They led the way in 1987

It happened 34 years ago. June 27, 1987. 262 kilometers from Saint Sebastian. At the stadium The Romareda of Saragossa. The last time Real Sociedad lifted a trophy, its second Copa del Rey. The final was played against Atlético de Madrid trained by Luis Aragonés. Two-goal tie at the end of regulation time. They scored for the txuri-urdin Roberto López Ufarte and Txiki Beguiristain. The mythical Luis Miguel Arconada stopped the decisive penalty. And that Real trained by the Welshman Jonh Benjamin Toshack was proclaimed Cup champion. The donostiarras formed with Arconada, Sagarzazu, Górriz, Gajate, López Rekarte, Larrañaga, Dadíe, Beguiristain, Zamora, Bakero and López Ufarte. They also played Martin Beguiristain and the ill-fated Musti Mugika. They led the way and 34 years later Radio San Sebastián brings them together again around this year's trophy which is put into play in the final of La Cartuja on April 3.

Five of those legends shared anecdotes, memories, jokes, stories, a lot of txuri-urdin feeling, and some other advice to Imanol Alguacil, with whom some came to coincide, to reissue against the Athletic that success of The Romareda. There was one of the captains of that Real, Juanan Larrañaga, then in charge of lifting the Cup together with Arconada; the first scorer of the final of '87, Roberto López Ufarte; the emblem of the midfield at that time, Jesus Mari Zamora; the big surprise in the starting eleven in that final against Atlético de Madrid, Luis Fernando Dadie; and the most historic of the historical realistic players, the irundarra Alberto 'Bixio' Gorriz. “Toshack told me that he was going to play in the final on Tuesday of that week. I couldn't tell anyone. Not even at home. And I didn't say so. And my teammates found out when he hit eleven at the stadium. And someone would make a funny face , I suppose. I was the surprise, it's true. But the illusion was stronger, I was the youngest of the team and I was very well supported by all these great players. For me it was a great joy, because I came from a season full of injuries. play, I'm not going to deny it. There was nothing that he asked me to minimize, and we brought the Cup for the Real “, he recalls Give. The young man from the 'gang' breaks the ice. From there unforgettable memories of 1987 follow one another, memories that must serve the Real de Imanol to become champions again.

“It was a very tough final. It was very hot, and Atlético de Madrid came with everything to win the final. They had chartered a train of I don't know how many wagons to take everyone to Zaragoza. Because it was the first final of Jesús Gil as president. They were clearly favorites but we knew how to be in the game, we knew how to suffer, especially when they tied at the end. And that is the key in the final in Seville, knowing how to be in the game and knowing how to suffer, “he says. Juanan Larrañaga. “We had experience playing that kind of game. We had already played more finals, the league matches were as if we were playing finals, with a beastly tension all season, so that's why we were prepared. And that's what this squad is lacking now. , and it's the worst it has. It's a game that is played a lot with the head because there are many circumstances that are changing, as happened to us in our final. And that is a handicap because it can weaken you, another thing is that you start winning anyway. And things are going well, for the rest, we play better football and we have better individualities, they have more set, physique and intensity. It is a difficult game but I hope we know how to manage all the times that this game has “, points out Zamora. Y Gorriz points out. “I am very optimistic, it was also in our final of '87, because I see the team well and confident. But it will be complicated, and we will have to know how to play the moments of each game, as in our final, there will be. Y López Ufarte remembers that the key will be in the team. “We are going to win suffering, 3-2. But be clear that the final is won as a team. Our Cup was not mine for scoring the first goal or for Arconada for stopping the decisive penalty, but we all won, Real won, and Real will win in Seville “.