GREATEST MOMENTS
The most unforgettable achievements from a glorious footballing century
Hampden Heaven
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They say the disbelieving Glasgow fans remained on the Hampden Park terraces for an hour or more after the final whistle, unwilling or unable to leave the scene of the finest exhibition of football ever seen. It could be myth, but it’s one you’d love to be true. On 18 May 1960, in front of 135,000 spectators, Miguel Munoz’s Real Madrid destroyed Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 to claim their fifth consecutive European Cup in mesmeric style, after Frankfurt had had the temerity to take the lead. Alfredo Di Stefano got a hat-trick but he never got his hands on the match ball, as his team-mate Ferenc Puskas scored four. “These people”, as Bobby Charlton had said, “are not human”.
Zidane’s volley in the 2002 final
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It’s somewhat fitting that Real’s second greatest moment also took place at Scotland’s own magnificent footballing bullring. There are just seconds remaining in the first half of the 2002 Uefa Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, when Santiago Solari spies Roberto Carlos’s characteristic burst down the leftm and delivers an immaculate ball. The Brazilian meets the ball first time, crossing to the edge of the box for Zinedine Zidane to unleash the perfect volley past Jorg Butt. A goal to grace any final, or any art gallery come to that, it was the perfect way to mark Real’s first 100 years, a joyous summation of everything white.
The match of the century
Beating Barcelona in el clasico is always satisfying for los Merengues. Beating them 5-0 is priceless. On 8 January 1995, the did just that, thrashing Johan Cruyff’s in a game branded ‘the match of the century’ by the Real Madrid faithful. Ivan ‘Bam Bam’ Zamorano, the lethal Chilean, secured his page in Real immortality by bagging a hat-trick.
The first European Cup
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On the evening of 13 June 1956, Real established a peerless reputation as the continent’s most successful club, becoming the first side to lift the European Champion Club’s Cup at the Park de Princes in Paris. But it wasn’t a coronation for Real by any means, especially after their opponents Stade de Reims had gone 2-0 up after ten minutes. Driven on by Miguel Munoz, they were level within 20 minutes, and although Reims took the lead once more, Hector Rial finally sealed Real’s 4-3 victory just eleven minutes from time.
La Septima;
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It had been a long, long wait: 22 years had elapsed since Real Madrid last had their hands on a prize they once regarded as their personal property. Indeed, having already won the European Cup six times, Real had the original trophy locked away in the footballing equivalent of Tiffany’s- the Bernabeu trophy room. But two decades is too long for a club like Real to go without being crowned European Champions, so Pedrag Mijatovic was the toast of madridistas after his goal proved enough to beat Juventus in Paris in the 1998 Champions League final.
Raul beats Di Stefano
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It was a record that had stood for more than four decades. Nobody had got close to Alfredo Di Stefano’s haul of 49 European Cup goals, since he netted his last on 7 May 1964. Nobody, that is, until his goalscoring heir Raul overtook him and reached his half-century in September 2005, in the ninth minute of Real’s group match against Olympiacos. The goal came from a glancing header following a David Beckham assist.
Beating the Busby Babes
In the pioneering days of continental competition Real Madrid were only rivalled in the glamour stakes by Manchester United. So when the 1957 semi-finals pit the Busby Babes against the Spanish champions, it was a heavyweight contest for European supremacy. Real brushed the English champions aside 3-1 in the first match, but United skipper roger Byrne had predicted that Real would face “hell” at Old Trafford. However, goals from Hector Rial and Raymond Kopa secured their place in the final. Sadly, fate robbed Europe of a continued rivalry between the teams.
The Hippies conquer Europe;
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Real’s domination of Europe had begun to fade by the time the 1960’s started to swing and it was time for a new generation to follow where Di Stefano, Kopa and Munoz had led. It came to pass in 1966 as the likes of Pirri, De Felipe, Grosso and Velazquez inspired Real to victory in the European Cup, defeating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 in the final in Brussels. That team became known as the Hippies, or the Ye-Ye team, as Real’s fans revelled in their own brand of footballing Beatlemania.
Alfredo Di Stefano joins Real
![Image]()
It had been a fight as bitter as any Real had encountered on the pitch. The two leviathans of Spanish football both claimed to have signed the Argentine icon. Barcelona had first claim, but the Spanish government, opposed to Catalan nationalism, blocked the move, enabling Real to enter negotiations. The government even tried to get the two clubs to ‘share’ the player, but after he’d turned out for Barca in a few friendlies, on 27 December 1953 Di Stefano finally made his debut in the white shirt. Real would never be the same again.
The most unforgettable achievements from a glorious footballing century
Hampden Heaven
They say the disbelieving Glasgow fans remained on the Hampden Park terraces for an hour or more after the final whistle, unwilling or unable to leave the scene of the finest exhibition of football ever seen. It could be myth, but it’s one you’d love to be true. On 18 May 1960, in front of 135,000 spectators, Miguel Munoz’s Real Madrid destroyed Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 to claim their fifth consecutive European Cup in mesmeric style, after Frankfurt had had the temerity to take the lead. Alfredo Di Stefano got a hat-trick but he never got his hands on the match ball, as his team-mate Ferenc Puskas scored four. “These people”, as Bobby Charlton had said, “are not human”.
Zidane’s volley in the 2002 final
It’s somewhat fitting that Real’s second greatest moment also took place at Scotland’s own magnificent footballing bullring. There are just seconds remaining in the first half of the 2002 Uefa Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, when Santiago Solari spies Roberto Carlos’s characteristic burst down the leftm and delivers an immaculate ball. The Brazilian meets the ball first time, crossing to the edge of the box for Zinedine Zidane to unleash the perfect volley past Jorg Butt. A goal to grace any final, or any art gallery come to that, it was the perfect way to mark Real’s first 100 years, a joyous summation of everything white.
The match of the century
Beating Barcelona in el clasico is always satisfying for los Merengues. Beating them 5-0 is priceless. On 8 January 1995, the did just that, thrashing Johan Cruyff’s in a game branded ‘the match of the century’ by the Real Madrid faithful. Ivan ‘Bam Bam’ Zamorano, the lethal Chilean, secured his page in Real immortality by bagging a hat-trick.
The first European Cup
On the evening of 13 June 1956, Real established a peerless reputation as the continent’s most successful club, becoming the first side to lift the European Champion Club’s Cup at the Park de Princes in Paris. But it wasn’t a coronation for Real by any means, especially after their opponents Stade de Reims had gone 2-0 up after ten minutes. Driven on by Miguel Munoz, they were level within 20 minutes, and although Reims took the lead once more, Hector Rial finally sealed Real’s 4-3 victory just eleven minutes from time.
La Septima;
It had been a long, long wait: 22 years had elapsed since Real Madrid last had their hands on a prize they once regarded as their personal property. Indeed, having already won the European Cup six times, Real had the original trophy locked away in the footballing equivalent of Tiffany’s- the Bernabeu trophy room. But two decades is too long for a club like Real to go without being crowned European Champions, so Pedrag Mijatovic was the toast of madridistas after his goal proved enough to beat Juventus in Paris in the 1998 Champions League final.
Raul beats Di Stefano
It was a record that had stood for more than four decades. Nobody had got close to Alfredo Di Stefano’s haul of 49 European Cup goals, since he netted his last on 7 May 1964. Nobody, that is, until his goalscoring heir Raul overtook him and reached his half-century in September 2005, in the ninth minute of Real’s group match against Olympiacos. The goal came from a glancing header following a David Beckham assist.
Beating the Busby Babes
In the pioneering days of continental competition Real Madrid were only rivalled in the glamour stakes by Manchester United. So when the 1957 semi-finals pit the Busby Babes against the Spanish champions, it was a heavyweight contest for European supremacy. Real brushed the English champions aside 3-1 in the first match, but United skipper roger Byrne had predicted that Real would face “hell” at Old Trafford. However, goals from Hector Rial and Raymond Kopa secured their place in the final. Sadly, fate robbed Europe of a continued rivalry between the teams.
The Hippies conquer Europe;
Real’s domination of Europe had begun to fade by the time the 1960’s started to swing and it was time for a new generation to follow where Di Stefano, Kopa and Munoz had led. It came to pass in 1966 as the likes of Pirri, De Felipe, Grosso and Velazquez inspired Real to victory in the European Cup, defeating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 in the final in Brussels. That team became known as the Hippies, or the Ye-Ye team, as Real’s fans revelled in their own brand of footballing Beatlemania.
Alfredo Di Stefano joins Real
It had been a fight as bitter as any Real had encountered on the pitch. The two leviathans of Spanish football both claimed to have signed the Argentine icon. Barcelona had first claim, but the Spanish government, opposed to Catalan nationalism, blocked the move, enabling Real to enter negotiations. The government even tried to get the two clubs to ‘share’ the player, but after he’d turned out for Barca in a few friendlies, on 27 December 1953 Di Stefano finally made his debut in the white shirt. Real would never be the same again.
