Pirri was the right eye of Santiago Bernabéu. He always saw him as the most faithful representative of what Real Madrid’s DNA means. At almost 77 years old (March 11), the man from Ceuta explains in AS the keys to this legendary club.
What makes Real Madrid the biggest club?
I’ve been out of Madrid for a long time, I left in 2000. But I’ve been in Madrid for more than thirty. I’ve been a player, I’ve been a doctor, I’ve been a sports director… I arrived very young, at 19, and I found a team that included Puskas, Santamaría, Gento, Amancio… They were my idols. And from the beginning I learned from them and from the club that the most important thing was teamwork. It is one of the most important values of Real Madrid. Not only for players, but also for coaches, for club workers. It was small then, we knew all the employees. They worked as a team. And then there was the winning spirit of the club, hard work, with great discipline…
Do you exaggerate?
Look if they taught us to win, nobody knows this: before we had no publicity, the money was generated with the partners and with the box office, and we had to play friendlies during the week in Africa or South America, in which there were bonuses for winning . There were two options: 5,000 pesetas to draw and 10,000 to win, or 15,000 to win, but if we tied nothing. And all the veterans chose the latter, win or nothing. Madrid always played to win. That was like a family, when I had any problem I asked the club for advice. When I was young, I bought a Seat 600 and before that I consulted with the club. They also helped me negotiate the purchase of my first apartment. There was a very great union between player and club. The formula is that: teamwork and a winning spirit, never giving anything up for lost. And then, two things I want to add: education and respect. I respect my teammates, the coach, the workers, the fans, the rival… It’s very easy to win, but you have to know how to win and know how to lose. Madrid has always respected the rival. I was at the award given by the Community of Madrid to the Quinta del Buitre and I had a very pleasant time, I liked the recognition, everyone was fantastic. And they showed their education, respect. They showed me what Madrid is.
Pirri, former Real Madrid player.
PEPE ANDRES
Real Madrid was seen on European nights.
Famous comebacks had a lot of public intervention, they were player number 12. It was incredible to be at the Bernabéu with 100,000 people. Against Derby County (in 1975), who lost 4-1 in the first leg and came back 5-1 in the second leg, we went into extra time after I scored the 4-1 penalty. The penalty was given to Amancio, but he was left on the ground in pain, so I took it. And the Bernabéu wouldn’t stop roaring, but just before I threw it away, I heard a “shhhhh”. And suddenly, the stadium fell silent, as if no one existed. Just the doorman and me. I put it in and right away I got a shiver, a cold…
In Madrid not everyone could play, not everyone is worth it…
Definitely. The Bernabéu is a very complicated field. I was there for 16 years and I saw very good players who didn’t gel because of the pressure, I don’t want to name names… It is said that Madrid’s fans are not good, but they have been and are wonderful. The public demands maximum delivery from you, but there has always been a union.
In Madrid everyone has been whistled. Was it like this before?
The one who gave everything, the public respected him a lot. And the most apathetic, with less desire and less dedication, they penetrated quickly and there were beeps. That happened before and it happens now.
It is said that the legends of Madrid leave through the back door, in a bad way…
That has changed a lot, in my time there was an agreement between players and club, if they were more than ten years, you had the right to a tribute. There was Velázquez, Grosso, Gento, Zoco, Di Stéfano, me… I didn’t like the last outings, those of Raúl, Hierro, Casillas… I didn’t like them. It is a very different policy from my time.
Did you know how to leave?
I left when we had won the League and the Cup against Castilla; that final was my last match. And we were semi-finalists in the European Cup, Hamburg eliminated us, we could have won a treble. I left when I was 35 years old; It’s not the same as being 35 now, who are much better prepared. In my time, with 32 or 33 it was very difficult for you to recover between games. Very good players came out of Castilla who had to go to the first team, and I got the offer to play in Puebla, which also allowed me to continue my medical studies in Mexico. I had already renewed, but I spoke with the club. I understood that it was necessary to give way to young people and that a new stage began. It was very clear to me. I liked the idea of staying second to the coach (Boskov) and playing a little bit, but I understood that it was time for the youngsters.
They gave him the club’s first Laureate at the age of 24 after the so-called ‘Final of the Bottles’ in the Cup, against Barça. He played you with a fever the whole game and also broke his collarbone. Still, he held on.
I went to play a military world championship in Baghdad, I was a military man at the time. When I came back, I felt bad, I had a fever and the day before the game it was 39 and 40 degrees. I thought I couldn’t play, but my fever went down, and I played. And within ten minutes, I completely dislocated my clavicle. There were no changes then, they took me to the locker room, they infiltrated me and I played the whole game. Then we went to the hospital to have an operation, but they couldn’t because I still had a fever. I was like that for eight or ten days. And there they gave me the Laureate. I also played in a Cup Winners’ Cup final against Chelsea with a broken arm, I broke it at the end of the game and, as we drew, the tie-break had to be played 48 hours later. I thought I wouldn’t make it, but on the day of the game the doctor and the coach, Miguel Muñoz, showed up in my room and told me: “You want to play.” And I: “Of course, but take off my plaster.” They took it off, put me in a splint and infiltration to numb my arm, which I remember made me dizzy before I left, and we played. We lost, but if it were today I would play again without hesitation…