Football writes sentimental pages that can overcome everything. On Monday, it marked 60 years since Real Madrid’s historic European Cup final victory over Partizan, famously won by the “Ye-yés” with a lineup entirely composed of Spanish-born players.
To commemorate such a special anniversary, the surviving children of that starting eleven — only Pirri (now the club’s honorary president) is still alive — had the brilliant idea to gather at the José Luis restaurant, near the north end of the Santiago Bernabéu, to honor that unforgettable Madridista moment.
Sincere hugs mixed with a few tears. For Pirri, 81 years old and in perfect health, it was a very special night that he will not soon forget. He addressed the children of his late friends: “It was 1964. I made my debut with the number 10 shirt, wearing Puskas’ number against Barcelona. Back then, no substitutes were allowed. I went to a match in Sevilla with the reserves just in case something happened. Puskas was sent off for spitting at the referee and got a four-match ban. The next match was against Barça at the Bernabéu. On top of Puskas’ suspension, Félix Ruiz, Felo, and Pipi were all injured… There were no players left. Santamaría, Gento, and Amancio told me that they went to the manager, Miguel Muñoz, and said: ‘Put in this kid who just arrived from Ceuta with those big ears. He runs like crazy and will do us a lot of good. Don’t worry about the absences.’ I started and we won 4-1 against Barcelona, with three goals from Amancio. And I stayed in the team from then on.”
Pirri speaks during the reunion. (Diario AS)
Pirri continued his emotional speech: “I then played 16 years here, but I have to say that despite all the successes and joys over that time, my best period was the Ye-yés era with the sixth European Cup. That’s the era I remember most fondly and with the most affection. My truly good times are with your parents. They helped me enormously. Of the starters from the Brussels final against Partizan, only I remain. I think Mendieta and Tejada are still alive, but that’s it. In 1964, De Felipe and Grosso arrived with me. The year after, Velázquez, who was on loan at Málaga. Veterans like Betancort, Amancio, Pachín, Zoco, and Gento helped us young players a lot. Those players gave everything for Madrid and had a fantastic attitude. I’m 81 now and I remember them a lot. I miss them terribly when I look at our photos, like those ones with the Ye-yés wigs. It hurts because in a way I wish I could be with them. It’s a privilege to be here with you all tonight…”
From that point, imagine the river of delightful anecdotes that were shared — recalling the legendary figure of Juanito, the night against Bayern when he stamped on Matthäus, Pirri’s stories from his time as the team’s doctor… A night for our white memory.
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Tags:
Real Madrid, Champions League, José Martínez “Pirri”, Sports history