It’s not easy to pick Real Madrid’s greatest season ever.
Looking back at last season, many have claimed that it was Real Madrid’s greatest season ever. I, however, have been left sitting on the fence. Here’s why.
Let me take you back. It’s 1955. The rules of a new European club competition had just been agreed upon by a number of club representatives. Despite dreams of a competition of national champions, prestigious teams from all over Europe were invited to play in the first edition of the European Cup. Between bans and refusals, the first season of the European Cup was underwhelming. By 1960, it would be the main club competition on the continent and its five-time champion would become the greatest team on the continent.
Santiago Bernabeu was quite enthusiastic about the European Cup when it was first proposed. He was vice president of the rules committee and his club, Real Madrid, eagerly accepted their invitation. Madrid hadn’t been a particularly impressive club before 1955. They had won two consecutive league titles, which were their first league titles in 22 years. For most of the 1940s, Madrid fans joked they “had a first division stadium and a second division team”. The addition of Alfredo Di Stefano after a tug of war with Barcelona seemed to give Real Madrid the edge. In 1956, they defended their league title for a third time in a row and won the inaugural European Cup.
Old, not Irrelevant.
Real Madrid’s first five European Cups don’t get the credit they deserve. Among the excuses of detractors is the claim that they shouldn’t count because they are now irrelevant. This claim is complete nonsense, those first five cups are extremely relevant and in displaying their relevance, you begin to see why picking a single great season in Madrid’s history isn’t very easy.
There have been 18 different finalists of the UEFA Champions League since it’s inception in 1992. Out of those 18 different teams, just two (AC Milan and Real Madrid) featured in the first edition of European Cup. Out of 18 different teams, 5 (Porto, Dortmund, Manchester United, AC Milan and Real Madrid) played in the second season of the European Cup. By 1960, half of those aforementioned finalists were playing in the European Cup. Unintentionally, Real Madrid domination of the European Cup was one of the defining factors in its later success.
Before the European Cup, the media declared who the best team in the world was. The Daily Mail claimed in 1955 that Wolverhampton Wanderers were the greatest team in the world after a friendly win against Honved. Madrid received similar treatment from the press. The now infamous nickname “Los Vikingos” (The Vikings) was first used by the British Press in the 1950s as Madrid rampaged through Europe. The difference now was that instead of friendly games, there was a competitive tournament to challenge Real Madrid’s title.
1960: The Perfect Season
This leads me to the 1960s European Cup Final, the pinnacle of what might be Real Madrid’s greatest season. The 1960 European Cup was the best in tournaments early history. New young prospects made sides like Eintracht Frankfurt and Glasgow Rangers join a growing list of challengers to Madrid’s crown.
Los Blancos still had the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Paco Gento among newer talents such as Luis Del Sol and Frence Puskas. However, the club had an aging squad and was coming to the end of an era. Despite these obstacles, Madrid beat away the challenges of Nice and Barcelona to reach the final at Hampden Park. They faced Eintracht Frankfurt who had denied Rangers a home final in a stunning 12-4 win. Bernabeu gave the team talk:
"“A man has five senses and five fingers….. you have four European Cups”."
The final is often touted as the greatest football match ever played, among those plaudits was Alex Ferguson who watched the games in the stands. The final completed a transformation not just for the European Cup, but also for Real Madrid. The squad throughout those five years had instilled a new set of values at the club, values the club still hold dear today. Without those five European Cups, we might still be laughing as we say “we have a first division stadium and a second division team”.
Next: Should Real Madrid entertain selling Gareth Bale?