A Tale of Two Cities: Manchester & Madrid 1957-1968

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

JOHN LUDDEN

EMPIRE PUBLICATIONS

www.empire-uk.com

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First published in 2011 by Empire Publications

Smashwords Edition

© John Ludden 2011

ISBN: 1901746 844

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Published by Empire Publications at Smashwords

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For Dad

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INTRODUCTION

The story begins on 23rd April 2003, a gentle Mancunian spring evening.

After being humbled 3-1, and given a footballing lesson par excellence from a majestic Zinedine Zidane inspired Real Madrid at the Bernabéu in the European Cup quarter-final first leg. Manchester United’s battling, but ultimately doomed attempts to pull back the deficit had ended in despair at Old Trafford. Nevertheless a wonderfully flowing match finished 4-3 for the home side. Yet the everlasting memory was not David Beckham’s thunderously hit free kick, nor Luis Figo’s mesmeric sleight of foot. It was a substitution that occurred in the sixty-seventh minute, when 66,000 people at Old Trafford rose to movingly applaud the magnificent Brazilian Ronaldo off the field.

Suddenly it became clear that within the genes of these two great clubs there exists a very special mutual respect; one that has stretched across generations. For despite Ronaldo’s sensational hat-trick that sent them crashing from the European Cup, the United supporters still found it in their hearts to acknowledge the sheer brilliance of this sharp-shooting Madrileño.

Even the Madrid directors present shook their heads in astonishment at this marvellous tribute from the United crowd. Watching on proudly were two old warriors of Manchester United and Real Madrid; men whose lives had been interwoven with the grand histories of these two legendary footballing institutions. Bobby Charlton and Alfredo Di Stefano. But where did this bond of friendship come from? To understand you have to go back to the very birth of the competition which made both clubs famous, for this is the tale of two cities.

THE BLOND ARROW

Don Santiago Bernabéu was a man driven by an all consuming vision. He envisaged a footballing Camelot carved out of white marble, reaching high into the Madrid heavens. Blessed with the vision and wealth to create such beauty, Bernabéu sought out knights of sufficient quality to defend its walls. The call went forth and an open cheque book lured the best of the best. Soon the white knights began to gather under the Madrileño’s banner. And yet, despite such riches, Bernabéu sought that little extra - the spark to flame the fire and ignite an inferno. Rumour reached him of a footballer blessed with a remarkable talent in the relative backwaters of the Colombian league. Argentine born Alfredo Di Stefano...

In 1948 a mass players strike in Argentina forced the cream of the country’s talent to ply their talents elsewhere. It was a bitter dispute which ripped the Argentine game apart and saw an exodus of talent. The peso-rich Millonarios of Colombia, owned by a cartel of rich local businessmen, took advantage offering tax free wages. Foremost on Millonarios’ wish list was emergent River Plate superstar Alfredo Di Stefano. A young man wise beyond his years and worldly enough to understand his own value, Alfredo did not lack the slightest belief in his inestimable talent - Di Stefano always demanded top dollar and got it.

Born 4th July 1926, to Southern Italian parents, originally from Capri, his family owned a small farm in Barracas on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Legend has it that the heavy workload placed on Alfredo’s young shoulders attributed to his legendary stamina. Talent spotted by River at fifteen, Di Stefano made his professional début a year on and so began a tale set to be written into the annals of footballing legend.

Here was a staggeringly talented player whose gifts were so immense that few on first viewing them, believed their eyes. To give Di Stefano a position seemed preposterous, for his movement across the pitch meant it akin to attempting to catch the wind. Blinding ball control, ferocious speed and acceleration together with tactical awareness and the ability to find team-mates with passes so perfect they arrived with their name carved upon them - this was Di Stefano.

A hugely impressive forty-nine goals in sixty-nine appearances for La Banda Roja (the Red Stripe) followed. Once the strike broke out, the twenty-three year old Di Stefano bade farewell to boyhood dreams and chased the dollar. Di Stefano drove a hard bargain and took huge advantage of the Colombian’s desire for a dream team. Not daring to lose him, Di Stefano quickly became the club‘s heartbeat. He was expensive but worth it. For five years the Argentine earned fortunes in Millonarios’ colours. Such talent, though, could not go unnoticed forever and an impressive showing in a club tournament played at Real Madrid’s Chamartin stadium first brought him to the attention of Real’s ambitious President. Alfredo Di Stefano scored twice in a jaw-dropping performance as the Colombians thrashed the home side 4-2. Sensing the need for a general to lead his troops on the field, Bernabéu acted fast.

Don Santiago sent his fixer Raimondo Saporta to convince Di Stefano that his future lay in Madrid. Armed with a suitcase full of money and the promise of footballing immortality in the imperial white shirt, Saporta arrived in Bogotá and swiftly sought out Di Stefano. Unbeknown to Saporta there was another equally desperate emissary who sought Di Stefano’s services who had been present at the very same tournament where the Argentine had glittered - FC Barcelona’s legendary former player and coach, and now chief scout, Pepe Samiter.

Barca despised Real Madrid, Santiago Bernabéu and everything they stood for. Representatives of FC Barcelona arrived in Colombia determined to land their target and put one over General Franco’s favourite plaything. Catalonia had suffered intolerably under the wrath of Franco’s jackboot nationalism; their flag and native language was banned and people paid the price for a brave but ultimate disastrous stand against him in the civil war. To rip Di Stefano from Real’s grasp at the last would have been a sweet victory.

A transfer wrangle now took place with both sides offering treasures but neither able to land Di Stefano’s signature. For who owned him? Whilst Barcelona reached an agreement with River Plate, Real cut a deal with Millonarios. FIFA stepped in to claim that Barca had won the race, only for Spain’s Ministry of Sport, General Jose Moscardó, a leading figure in the Franco regime, to suddenly introduce a new rule banning foreign players in Spain.

The timing could not be ignored - the Catalans would not be allowed such riches. Behind closed doors a plan was hatched. Another biased ruling from the plotting Moscardó would be declared. Di Stefano was to be exempted from this ban if he should play alternate seasons in Barcelona and Madrid. A chaotic period ensued with each side finding legal loopholes to prevent the other succeeding before finally, under orders from Moscardó, the Spanish FA acted in offering Solomon like advice to solve an intolerable stand-off. Alfredo Di Stefano would play two seasons apiece with each.

Moscardó felt he had good reason to make the Catalans suffer, his soul remained forever scarred from events that occurred amid the savagery of the civil war. Even though the bullets had ceased to fire he remained a man still seething with those whom had cause him untold grief.

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During the 1936 seventy-day siege of Alcázar in Southern Spain in which Nationalist forces, commanded by Moscardó, held out against overwhelming Republican numbers, a tragic scenario occurred for the General. One that was every Father’s nightmare. Day after day, the then Colonel sent out daily radio reports: Sin novedad en el Alcázar - "Nothing new at the Alcázar’’ - a defiance which served to lift the spirits of Franco’s supporters and inflame Republican forces who had launched and lost hundreds of lives on the assault of the town.

Then, on 23rd July, the attackers struck lucky with the capture of Moscardó’s sixteen-year old son Luis. In a conflict that saw unspeakable atrocities performed by both sides, what followed was just another barbaric act in a country that had gone mad. A Republican political officer telephoned Moscardó in the besieged town to inform him that unless he surrendered Alcázar, Luis would be executed by firing squad. Suddenly the line went quiet before Moscardó came on and asked to speak to his son?

Legend has it that he said, ‘’Luis, commend your soul to God and die like a patriot."

I can do that Father, answered the boy before he signed off with a passionate scream of Long live Spain! Shortly after, in reprisal for an air raid, Luis Moscardó was shot dead. Finally, when the siege of Alcázar was lifted, Colonel Moscardó was purported to have greeted the relief force’s commander with the poignant words,

I have lost my son but saved the garrison. Then, standing stiffly to attention, he reported, No change to report in Alcázar.’

For this sacrifice Moscardó was promoted to General and the fate of his kin and the defence of Alcázar became a famous symbol of Francoist Spain. Knowing the invaluable power of propaganda, Franco authorised Moscardó to wear a special black cloak of mourning over his army uniform. At the war’s end, the General was rewarded by the regime for his grievous loss with a position as head of the Government Sports Ministry. There he would continue to show undying loyalty to Franco.

Left with no option but agree to Moscardó’s ruling, the warring parties reluctantly went along and Alfredo Di Stefano headed for the mountains of Catalonia to begin his Spanish adventure. He played a series of three pre-season friendly matches and in each Di Stefano was wretched. The Argentine looked heavy-legged, disinterested. His ball control was atrocious, shooting appalling and his passing would have shamed a blind man - Barca officials were raging.

Who the hell had they bought? Whispers began to emerge that Barcelona had been sold a dud. The Catalans raged - this man was a fraud, an impostor. It was swiftly agreed Di Stefano was not of sufficient quality to play for the great FC Barcelona. Let him go. Let the Madrileños clear up their own mess. Madrid were contacted and told the Argentine was to be released early. Good riddance. With unholy haste a new deal was drawn up and overnight Alfredo Di Stefano travelled south to become a Real Madrid player.

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Two weeks later, on 25th October 1953, the Argentine made his Chamartin début for the Madrileños against Barcelona, scoring twice in a 5-0 rout. Di Stefano had arrived at his spiritual home! Thousands of white handkerchiefs were waved in tribute to the man as if he was Spanish royalty – it was a grand performance. When lightning bolts collide the jagged streaks create energy few can imagine; a goal for the Argentine in the first minute signalled the start of an unforgettable, historic slaughter of their greatest rivals. His touch was that of a great actor who knows a spellbound audience could not take their eyes off him. Wreaking havoc, he appeared a class apart even in such sumptuous company.

The Catalans had been played like a guitar for Di Stefano had already been sold the Madrid dream by the golden charms of Raimondo Saporta. What occurred in Catalonia was simply a ruse to free him from Barca’s right of contract. So began a glorious period for Real Madrid’s knights in white satin and there were none more special than the one who became known as, Saeta Rubia - the Blond Arrow - the incomparable Alfredo Di Stefano.

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For the son of an Albacete lawyer, Santiago Bernabéu, football had been a lifelong passion. In 1909 he arrived at Madrid as a promising fourteen-year-old centre-forward to play for their youth team. His death in 1978 ended an astonishing sixty-nine year old love affair with the Madrileños.

The acquisition of the remarkable Di Stefano was to prove prescient, for 1955 saw the birth of the European Champions Cup and a manically enthusiastic Bernabéu was amongst the first to wholeheartedly support the novel competition. However to compete was never going to be sufficient for Don Santiago. They had to win it.

The competition was essential in providing a stage for his football club and to show the world that Real Madrid were a team of miracles: made up of magicians and conjurers, footballing artists from all corners of the globe. They represented not just a city but an ideal - one that appealed to all who believed in the beauty of a game that still held the power to take the breath away.

Then the Grand Old Man as he later became fondly tagged by an adoring Madrid public, would again up the stakes for he intended to build not just a team but a footballing dynasty that would dominate at home and abroad for a generation. This was a man who would never rest until Real Madrid ruled the world.

Santiago Bernabéu had first come to Real’s aid at its lowest ebb back in 1943. It was a city ravaged by the atrocities of a civil war, devastated with three savage years of incessant bombings and senseless slaughter. Bernabéu’s first act on becoming Real President was to plan for a new stadium. He needed funds and in order to raise the necessary capital Bernabéu issued shares to supporters. It would be their stadium, their team. One love, a shared passion. Madrid’s pride and joy and he, Don Santiago, would reside over the fiefdom. Millions of much needed funds were raised to help in the rebuilding of the bomb shattered Chamartin. Bernabéu never forgot this extraordinary act of generosity by the people of Madrid and he was later to recall, "There was a smile in every stone."

And so in September 1944 local parish priest, Father Jose Maria Murat, blessed the sacred grounds on which the new Chamartin would rise. Stood alongside a beaming and proud Bernabéu, Father Murat was invited to dig the first pieces of dirt from the ground to begin the excavation. From this moment an empire the likes of which football had never known began. By 1955 the ground would be renamed in Don Santiago’s honour. The Estadio Bernabéu would stand as a lasting monument to one man’s stunning vision. A stadium that originally held only 16,000 would in only a short time reach an astonishing 130,000 capacity.

Real had not won the league title since 1933. In 1949, on a fateful afternoon at Oviedo, only a last day win saved the Madrileños from the ultimate humiliation of relegation. But times were changing and the season in which Alfredo Di Stefano signed saw the championship banner soar high once more over Madrid for the first time in twenty-one years and only the third in their history. Di Stefano was sensational, scoring an astonishing twenty-seven goals in just thirty appearances that season and a further twenty-six the following season when Real retained the title.

A great side was emerging; in goal Juan Alonso was unspectacular but steady, the one position in this team of all stars which such attributes were allowed. The captain Miguel Muñoz was a classy, assured defender with outstanding technique and heart to match. Alongside him the terrifying figure of Manuel Marquitos. In another line of work Marquitos would probably feature on a Dead or Alive poster but in many ways he was equally as important to Real as the Blond Arrow himself. As was the clever, skilful but tenacious Jose Zarraga. All three formed a formidable barrier for any to break down. The Madrileño rallying call "No Pasara – they shall not pass" was taken to the extreme by the ruthless, cold blooded Marquitos and his compadres.

Content the rearguard was in safe hands, those upfront were charged with illuminating the landscape and providing the artistic swishes to the Madrid canvas that exploded upon opposing defences like a blinding white supernova. Bought from Racing Santander at Di Stefano’s recommendation, to race like a fierce gust of wind down the Madrid left wing, was Francisco Gento. Christened with a variety of nicknames by the enchanted Real followers, there was none more apt than Manchester United defender Bill Foulkes’ description of Gento as El Motorcycle. He was ably abetted by the Argentine goal machine Hector Rial, another signed by Bernabéu on the Blond Arrow’s recommendation. Di Stefano had stated quite bluntly to his President: "I need someone capable of passing the ball back to me." Rial was a forward whose finishing ability and positional play was uncanny. He provided the perfect foil for Madrid’s undisputed leader. A king without a crown but a king no less. A marriage made in football heaven, the rhythmic clapping of the Madrid crowd would electrify the Argentine’s soul and Di Stefano would soar.

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Uncharted Waters

Real Madrid’s epic romance with the European Cup began on 8th September 1955. Drawn away to play Servette FC of Switzerland in the first round, they came away with a hard fought 2-0 after the strangest of visits at half-time from a most unexpected source. An insipid first half showing by the Madrileños had left Di Stefano, already an imposing character, in a terrible mood. Whilst sat alone bemoaning his compadres’ inability to string two passes together, into the dressing room walked Raimondo Saporta with an exalted guest. The then 17 year-old Spanish Prince, (now King) Juan Carlos. Based in Switzerland at a finishing school, the Prince had taken the afternoon off to come and see his countrymen. Immediately all the players stood up before his regal presence - all except one. Not one for ass kissing and too annoyed with events on the pitch, a sullen Di Stefano remained seated. It was instead Prince Juan Carlos who acknowledged Alfredo by walking over and offering his hand. Only then did Di Stefano rise. The star-struck Prince turned to face the disbelieving Real players and exclaimed the now legendary comment,

"Ese chico ahora es el rey!" - ‘’Now this guy really is a king!’’

His day made, the Prince turned to leave but not before declaring to the Argentine: "Saeta, los emigrantes esperan una victoria. Blond Arrow, the Spanish immigrants are hoping for a win," to which Di Stefano simply smiled and nodded. Impressed by the young man’s demeanour and respect for his royal self, Madrid’s number nine would make the Prince’s wish his command.

The second half saw a much improved Real and, not wishing to let the future monarch or indeed their own King Alfredo down, they scored twice with goals from Miguel Muñoz and a last minute strike from Hector Rial. The second leg at the Estadio Bernabéu saw no mercy spared as Real Madrid cut loose in emphatic fashion to win 5-0 and leave the depressingly defensive Swiss still refusing to attack when five down. Scoring twice Di Stefano had left an early calling card on a tournament which in time he would come to dominate and all but own.

KNIGHT IN WHITE SATIN

Happy to gaze fondly in the mirror at their own reflections and suffering worrying delusions of invincible grandeur, Real Madrid sauntered into the European Cup quarter-finals. There they would almost come flying off the rails in unforgettable fashion. Paired against the tough and talented Yugoslav champions of Partizan Belgrade, the ugly face of post-cold war politics reared its head.

Not daring to risk the possibility of losing to Communists, General Franco contacted Bernabéu and insisted they withdraw from the European Cup. Real Madrid had unfortunately become an important symbol of Franco’s Fascist regime. For a while it appeared that the Madrileño’s first attempt at conquering the continent would end in an embarrassing shambles. However Bernabéu still had one card left to play...

He was a man who could charm birds from the trees. The President sent word and his fixer Raimondo Saporta went to work with considerable wit and intelligence on the Generalissimo. Saporta argued that it was in Franco’s best interests to let Real Madrid play the Yugoslavs, for were they not a magnificent team? Football was the cheap drug the masses craved, it crossed previously impassable borders, changed minds and shifted attitudes. What price in propaganda terms the pride of Spain humbling Tito’s finest? All would reflect well back on Franco, allowing him to bask in the glory of Di Stefano and his wonderful orchestra of footballing artists.

And so on Christmas Day, 1955 (surely a sly joke played on Partizan Belgrade by Santiago Bernabéu to let these communists experience some rare seasonal spirit) they finally clashed. Just to ensure Franco did not have a change of heart, the Partizan players were smuggled into Spain through a side gate at Madrid airport bypassing passport control and customs.

Their reward for such secrecy came when Real Madrid took apart their Eastern European opponents 4-0. It was a victory capped on seventy minutes when Alfredo Di Stefano picked up a pass from Miguel Muñoz to streak clear before firing low past Partizan goalkeeper Stojanovic to complete the rout. Earlier efforts, two from reserve winger Castano and the other from Francisco Gento, had left the Yugoslavs wondering what had hit them.

Partizan had begun the game on the attack and had two early goals from their dangerous centre-forward Bora Milutinovic strangely disallowed. Disgruntled, the visitors lost heart and must have felt that whatever they did, it was not going, or more succinctly, it would not be allowed to be their day. At the time Di Stefano’s fourth goal was considered simply icing on the cake for the Madrileños as a place in the semi-finals appeared sealed already. However events in the return in Belgrade would leave all associated with Madrid a little humbled and promising never again to underestimate a fellow champion.

The plane carrying Real Madrid to Yugoslavia landed at Tito airport in the midst of a blinding snowstorm and with temperatures ten degrees below zero. Matters hardly improved when the game began in conditions beyond belief. As a raging blizzard swept across the pitch, Partizan ripped into the Spanish aristocrats. Madrid goalkeeper Alonso recalls standing beneath his crossbar when a snarling drive from Partizan’s Bora Milutinovic smashed angrily against it causing the snow which had settled since kick-off to cover him from head to toe!

Eager to avenge their humiliation in the Bernabéu the Yugoslavs attacked with zeal. With the terraces packed full of comrade soldiers roaring on their team and the Real players slipping and sliding on the treacherous surface, their ball skills rendered useless in such pitiable conditions, they fell behind in the thirteenth minute. Hector Rial was swiftly handed the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot and put the tie out of reach but the Argentine wafted his