having plenty of
experienced “sportsmen” handy for their several, pocket-sized
wars! Not until Charles II, that Merry Monarch, does football
find kingly favour, but in fielding his palace servants against
hose of his friends one imagines the king’s interest to be a
gambling one, rather than devotion to possible artistry.
_ This, like so much else, would have been frowned upon by
sr football authorities. In the year of the English Football —
eague’s foundation, 1888, Birmingham City (then Small —
feath) became the first club to form itself into a Limited
jability Company. All clubs except one, Nottingham Forest,
ye since followed suit.
and in that time were worthwhile. Sit eees
now supgest
them to be the root evils of the English|game.
Company practice, and private companies at that, removec
made them possible, paying supporters. Control evolved int

the hands of a few, and the ae stories since indicate wha
became Lacon as the ssnetag of the Football Leaguel

who had created the game, the players, emerged as the wors
treated and, apparently, the most dispensable of the
company’s assets, and it is little wonder that in this year o}
the fate of the professional game itself is at stake, as the w ng
of a half-century and longer 4ignite an open conflict. ah
Players wages, quite apart from the controversial play
contract, which is the most one-sided and brontosauran de
ment to survive in modern British pe anlenn: indicate
sionalism itself was legalisedin 1885 |

Stoke City players receiving 2s. 6d. per week struck ee
they discovered a “‘star” among them to be earning 5s. od
amusing to think, nearly 80 years later, that the players
Mie prepared to strike for, among other things, this ur princiy
Vices
REAL MADRID ‘BOOK oF FOOTBALL
: eo the suey had been progressing through an historically

’ attractive period without one, for 16 years. It was first fixed at
£4, and nine years later raised to £5. A year before that first
increase, however, the Football Association — with an outlook
very different then from what it is now — withdrew recognition
of the Players’ Union, and issued an ultimatum that all its
eels resign under threat of life suspensions.
~ In the result, the Union Secretary, H. C. Broomfield, once of
_ Manchester City, and another official stuck bravely to their
guns, and were duly suspended. Upon which the players, though
_ their Union was by no means fully representative (even under
-Mr, Jimmy Guthrie’s Chairmanship in the 1950’s membership
only averaged 45 per cent of all professionals), in large part
called a strike that lasted 14 weeks, and brought the F.A. to its
“senses. The Union was once more recognized, and the striking
players awarded back-wages.
Yet here was the bleak attitude towards the game’s most
portant figures, the players, fully revealed. And, indeed, in
P e of the F.A. climb-down on that first occasion, it was to be
maintained. In 1920, the maximum wage was increased to £9
week all the year round, a handsome total for those days of
468 per year. Had this rate been adhered to progressively,
maximum today would surely have been around £2,500 a
,and none might ever have complained !
But when the Union, a year later, put in a probably routine
emand for a {10 maximum the clubs not only declined but, a
year later, REDUCED the figure they were getting! The new
figures were £8 a week in the 37-weeks playing season, and £6
dt ting the close season, a total cut of £82. That scale applied
for no less than 23 years, until, in 1945, Our soccer heroes
turned from the War were granted an increase of {1 a week in
¢.lose season, annually worth a paltry (15!
wice since then,a simple living wage for the RIDA )
play in the land has had to be dragged out of the clubs by —
means of independent arbitration, in 1947 and 1953. When ©
Joe Richards became President in recent years he initiated
2 atively considerable scale of increases, but comparable, _
\
that is, only to the Weoehit acted oeiheclubs in4 1 the
half-century.
The telling time fer a New Deal in football should have be
the immediate ‘post-war years, when attendances boomed, th
Carter, Finney, Matthews, Lawton, Mercer, Britton, Cullis’ an

the rest. Nothing happened. The luckier ones among them mad
real money in ways other than playing football, quite a fewyin k
assuming successful management.
Yet those of their era, and eras long before, had little to shor
from actual playing days’ in the game they had buil
England's leading sporting entertainment. Who could not hi
wept at the news of the immortal Hughie Gallacher committing
suicide in an ending redolent of poverty? Football surro
its players with the moral greyness of prison-stone ; becaus
oppressive principles that governed them were oe
players had no respect for those principles.
They asked for transfers. Many took little care of thems
Gnice away from their clubs. They took illegal pays
certain ‘‘confessions” and “revelations” are to be believ
accepted bribes to arrange the results of matches for bet fe
relegation purposes. Every weakness in the varietyfem
responsibility to a game which mistreated them. .

In this book, the stars of Real Madrid have crmphataeld
and again how great a sense of duty they feel to their clu
club which pays them extremely highly, and treats them
| of the world. Theirs isi an enviable position, and bi
than others. The rest accept this, because he oa that 30)

players — Di Stefano, Puskas, Gento perhaps — are me
to the general success.
But the Real Madrid players produce another collec
ne ee football that is important, and well worth
_ too-general substitution of method for individual skill. After the

» 1958 World Cup, that wise and far-seeing administrator Sir |
Stanley Rous, Secretary of the Football Association, adjudged
_ there was “No substitute for skill’, and in that he damned great
areas of post-war effort in English football. vi
Consider the poor player, then. Underpaid, underprivileged,
and in many cases unable even to express his natal joy in the
game by using what skill and artistry he had! Little wonder
that their representative, Mr. Guthrie, would cry “We are
Slaves!” before a sympathetic Trades Union Congress in 1955.
Nor that,in their dramatic bid to put things right in late 1960,
the Professional Footballers’ Association, as it had become, could
pack more than 700 of the game’s leading professionals into
_ three “Strike” meetings in London, Birmingham, and Man-
chester.
_ Ih reviewing all this, one feels disinclined to go further into
the basic reasons why England has not produced a Real Madrid,
club team able to dominate the world. One grieves instead for
the generations of players who had their love for the game
discouraged. The generations of spectators who shave been
trayed and, in turn, come to accept the mediocre as if it were
football’s highest expression, because they know no better.
When great men have arisen they have swum against the
de, Mr. Matt Busby, ruthless and dedicated, yet at the same
_time intensely warm and kind, scooped motes from the fading
ight of English football, and by his strong will and genius,
created Manchester United. Only to see his great achievement
estroyed at Munich. Mr. Arthur Rowe exerted another brand
genius at Tottenham Hotspur ;they flashed across our sky ...
en the health of their creator broke down — and how much of |
is ill-health was due to having to fight against forces he could
ir Stanley Rous, among many other far-seeing suggestions,

suggested a Super-League of, possibly, 16 clubs would bring
gland back to greatness. For his pains he had to circulate a
r of “explanation”, tantamount to apology, to directors of
oe
lubs. Walter Winterbottom has had to sustain himself and ‘

his policy, there is no duibiny that Mr. Winterbottom’s bre
feeling for the game is genuine and correct.
Real Madrid-style eas nor his ae claim aH we:

possible he would happily sign Ferenc Puskas! One beli
him. ;
themselves! Busby, Rowe, Moores, Rous, Winterbottom)

few others ; here are men -whose scree influence should
Managers, Secretary or Chat but men who, whethe

personalities be pin- striped or homely, have in common a
of vision, decency and justice.
When the present Professional Footballers’ Aso.
aa with purpose, rather than in spite of itself, into its ¢

millenium. Given such freedom, there is no doubt that ev
Time and again, in this Boule: Real Madrid stars have written.
that England has the superior resources, the top-class native
talent. They are right, but for the moment we cannot see the
wood for the trees. That forest of out-of-date legislation,
uneconomical conduct of clubs, disrespect in managers for
individual skills, unjust treatment of the player that saps his
will to play — such factors combine to produce our misery, so
that at times we might feel this‘‘organized”’ football to be a git
direct from Pandora’s Box.
From such a scene, it is surely refreshing to have dwelt on
such a club as Real Madrid, who have achieved a world position
by non-exclusive logic and imagination. To dwell, too, on the
urgent, sensible thoughts of such experienced masters of their
aftas Di Stefano, Puskas, Santamaria, and the club’s two best-
own leaders, Santiago Bernabéu and Raimundo Saporta.
fReal Madrid began, as it were, as straws in the wind, outside
the tavern of La Taurina. In a half-century the club’s growth has
flected precisely public interest in the game, just as English
ootball has failed to do. We can turn to them, then, time and
gain for friendship and advice, For they have trodden the path
0 rdained iin history for Britain, but scorned by it, or rather by
irmercy.
t is not too late. We can catch up. We have the sue
vave had them; always will have them. All we lack is the proper
aging and theproper conditions. Football is an attractive game,
Phy must we sell it as a lacklustre, doin uninspiring

ur? Why treat the public like cattle, and the players like
serva ts? What is the system, and who the men, that feel they
ca get away with it for ever more? |
i ¢ story and achievements and philosophy of Real Madrid
ute one mite towards public understanding, this book
have been worthwhile. For if we let apathy get out of hand,
professional game will slip into the slow death which cricket wy
fights. England, too, has a sophisticated football com- —

,» but iit is dominated by the sophistry of dead beliefs and
ear we ‘yet sit at ro game’ s bedside in mourning, a
with a tear for what might have been?
That is the fundamental struggle in English ‘Footbal
On its outcome will depend whether we have a ha
replicas of Real Madrid, and clubs of its kind. Or whether
have to emigrate to Spain, to keep company with the ori
borrowing faith from all that Real Madrid represents, —
faith, alas! unable to be transferred into the uncritical mir
back home..- ee
Meanwhile, at a distance, we can at least stand and
how. that you have finished this book you ‘wil probabl
in other best-selling CONSUL Books obtainable from all|
bookstalls and bookshops. Published by ~World
gah anenesteny: Limited, 36 Great Russell nis au
AFTER THE STORM
John Gilbert
No. 1172
The storm which drowned the two men she loved

best in the world — her father and Charles Fielding -—
~ left Selina herself struggling for life; virtually alone
in the world, almost penniless, and prevented from
taking future dancing engagements by her preg-
nancy. For Selina Jeyel was expecting a child by
Charles, the man she had been going to marry.
Thrown into the maelstrom that is London, Selina
learnt to live the hard way, step by step losing her
security, her love, her child . . . everything except ~
her power to make money in the oldest profession
of all.
224 pp. 2/6

| THE CREEDY CASE
Edward Crankshaw
No. 1173
“THE CREEDY CASE deals with a public and

immediate theme, even though the events take
place in 1943. George Scoresby, a young lieutenant
colonel employed at the War Office on secret wo
is told to post a subordinate, Captain Creedy,t
India. Scoresby suspects injustice and refusest
comply with the order until he is given a reasonabl
explanation. Even when his actions can no longe
superiors . . : It is a thrilling period piece of

times, vivid in background, true in the confus
- interplay of morals and expediency.” — ¥
192 pp. 2/6

ANGEROUS GHOSTS
Elliott O* Donnell
No. 1174
Ghosts are not generally supposed to be dangerous;

but here the author shows that such a supposition
192 pp. 2/6

FOREIGN OFFICE
CONFIDE
NTIAL vey
ae) Geoffrey Kino and Michael Bird
No. 1169
F Somewhere across the globe, at any hour of the day

or night, a Foreign Service Messenger is ‘escorting
the nation’s most secret and confidential pape
| Throughout centuries of wars, crises and upheavals y
he) his job has remained unique: ever since, in fact,
: Charles II, exiled in Holland, first gave
aa
192 pp. 2/6

THE DARK MILE
D. K. Broster
No. 1168
Pi Probably no novelist of this Century has written of —

Jacobite Scotland with such deep understanding. —
f Miss Broster’s appreciation of the period is i
reminiscent of Stevenson, and in this novel, ““The
Dark Mile”, she tells a story set in those years
immediately succeeding the second Jacobite re-
bellion which is charged with an underlying:
citement that helps to evoke beautifully therich
_ 320 pp. 3/6

‘LATTICED ‘ECHOES
Edgar M: sttelhober
No. 1171.
This is the story of two couples, Richard Lehrer
and his wife, Lydia, a Yorkshire girl, and Tommy
Rowleyson, also of Yorkshire, and his German wife, —
Lindy. The scene is a small town in British Guiana
~ New Amsterdam, the author’s birthplace; and
between this quartet a drama of human relations
the first in a trilogy. It reveals interesting new

developments in a writer who, inthe past ten yea
contemporary fiction ;
The
Edited by
Ramon Melcon & Stratton Smith
Now, for the first time, the

personalities and players of Real Madrid
come together to tell the full exciting
story behind the world’s leading club.
Their personal co-operation was given at
every stage in the preparation of this book.
Never before have a group of football
stars had such a wonderful story to tell.
Yet Real are more than a club: they are a
legend in their own times.
How much does Di Stefano earn? How big
the bonus for that fifth successive
European Cup triumph? In what manner
did Puskas prepare for his wonderful |
comeback to world football, after the
tragedy of a revolution? And what do the
boy-players of Real think as they sit
around Di Stefano, and listen. . . .?
You will find the answers, and a wealth
of other exclusive information, in this
outstanding book.

The Real Madrid Book of Football - Anna's Archive

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Real Madrid Book of Football - Anna's Archive

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

{

WORLD DISTRIBUTORS LONDON

Conditions of Sale - This book shall not without _

This was my Dream

For the love of football

_TuERE was a madness outside, a madness that grew quickly

and cognac, lean, swarthy men ee aside either

ers for the “Corrida” would rear in slashing colour to

anna space for training and therapeutic devices,

wonder how on ‘earth use is ile of such space. Reflectin

So much sheer, physical activity in so wide a variety of games,

the Fiesta Alegre is free to Real Madrid’s 50,000 members,

Spain, nothing is beyond the Midas touch of Real. Ayvast acre-

riew, though the third amphitheatre is uncomfortably exposed

ea ee a cause than these to Real Madrid. But saute Was

sustained and immediate exhortation to their team, as, say, aths

WORLD OF THE STARS

HE one real secret of Real Madrid is the care taken, after

REAL MADRID BOOK OF FOOTBALL

: Full:backs :Marquitos, Pachin, Miche and Pancaleth

older, Alfredo Di Stefano, possibly the most successful sign: ;

eat club manager. In effect, Mr. Busby would be doing more

ain’s first-choice Ces until a mild ea disease inter-

international caps. His fellow! full-back Miche, 24, an

Spain’s Youth team.

are other full Spanish internationals among the for

expért use of it. Besides these players Rad have several yc ;

¢ main blending factor. Success brings fabulous salaries and

any other Spanish club.

| and might be expected to surpass hae

the moment they first kick a ball in earnest, Spanish’ avis

ete lads have a natural delight in the game, and a na

among them, is still the great release, the open-sesame

ae Hecrase of their great weight of fice in

sadly checked his career, was given a tremendous tribute by the

on “Ne parting with him. Thus there is no bar to him

ub’s early, struggling days.

tion in many ca arces: In the North, Bilbao, the ‘pia

Stefano ““Traitor” because he mentioned in anEaelich

comparable rivalries in Britain — barring Celtic ad Ra

aspect of the game is something ne each prize, if it

THE REWARDS OF SUCCESS

tinually more sinned against than sinners!

Zaragoza. OnJel Tartes said: “In half a year P've earned

€ motivation of Real’s nie and continuing successes. To

ment: Barcelona and Atletico de Bilbao. Each of them is:

work of say magical afternoons and evenings. A ng

faith. An overwhelming back-cloth before which to greet

oO! Feigopean and South American football aristocracy, but they

better than a sla

DON SANTIAGO BERN ABEU

I found, in these hours of felieation away from my les

Stadium worthy of such a Fate, There was no purpose to fol-

Thus thisgreat and beautiful ground was made available to

triumphal establishment ae the European Can as the lead

will one day come.

will flock all men of genius, players and management, stretc

is our main asset. To repair and enrich it is clearly good sense.

They have befriended us, and that is

isa PE aetionstip in ane We ees to stimulate and perioes

DON RAIMUNDO SAPORTA

GO, SIGN DI STEFANO!

My first really big assignment for Real Madrid was to contract,