Real Madrid have been among the wealthiest, most prestigious football clubs in the world for a long time now, and have the unique distinction of being the most decorated club in both continental, as well as Spanish professional football.
The club, founded in 1902, has a chequered history – both on and off the field. While it has found unmatched success on the world stage and established itself as the biggest, most visible brand in world football, Real Madrid has also been mired in many controversial incidents during its 114-year history.
The following are 5 of the most forgettable episodes from the Real Madrid history books:
#1 The Luis Figo affair
Florentino Perez is one of the most celebrated presidents in Real Madrid history, and for a good reason. He brought the best players on the planet to Madrid as part of the Galacticos program, which increased Real’s outreach to untapped markets in Asia, Africa and other areas with less of a footballing culture.
He has invited a lot of flak from various sections of football fans over the years, but one particular incident from his tenure has gone down in football history as possibly the most controversial transfer move of all time: Luis Figo’s switch to Real Madrid in the year 2001.
Perez brokered a pre-contract agreement with the Portuguese winger, who was one of the top players in world football at the time. This deal would set him back by €26 million if Perez won the elections and Figo then refused to join Real.
The financial pressure of such a deal came through on Figo. The Portugal star stated, "I want to reassure fans that Luis Figo, with all the certainty in the world, will be at the Camp Nou on July 24 to start the season," only to be unveiled on the same date as Real Madrid’s no. 10 at the Santiago Bernabeu, for a world record fee of €62 million.
The acrimonious nature of his transfer left a bad taste on every stakeholder, and Figo has faced a lot of flak for that decision from all quarters. The most unpalatable, yet memorable incident of his time at Real was when a pig’s head was thrown onto the field by a Barcelona supporter.
#2 Their 32-year-old drought in the European Cup
While Real Madrid are today the most decorated club in European continental football with 11 Champions League/European Cup trophies, they haven’t always enjoyed the same amount of success in the competition as in recent times.
After an initial period of tremendous success during the times of Puskas, Gento and Di Stefano when Real won the first five editions of the European Cup, they failed to lift the trophy for six years until 1966, and none after that for a long time.
The quest for the septa caught on real purpose in the 1970s following the retirements of the players who had won the trophy in the past. It remained fruitless, however, as other clubs like Ajax, Milan, Bayern Munich and Liverpool (among others) all had their periods of trophy-filled glory.
It was not that Real did not have players good enough to lift the trophy: they just weren’t always the best team on the continent. They were also prone to big-match failure in this period: the celebrated Quinta del Buitre side came to a cropper at the San Siro in a 5-0 hammering against a Milan side with comparatively less pedigree.
The victory of 1998 helped to erase memories of most of these bitter moments and is probably the most nostalgic moment for long-time fans of the club.
#3 The 6-2 loss to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, May 2009
Real Madrid’s history from its recent times has been defined by its rivalry with Spanish football’s other great club: FC Barcelona. The two of these clubs have won 8 of the last 20 editions of the European Cup and have, by and large, stamped their authority as the two best club sides in the world.
In the 2008-09 season, which was Pep Guardiola’s first and most successful year in charge of the Catalan club, Barcelona raced on to a 15-point lead in the La Liga standings by December. Real had an ongoing turmoil within the backroom staff to contend with, after the sacking of manager Bernd Schuster in midseason.
While Real rallied to an 18-game unbeaten streak during the close-season (out of which 17 were outright wins), they were decidedly inferior to a rampaging Barcelona side which caught them by surprise in the home fixture.
Thierry Henry and Leo Messi scored two apiece, while Barca’s centre back duo of Puyol and Pique helped themselves to a goal each as the Catalunyans ran riot inside the Santiago Bernabeu.
The result is the worst home defeat ever experienced by either side in their century-old rivalry and is one of the most forgettable moments in Real Madrid history.
#4 The 11-1 beating of Barcelona
This game is among the most deplorable occurrences in all of world football history. The incredibly lopsided scoreline in favour of Real conceals the chilling story of why it came to be so in the first place. To find out, we need to know the historical background of the game.
General Francisco Franco took control of Spain in 1939 after a bloody civil war which left hundreds of thousands of Spanish citizens dead. His rule over the Iberian peninsula lasted 36 years until his death, and his influence touched all spheres of life in the country. Including football.
Franco adopted Real Madrid as the club representing the establishment: the government and he used his power to make life easier for the Real Madrid club hierarchy to project himself as their primary benefactor.
Thus, Real Madrid became a symbol of the establishment, while Barcelona projected itself as champions of the Catalunyan independence struggle. Sparks were bound to fly between the two rivals, and they duly did so after Real lost to Barca 3-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Generalissimo in June 1943.
According to various verbal sources, the Director of State Security paid a visit to the Barcelona players in the away dressing room – minutes before the second leg kicked off on 19th June. His visit left the Barca players fearing for their lives and with a destroyed mindset for the game.
They paid the ultimate price on the pitch, willingly incurring the 11-1 loss so as to save the lives of their family members and loved ones. Real went on to win the trophy, but this fixture is forever remembered as the worst Clasico encounter ever to take place.
#5 The di Stefano affair
Alfredo Di Stefano is one of the greatest players ever to grace the football field, and his exploits for Real Madrid are a part of the football folklore ever since he won all those trophies with them in the 1950s and early ‘60s.
While there is no hard evidence about whether Di Stefano’s transfer move from Millonarios (a Bogota-based club) to Real Madrid was legitimately completed, it is an issue raked up by some football nerds.
The known facts are these:
(a) Barcelona refused to pay Millonarios the sum of 27,000 dollars demanded by the Colombian club on the grounds that Di Stefano would finish his contract in 18 months from the time of negotiation, and they would then snap him up on a free transfer. This was not taken to well by the Argentine.
(b) Real Madrid made the required payment of 27,000 dollars to Millonarios to close the transfer deal in July 1953.
Nevertheless, the vague details of the transfer have never been revealed in public, and it is something even Real fans would choose to gloss over, given a choice.
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