As was now tradition, Real made a major signing in the summer of 1959, bringing the Brazilian star Didi to the Bernabéu. Didi was instrumental in Brazil’s World Cup win in Sweden, filling one of the two midfield roles in Brazil’s 4-2-4 formation. His trademark was his ‘folha seca’ (dry leaf) free-kicks which dipped suddenly towards the end of flight, bamboozling keepers the world over. Signed to play as the inside-right forward, Didi was joined that summer by his compatriot Canário a right winger to replace Kopa. There was also a new manager, another import from Brazil, the Paraguyan, Flamengo manager, Manuel Fleitas Solich.

Didi started with a bang scoring a hat-trick against Milan in a pre-season tournament. It was to be the high point of his Madrid career, which, like his free-kicks, would downturn quickly and before long he would be back in Brazil.

The major blame has been placed at two people: Di Stéfano and the Brazilian singer Guiomar Batista, Didi’s wife. Di Stéfano was never the most accommodating teammate and did not like threats to his status as exemplified by his greeting to the Brazilian on his first day as a Madrid player telling the recent World Cup winner, three years his junior that he was ‘too old and not good enough.’^ Guiomar wrote a monthly column for a Brazillian newspaper and made her thoughts perfectly clear, accusing Di Stéfano and the ‘White Mafia’ of Real of waging a campaign against her husband alongside criticism of the Franco regime. After 19 games, and growing unrest between all parties Didi returned to Botafogo without even playing a game in the European Cup. Puskás commenting on his time in Madrid stated:

‘When Didi lost his place in the Real team, many put it down to Di Stéfano’s criticism but I don’t think he had much to do with it. Didi was a skinny little thing when he arrived at Madrid and he could really shift. He was only at the club for about eighteen months (sic) and I’m afraid he got fat and slow; he seemed to have put on the kilos I had taken off! And a slow player had no chance in that side.’^

Didi would continue to be a major presence at the International level, winning the World Cup again in 1962 and gaining some revenge on the way by knocking out the Spain of Puskás and an, albeit, injured, Di Stéfano.

As the fifth European Cup season commenced Real continued to be considered favourites but, alongside Barcelona, they were joined by Wolves, English champions for the second year in a row, Milan who had come so close in ‘58, Rangers and Nice both back for another crack and German Champions Eintracht Frankfurt who defeated their city rivals Kickers Offenbach to win the West German National title.

Interesting events in the preliminary round saw Newcastle legend Jackie Millburn score twice for Northern Irish champions Linfield in a 2-1 first-leg win over IFK Gothenburg 2-1 in front of 40,000 at Windsor Park. His cousin’s son Bobby Charlton, had of course, beat him to that achievement in Belgrade a year previous. Linfield would lose 6-1 in Sweden, a game itself notable for the five goals scored by Owe Ohlsson, the first man to do so in the tournament. To date the feat has been matched 13 times.

High crowds were also present in Dublin as Shamrock Rovers ran Nice close. Conflicting reports suggest anywhere from 35,000 to 50,000 people filled Dalymount Park as the home side sought to turn around a 3-2 deficit. Hopes were raised when Liam Hennessy struck from the half-way line after 15 minutes but Jacques Faivre equalized soon after to wipe the smiles from the Irish eyes.

Greece saw its first European Cup action as Olympiakos hosted Milan and gave a strong account of themselves with a 2-2 draw in Athens. Milan won 3-1 at the San-Siro via a hat-trick from 20-year old Giancarlo Danova but they would not last in the tournament much longer than their Greek opponents.

After a first-round cruise against Jeunesse Esch, Madrid would meet Nice again in the Quarter-Finals. On the previous occasion in 1957, the watching Matt Busby had been wowed by Di Stéfano but the great man was, in a rare event, out injured for the first-leg. Despite taking a 2-0 lead, Real lost the match 3-2. Nice’s goals were all scored by Victor Nurenburg, a Luxembourger who struck a hat-trick inside 18 second-half minutes. The tense nature of the tie with the potential for Real to suffer their first ever exit led to a diplomatic and cultural milestone.

The next day the French TV Channel RTF and Spain’s TVE created a temporary channel to cover the second-leg. The images were transmitted via four-relays across the Pyrenees, through Barcelona and Toulouse and then on to seven nations in Northern Europe through the Eurovision TV network. Up until that point Franco’s Spain had not been part of the network which was set up in in 1954. Football had been a major part of it’s success with the World Cup in Switzerland one of the first events to be covered and the European Cup quickly became one of it’s most popular offerings, even more than it’s eponymous ‘Song Contest’. For the Spanish government the decision to allow the broadcast was vindicated as their number one ambassadors performed yet again. Goals from Pepillo, Gento, Di Stéfano and Puskás sealed a 4-0 win and a date with Barcelona (and destiny) in the last four.

By the time of the semi-final Real had a new coach in charge as Solich was fired after a 3-1 league defeat to, you guessed it, Barcelona. The defeat was decisive as Barca would win their second successive domestic championship on goal difference over Real. In telling remarks, Gento recalled that Solich was ‘an experienced and shrewd trainer’ however, he failed to recognise that ‘in a team of the highest standards, the creative power is generated among the players themselves.’^ Solich was replaced by Miguel Muñoz, captain of the winning sides of ‘56 and ‘57 who had a brief spell in charge in ‘58 as Luis Carniglia dealt with a renal colic. He would remain in charge for the next fourteen years.

Munoz would understand this more than most as recent player himself, he knew what the dressing room wanted and had their respect. Gento noted in 1960 of Muñoz that he ‘never panics, nor shows he’s upset’, ‘understands us a team’, ‘has a sure grasp of our problems individually and recognises ‘the exact amount of work required to retain the player’s verve and condition.’^

The next decade of the tournament was to be dominated by iconic coaches, who built teams and developed tactical systems, yet Muñoz has never been afforded that status, at least outside of Spain. It is notable that in their history, compared to the other European Giants, (with the possible exception of Bayern Munich), Milan, Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester United, Ajax, Madrid are not known for their coaches, but for collecting great talent and providing them a platform to succeed. As writer Real Madrid Jesus Bengoechea, wrote: ‘With the possible exception of the stages of Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho, there have been hardly any phases in Madrid’s history in which the coach has been more important than the players.’^ Muñoz was, at least initially, the original ‘star whisperer’ a tradition followed with great success by Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane. Such concepts would have seemed wholly alien to Gento’s counterparts in the Barcelona dressing room who operated under the iron rule of Helenio Herrera.

Born in Buenos Aires to Spanish parents Herrera grew up in Morocco. He moved to France and played for a number of teams before, and during, the second World War but injury ended his career. After a spell in charge of Stade Francais, he moved to Spain with first, Real Valladolid and then Atlético Madrid. He won La Liga twice, with Atlético and made his way to Barcelona in 1958 after managing Malaga, Sevilla, Deportivo La Coruna and Belenenses of Portugal.

Barcelona were blistering in the first three rounds, scoring 24 goals with high scoring a hallmark of Herrara’s Barca side. In their two league triumphs they averaged over 3 goals per game. The Bulgarians, CDNA Sofia were swotted aside 8-4 in the first round, but it was their victories in the next two ties that suggested they were a major threat to Madrid’s European hegemony. First, Milan, were beaten 7-1 on aggregate via a 2-0 win in Milan with Luis Suarez scoring in the stadium where he would become a legend and then a 5-1 win in the Camp Nou which saw Kubala grab a hat-trick. That game was a rare start for the club legend who was largely isolated by Herrera based on the excesses of his drinking habit although it is also speculated that the man known as HH, did not take kindly to sharing the limelight and Kubala was the King of Barcelona.

He still had plenty of stars, however. Kubala’s countrymen, Koscis and Czibor were supplemented by the Brazillian Evaristo and the Uruguayan Ramon Villaverde. At their core was two Spanish icons. Suarez an inside forward, who orchestrated moves from deep and finished them off with his deadly long-range shooting. He would be crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1960 and win the European Cup twice. Just not with Barcelona. In goal they had the ‘winged cat’ Antonio Ramallets, who made his debut for the Blaugrana in 1946 and won a record five Ricardo Zamora trophies, the annual award honouring the best goalkeeper in Spain.

In the Quarter-Finals they eviscerated Culis Wolves side, 9-2 over the two legs, winning 4-0 at home and 5-2 in Wolverhampton. In a refrain that English newspapers were becoming used to delivering, and in sharp contrast to the bombast of the six years previous when Koscis, who struck a hat-trick, had first played Wolves on the muddy Molineux pitch, The Times noted:

‘They (Wolves) accepted their defeat like men realising that they were no more than workmen facing artists and magicians… But as everybody at Molineux saw for themselves, and as the limitless others who watched this humbling through the magic eye of television probably realised courage and stamina are no longer enough at this level.’^

At the airport Herrera was scathing, telling the British journalists that English teams ‘are playing now in the style we Continentals used so many years ago with much physical strength, but no method, no technique.’^

The semi against Real was played after La Liga’s 30 game season had concluded (in comparison the English Division One had 42 games), and provided Madrid’s only chance of silverware. Two English referees were appointed to take charge of the tie. Reg Leafe for the first leg and Arthur Ellis for the second. Ellis was the man in the middle for the ‘56 final and would garner fame in later years for his role in the British game show ‘It’s a Knockout’. Controversy was to engulf both men in the next year as Barca and Real met for a second time, but on this occasion they stayed out of the limelight.

Prior to the first-leg, Herrera drew the ire of the Barca board as he backed the players in a dispute over bonus payments. Real apparently were incentivising their players more. They were also interested in Herrera and Bernabéu is said to have offered ‘Il Mago’ the job, conveniently before the first-leg. Whether it was the money, the pride or just the fact they were playing in ‘their competition’, Real found the will and the goals to win the tie. They had made a valuable addition to the side during the season via the Betis forward Luis del Sol but on this occasion it was Di Stéfano and Puskás who would again come up trumps when it mattered. At the Bernabéu, the same pair put Real two to the good before Martinez halved the advantage before the interval. Di Stéfano’s second, three minutes from time, ensured it finished 3-1.

Herrera said the first-leg result was a ‘fluke’ but by half-time in Barcelona, Puskás’s goal on the break had ended their hopes and the ‘fluke’ repeated itself with Real winning 3-1. It was Barca’s first home defeat in two years, and one of the few they had suffered at the Camp Nou (opened in late 1957).

Barca did taste European success that year in the shape of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. At that time, teams could compete in both and the Fairs Cup run over 2-3 seasons for the first couple of editions. Barca had won it in ‘58 (Herrera arriving just in time for the latter stages) and defeated Birmingham City 4-1, a week after the defeat to Real, to lift the trophy. Czibor, who had not featured in the semi-final scoring twice after being recalled to the side.

They’d be back for another run in the tournament but without Herrera who was sacked by club president Francesc Miró-Sans following the loss and he was off to Italy and Internazionale. As the financial burden of building the Nou Camp hit hard, Barca could not compete financially with Real and would not win another league title for 14 years.

It would be Eintracht Frankfurt as the surprise opponents for Real in the final. After eliminating Young Boys and Wiener Sportclub, Eintracht would face Rangers in the semi-finals. The Germans were led by veterans Alber Pfaff, the cultured left-footed captain and Richard Kress the converted right winger. On the opposite side Erich Meier provide pace to stretch defences and they had a prolific centre-forward in Erwin Stein.

After a cagey first half in Frankfurt in which the two sides traded strikes, Eintracht swept Rangers aside in the second-scoring five times, three of them coming in the last 20 minutes. Pfaff and Dieter Lindner grabbing a brace. The 6-1 result provided proof ‘that continental soccer has greatly surpassed the motherland of football – Britain’ said the Arendpost and few in Glasgow could disagree. The German newspapers also predicted that the second-leg would be a formality. They were right. Eintracht would win 6-3 and impressed the watching 70,000 fans at Ibrox so much that they were applauded from the field. Pfaff again scored two and was joined on the scoresheet by Meier and Kress. Many stayed behind to repeat the gesture when the Germans departed on their coach. It would be farewell but not auf wiedersehen. The final would be played at Hampden Park in less than 13 days.

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If there was any doubt that the European Cup was now the most important club competition on the continent it was settled on a windy night in Glasgow. 127,621 ‘fitba-daft’ Scots came out to watch a team from Spain against a team from Germany.

The match has defined a team, a player and an era and remains, over sixty years later, one of the most famous games in the history of club football. For Bernabéu, it was the culmination of his dream. For Di Stéfano, it was his finest hour, his equivalent to Pele (1970) and Maradona (1986) in the Mexican sunshine. For Puskás it served as the high point in his redemption arc, six years after the tragedy of Berne.

And it was notable that it all happened in gritty Glasgow. A little over five miles from the West of Scotland Cricket Ground which hosted the first ever International match, in which the ‘Scotch Professors’ would showcase their passing game that conquered the World. Di Stéfano put on a show, repaying a debt to the birthplace of Alexander Watson Hutton, the founding father of Argentinian football.

Before the game could be played, Puskás had to formally apologise to the German Football Association. In the aftermath of the 1954 World Cup final, he had suggested that the West Germans were on drugs. In response, the DFB banned all West German teams from playing any team that featured the Galloping Major. Puskás, lowered his head, said sorry, and the stage was set.

Whilst Real were well known across Europe and favored to win, in Glasgow, fresh from seeing Eintracht humble Rangers 12-4 across the two legs, expectations of a close encounter were significantly higher. A young Sir Alex Ferguson, in the stands for the second-leg at Ibrox and the final, summed the local feeling perfectly:

‘The first thing to remember was that Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers 12-4 on aggregate in the semi-final and, being a Rangers fan at the time, we thought those guys were gods. They were the best team I’d ever seen in my life…’^

Eintracht manager Ernst Berger was also quietly confident, telling the local press on the day of the game: ‘All the newspapers say we are going to be beaten tonight. Real are a wonderful team. The newspapers are entitled to their opinion. But we did not come to Scotland to lose.’^

The rhythm of the game was established in the first minute. Within 10 seconds Canario ran at the Eintracht defence, attempted a one-two with Puskás and was narrowly beaten to the ball by Egon Loy in the Eintracht goal. A minute later, an awkward cross-cum-shot from Meier has the Real keeper Domínguez scrambling to claw the ball out from under the crossbar. The crowd respond as if they are watching a magic show or circus acts, with ooh’s and aah’s reverberating around the vast bowl in the south-east of Glasgow.

True to Berger’s words, Eintracht gave it a real go and struck first on 18 minutes. Kress, unmarked in the box connected with a cross and clipped a volley past Domínguez.

It was at this point Real demonstrated that defining quality of the great champions. The ability to absorb a setback, remain calm and work through the gears. This was epitomized most clearly in the play of Di Stéfano, showcasing the full breadth of his abilities, sprinting back to his own box to deal with counter attacks, picking the ball up from the defenders to start attacks and the deadly poacher in front of goal. Canario, who survived and thrived at Madrid unlike Didi, was involved in both, crossing for the first which Di Stéfano, slotted home from inside the six yarder on 20 minutes. Three minutes later the Brazilian forced Loy into a save, Di Stéfano reacted quickest and pounced upon the loose ball to slam home the rebound. And then it was time for Puskás.

His first goal was a trademark demonstration of his lethal left foot. Puskás released Del Sol in behind on a counter-attack following an Eintracht corner, but the danger looked to be cleared. Yet, in the grainy footage, Puskás arrives out of shot, pickpockets Hans-Walter Eigenbrodt, sets himself and hammers the ball into the upper netting past a helpless Loy. Arriving two minutes before the interval, it certainly made Berger’s half-time team talk a little trickier. ‘Two goals lads, that’s all we need,’ one assumes?

The two goals arrived, but at the wrong end. Gento who had yet to make his mark in the game was at the heart of both, but it was left to Puskás to add the finishing touches, firstly, converting a penalty after the winger had been impeded. Gento the ‘speed merchant’, as described by the BBC’s Kenneth Wolstenhome in the commentary and the man whom in 21st century parlance would no doubt be the third member of the acronym club (GDP perhaps) could not be stopped four minutes later. His searing pace fully demonstrated as hurtled toward the by-line and clipped the ball across the box for Puskás to nod home. His first European Cup final hat-trick was sealed.

With 19 minutes left, Puskás made it four for him and six for Real. Controlling an attempted shot in the box, he swivelled and fired the ball into the top left corner. In between Di Stéfano marched up the field to complete his hat-trick, two minutes after Stein had grabbed one goal back for Eintracht. The German would then add a second to complete the scoring with a quarter hour left and Puskás to his credit, would give him match ball to Stein in recognition of his and Eintracht’s efforts. There was still time for Di Stéfano to hit the post.

There were echoes of Di Stéfano’s Millonarios team, who at their peak were known as the ‘Blue Ballet’. Such was their dominance across the league that the fans coined the term ‘Cinco y baile’ – ‘Five and then dancing’. As Ian Hawkey explains in Di Stéfano:

‘Once the fifth goal had been scored the rhythm of matches would alter, and showmanship seemed to become more of a priority than adding to the scoreline, with players indulging in tricks and teasing, long sequences of passes as if to see how long they could maintain uninterrupted possession’.

Real were also playing an inordinate amount of friendlies throughout the season, visiting stadiums throughout the continent, showcasing their talents for the fans eager to see the gods in the flesh. They knew how to put on a show and treated the Glasgow crowd to something special. Perhaps the rise of Barca at home created an awareness of their own mortality both individually and collectively. With the game wrapped up as a contest with a half-hour to go, the players clearly set out to enjoy themselves in front of an enormous and enthralled audience.

Both teams were given an ovation by the Scottish crowd at the end with 40,000 fans staying for over an hour to applaud them and many more cheering the team as they were paraded through the city the next day. It was a seminal game in the UK. If Hungary’s 6-3 at Wembley in ‘53 had shattered the illusions of British superiority in the International game, this match broadcast to the entire country was confirmation that the continentals were now playing a ‘new glorious game’ as Cyril Horne of the Glasgow Herald declared.

Match reports highlighted the entertainment provided compared to what Alec Young of the Mail described as ‘the fish and chip stuff of the ordinary League menu.’ The doyen of British Sports Journalism Hugh McIlvanney labelled it an ‘hypnotic exhibition of footwork’, Horne wrote that ‘the entertainment was much too enthralling’ and according to Young ‘Real…moved the ball around and did feats of jugglery that would have brought the house down at a variety show in any British theatre.’ For Puskás, the ‘whole team struck gold at the same time.’

And yet, for all the praise, in retrospect, the game is a symbol of the end of an era as opposed to the beginning of a new one. The active playing area is the most noticeable culture shock when watching the game through the lens of a modern football viewer. Many times balls are played into areas of the field we are attuned to thinking would be space, but a new line of players appear in shot. Players receive the ball in acres of room in the middle of the field. The game is one of transition, not dissimilar to basketball. In the coming years, we will see the condensing of the field via lying deep and forcing teams to play in front of defences or, later in the decade, aggressive pressing and a high back line. The contrast just four years later when Real face Herrera’s Inter is staggering.

The defining game is the cherry on top of the cake for a dynastic period in sport. In the European Cup it has been achieved on only a few occasions and rarely in finals. Milan in 1994 and Barcelona in 2011 are the two that spring to mind. A complete demonstration of their own superiority. ‘As the game went on, we weren’t really aware of the level we had reached; we only thought about winning,’ said the centre back Santamaría in an interview with The Guardian to mark the 60th anniversary. ‘Afterwards we realised that we had marked an era in football, that we had done something that would be very hard to equal.’^

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How do you assess Real Madrid’s legacy? Five successive European Cup wins. Only three teams have completed a hat-trick, Ajax, Bayern and Real again in the 2010s. Only four other clubs have won five or more, in their entire history: Bayern, Barca, Milan and Liverpool. Let’s consider the arguments for and against.

I: The Format:

It’s a wider debate that affects more than Real Madrid. Is it harder to win the European Cup or the Champions League? The argument for our current incarnation is that there are significantly more of the top teams in the major leagues standing in your way and more games for which you can slip up in. In Real’s win in 2022 they played Inter, Shakhtar Donestk and Sheriff Tiraspol, then knocked out Paris Saint-Germain (French runners-up), Chelsea (English 4th place) and Manchester City (English Champions) before defeating Liverpool (English 3rd place) in the final. In 1959 they beat Besiktas, Weimar Sport Club and Atletico Madrid before a final against Reims.

Assuming in most cases that the final is a difficult game, then the Real of the late 50s, on average, faced one very hard knockout match, usually the semi-final; Milan, Man United, Atletico, Barca for example and one other tricky tie that they may need to negotiate.

There is no comparison, the Champions League presents a significantly higher level of opposition over several games than the European Cup. Though the group stages can be a procession, there is always one other high-quality opponent and a tricky third seed. Knockout rounds are invariably competitive and though there are levels within that, there are no easy games when it gets to that point. You might have to go through a Porto or an Ajax first to get to Chelsea. The old European Cup did not have the same level of strength in depth.

But,on the flip side, it was much harder to qualify. Since the Champions League opened up to non-league winners and the holders for the 97/98 season, Real Madrid have never failed to qualify. And whilst they enjoyed dominance in Spanish football, particularly in the 60s, they had to win the league or the European Cup to get back in.

So as a stand-alone competition it’s fair to say the modern Champions League is harder to win. But when you consider the European Cup as the ultimate peak of the pyramid and a true extension of the leagues across Europe added to the level of jeopardy created in every tie, then, perhaps, it evens out.

II: The Strength Across the Continent

Were they just the right team in the right place at the right time?

German football had not professionalised during Real’s golden era, the Dutch were only slightly further along in their development; the Soviets did not feature, and the Scandinavians might as well have not. Yet the Germans were still formidable as a footballing force as their World Cup win in ‘54 showed alongside Eintracht’s run to the final. Additionally, the Scottish, Hungarian, Yugoslav, Portuguese and Austrian leagues all retained more significant status than they currently do.

From the major powers that did play; the English representatives: Man Utd x2 and Wolves x2 would easily be considered among the greatest in English football history. Wolves may have played down their desire to win the competition but that might well be sour grapes. The Italians had arguably the strongest league in the World with an eclectic mix of talent from across the globe and Real had to be at their best to defeat Milan in ‘58. That victory completed a run of knocking out the Serie A winners in three successive years (56, 57, 58). They also beat the French champions three times and the Spanish league representatives three times as well. There were the playoff matches with Rapid Vienna and Atletico, but their level of performance to win every single tie they played over the course of five years was remarkable. In 37 matches they won 28 games, lost six and drew four, winning every single match at the Bernabéu (17 in all including the replay v Rapid Vienna and final in 1958).

The case against Real may start with their patchy league record during this time. Real only won the Spanish league in 1957 and 1958 and, as a measure of true greatness, total domestic dominance is often seen as a precursor, but perhaps this highlights the strength of La Liga during that period.

III: The Black and White Argument

Barcelona fans used to joke that Real only won the European Cup in black and white. There is no doubt advances in technology certainly affect the collective memory we have of the Real team.

David Goldblatt noted that the ‘the introduction of television and the widespread broadcasting and recording of entire games transforms the historical record…The lesser known players are those whose careers were peaking or had peaked in the very earliest days of TV broadcasts: Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás…all played their best football before 1964. The players most seared on the collective memory are those that came to prominence after this as TV became a truly mass phenomenon.’^

Goldblatt offers up the examples of Eusébio, Charlton, Beckenbauer and Cruyff but he could just as easily offer Benfica, Manchester United, Bayern and Ajax. This is not to say that Real don’t occupy a major place in the historical assessment of the game, but rather the memory of their success is harder to envisage. Along with the increase in television broadcasts and ownership, the arrival of colour television, most famously in football with 1970 World Cup, it also impacted on how we view the game from a historical perspective. Regardless of their age, anyone who develops a minor interest in football will quickly have images of Pele’s Brazil in ‘70 or Cruyff’s Ajax etched into their brain. To watch Ajax v Panathinaikos at Wembley in 1971, is to watch a different world from Hampden 11 years previous.

The great Real team falls within a unique bucket, right on the line of football’s pre and post-television age. Check out any list of the best players of all-time and in most cases Di Stéfano and Puskás will be the oldest players on it. Real’s every game was not covered for sure but there is enough footage to enshrine their feats in posterity. There are no stories passed down through generations or old match reports that can never be corroborated. Yet, the quality of the recording equipment does not do their achievements due justice. The footage is grainy and jumpy. Those glorious white shirts are just another shade of grey.

And the game is shown for what it was. It’s slower. There’s more space. The goalkeeper’s don’t dive and they can pick the ball up. The formations make no sense and just look at the size of Puskás’s gut. The current Real Madrid team would put 20 past this lot. And the scorelines? 7-3 in a European Cup final?

These are valid observations. Football, like everything else, has moved on. Got faster, and more efficient. But so has the advantages given to players. Advancements in the safety, speed and comfort of air travel. The sports science departments, the manicured turf fields, the equipment, the rule adjustments designed to allow the type of expressive and attacking football Real displayed. And ask Barcelona or Brazil whether a team can concede seven or more goals in the latter stages of a major competition.

Di Stéfano’s Real must be judged on their own merits within their own era. They were dominant in the hardest competition in club football, defeating all potential usurpers. They played a brand of football that made them famous across the continent. They had in their final years, two of the greatest players of all time in the same starting line-up.

IV: The Spanish Government Funded Them

Did they receive state backing from the Franco regime? There are many books that give this topic the full attention it deserves, notably Fear and Loathing in La Liga (Sid Lowe) and White Storm (Phil Ball). In terms of the European Cup, whilst the regime clearly enjoyed the ambassadorial role Real provided for the country and may have favoured them during the Di Stéfano transfer saga as well as providing support during the building of the Bernabeú, Real’s original Galactico period ended soon after this win and the side that lifted the European Cup in ‘66 was entirely and authentically Spanish. Additionally La Liga was very competitive during this time with Athletic Bilbao (1956) and Barcelona (1959 and 1960) winning the league.The ban on foreigners and the naturalisation of Di Stéfano, Puskás and Santamaría helped but Barcelona benefited as much with Kubala, Kocsis and Czibor receiving the same benefits.

The topic of State-funded teams has become prominent again in the last decade and yet this has not stopped us from acknowledging the brilliance of Manchester City at their peak. Just as pertinent a question is the unsustainable business model that Real employed. It would see them enter a period of financial prudence that peaked with the all-Spanish 1966 winning team.

V: The Effect on Football

There’s no doubt that their early enthusiasm for the competition was a prescient decision but it can also be concluded that it was Real that raised the prestige of the tournament. The competition was worth winning primarily because they were the one’s winning it. Real needed the European Cup, but the European Cup needed Real. Glamourous and Star-studded there was the touch of the Hollywood production to the Real team. And everyone wanted to beat them.

In their iconic kits, mega stars and gigantic stadium, they were the first Superclub and remain the Original and Best. No longer, despite what Stan Culis might have thought, was winning your domestic title the height of a club’s ambitions. Real Madrid showed the World what was truly possible.