This Thursday, July 23, was celebrated the Book Day and the 75th anniversary of the Moscardó. A coincidence that leads us to 'I left a mark on Usera', the book that reviews the history of this mythical Madrid club through thirty characters. The journalist Juan Carlos Casas Rodríguez (Madrid, January 15, 1965) faces his second adventure as a writer with a 260-page work, where he discovers that his first kit was azulgrana, the origin of the saying 'El Moscardó and Usera have solera', the story of many players who ended up reaching the highest and great that they chose to retire … The data always goes from the hand of anecdotes and memories. Because there was a day when the Moscardó, today in the Preferred Regional, played in the Second (70-71) and fought in the Second B for four seasons. There was a time with actors in their stands. With famous concerts in its facilities. And with Usera, on the map.
—How did the idea of making this book come about?
—I began my role as a writer with the history of the Sports Railway Association, on the occasion of its centenary in 2018, and I warned that the next anniversary of an important traditional club was that of the Moscardó, which turned 75 in 2020. Yes, This time I put it differently. This book goes through history through interviews with different protagonists.
“What has caught your attention the most in your story?”
—His golden age, which we could place between 1968 and 1970. A fantastic block is forged that ends up achieving promotion to the Second Division for the first and only time (69-70). It is a mine of anecdotes. The footballers remember even the name of the hotel where they concentrated.
“Tell us some anecdote …
—To ascend they had to play a promotion against Tarrasa. Mosca won 1-0 at Usera and there they also finished 1-0. Something miraculous because the Catalan team constantly attacked. There were balls to the crossbar, Valbuena paradones, the defenders practically taking off under sticks … The Madrid fans came out unscathed and in the tiebreaker match, 48 hours later, they won 4-1.
– The Moscardó has also been a good quarry …
—The first to reach the elite was winger José Luis Sánchez Barrios, who ended up playing for Real Madrid (he won a League) and Sevilla. Also the defender Alfonso Fraile, who went through Rayo to jump to Real Madrid (he won a Copa del Rey, a UEFA and a League) and Zaragoza (he repeated with the Cup). The goalkeeper Jaro was later in Cádiz, Málaga, Real Madrid (he managed a Cup and two Super Cups), Betis (it was Zamora) and Atlético de Madrid. There are many from the Second B era who came to First such as Óscar Téllez (Alavés, Valencia, Villarreal …) and Movilla (Málaga, Atlético de Madrid, Zaragoza, Rayo …) and signed a long and prolific career.
—Movilla is perhaps one of the most iconic players in the Moscardó because he represents the values of the neighborhood well and how with humble origins he succeeds through effort, work …
—He always takes great pride that, during 96-97, his second season at Moscardó, the club does not perform as economically as well as in the first stage (94-95). There were delays in the monthly payments and he was in a financial hurry because his family depended a little on his salary. In the mornings he worked in a sports store, in the afternoons he trained and in the evenings, through a relative, he went into the garbage collection. He touched him with the truck in the Legazpi area, from eleven at night until five in the morning. His story arrives.
“Some great ones also retreated there.”
—Toni Grande, faithful squire of Del Bosque in the national team, played his last season at Moscardó (78-79). And the most successful professional who has passed through Usera has been Fernando Daucik. He trained Moscardó (79-80), with 69 years, after having gone through the benches of Barça, Athletic, Atlético, Porto, Seville, Zaragoza … and having won three Leagues and six Cups.
—And there are former players who continue in the club …
—The most important is Javier Artero, the current president of the Club Deportivo Colonia Moscardó. He was a member of the team during 93-94, getting promoted from Third to Second B, and the following season, 94-95. Then he continued his career inside (Leganés, Badajoz …) and outside our borders (San Lorenzo de Almagro, Argentina and Dundee United, Scottish).
—Why did the Moscardó wear blaugrana in its origins?
—Indeed, he dressed like this from his Foundation (1945) until Pedro Román Valero entered as president (1958). One of his first decisions was to change the equipment, it is believed that because he was an Atlético fan, although that is not confirmed. There are two theories as to why they dressed in azulgrana. The club was very short of money and got vouchers to go for clothes through the National Sports Delegation. And it is unknown if they chose those colors because they were the ones there were or if the person who made the order chose them for Barça, which at that time had a great team and had won the League.
Pedro Román Valero, in front of the stadium.
AS file
—The figure of Román Valero was fundamental.
—He held the presidency from December 58 to June 83. He had a very personal management and it paid off because the team works so well that it goes up to Second. He signed good players to try to rise again, but failed. To thank him for all he had done for the club, the stadium was named after him. When he arrives he finds the Gabino Jimeno stadium and modernizes it by building the stands, the changing rooms … He invested in various improvements.
—And that saying that 'El Moscardó and Usera have solera', where does it come from?
—It arises in the golden age of the club, in the late sixties. During the 70-71 season, Real Madrid and Atlético were in First Division and Rayo and Moscardó, two neighborhood teams, are in Second Division. Precisely, the debut of the Usera team in the silver category is a derby, won by the Vallecanos by 0-3. The first Second goal scored in the Gabino Jimeno, of dirt – the natural grass would not arrive until 1975 -, is made by the legendary Felines. The second round match could not be played due to a snowfall. It had to be delayed two weeks.
– The Rayo years later was training in that stadium …
“They worked there once a week and it was a show.” The Mosca trained there in the afternoon and the Rayo in the morning. There were always 50 or 60 people from the neighborhood watching them because they were striking. However, it was not something new. Del Bosque has already trained a season in that field with Real Madrid Amateur (69-70).
—Music lovers will also remember the concerts there.
– I have not touched on that facet in the book, but in the Román Valero there were political meetings of the PCE, the PSOE … Look! The Police, Dire Straits have passed … Although the most famous concert was that of Lou Reed. It was in all the newspapers. The singer was late and pissed off by a traffic jam. The public was also pissed off. The first song was played with a certain reluctance and something flew onto the stage, so Lou Reed picked up and left. So, he got into a good …
—The prologue to his book is signed by Alfredo Relaño.
—When I am in the newspaper library looking for curiosities, data, games, statistics … I find several chronicles of Relaño en Marca. I contacted him and he did not hesitate because his beginnings are linked to Moscardó. He liked to walk around the neighborhood because there was the Cine Niza (on Marcelo Usera street) and, among the audience of the stadium, it was common to meet the actor José Bódalo, but also Fernando Sancho or some of the famous' Chronicles of a people '. Even Puskas and Gento, when Madrid had played on Saturday.
—Tell me an essential name in the history of the Moscardó!
—Roman Valero would be in terms of the offices, but in terms of wardrobe I would stay with the doorman Francisco Valbuena. He spent 16 seasons playing for Moscardó (65-81), except for four months (spring of 73) when he went to Rayo because he had run out of a goalkeeper. He helps the redheads not descend, they offer to continue, but the keeper returns to the Fly.