The night that the Santiago Bernabéu levitated against Gladbach

This Friday, December 11, will be 35 years of the Mother of all Comebacks. It was before the Borussia of Mönchengladbach, tonight's rival in Valdebebas. But the situation was very different from now, although in both cases the Madrid was faced with the possibility of being prematurely dismounted from Europe. That was in the UEFA Cup, which was almost like the Champions now because it was disputed by the second, third and fourth of the major continental leagues. Only the champion of League, who played the European Cup. The Gladbach He put a devastating 5-1 on Madrid in the first leg, and on top of that for the return they were missing, due to a penalty or injury, Chendo, Gordillo and Hugo Sánchez. It seemed like a utopian feat. Less for Madrid.

The Bernabeu it burned despite the winter cold, packed with more than 100,000 souls since almost two hours before the game, who put on the skin of the great European nights. An atmosphere charged by tobacco smoke and flares, an air of deed that was already successfully rehearsed the previous year before the Anderlecht and the Inter. There was blind faith in this team trained to make the impossible routine. The players were conjured without Luis Molowny (The Canarian technician, a great and astute psychologist, understood the request). They decided not to jump to warm up on the field so that those of us in the stands would almost reach ecstasy even before we started. The Germans, who did comply with the protocol, spent twenty minutes intimidated by the noisy atmosphere that came from a stand that at that moment only had enemies in front of them.

At minute 1, Madrid already kicked over the goal of the heartbroken Sude, the German goalkeeper. At minute 2, Galician made a red tackle, but the stands roared, he rebuked the sore German player on the ground and the referee scolded Borowka asking him to get up. The breeding ground had already been created. The comeback was underway. At 17 minutes they were 2-0, with assists of Juanito to Valdano. The Bernabéu was an earthquake. Levitated.

But a continuous and more spun game was missing. Saint Joseph played infiltrated when suffering a herniated disc, Maceda I was going to the limit and Juanito was a midfielder so that Butragueño, Santillana and Valdano attacked point-blank range. That's why the minute 75 was reached. Someone lost faith. But Santillana did not, who opened the box of thunder with a great forehand volley that made it 3-0 on the electronic scoreboard. That last quarter of an hour is the most delusional thing I've experienced as a football fan. Each attack was an arreón encouraged by the stands of a Bernabéu that seemed to drive the ball. The last minute arrived. The minute of Real Madrid. Auction of Michel, reject Sude with his chest and Santillana, between the two German centrals, finished with his heart pushed by 100,000 maddened faithful. When the ball entered the ecstasy, Valdano affirms that he lost track of time, Juanito was changed into that iconic image jumping up to the band and this server lost his father and his eight friends from the Bernabéu gang because the celebration took me 30 meters down to end up embraced with a man from Alcobendas that cried without stopping. It is the Madrid of the great comebacks, the one that in Europe has earned the right to have everyone talk about you …