The Great Real Madrid 1953-60

The beginning of the great domination and the incredible team of Real Madrid of the 50s is the 1953/54 season, the Spanish club, put forward by the dictatorial Francoist political regime, has the ambition to establish itself definitively as one of the best clubs in the history of football.

Alfredo Di Stéfano is the recruit who testifies to the expansion of the club, which recruits one if not the best player in the world at that time. The Argentinian player will integrate perfectly into an already very good squad, which also comes out of a title in the Little Club World Cup in 1952.

In the squad, we find players such as Julio César Britos, former Uruguayan international who has also just signed with the club at 27 years old. Paco Gento is also part of this incredible team, as a left winger who has also just signed for the club, at 19 years old. In midfield, we find the duo Miguel Muñoz with José María Zárraga, both legends of Real Madrid. In defense, we find Joaquín Navarro and Rafael Lesmes who will settle for years in the Spanish capital.

With this very good squad, Real Madrid sets off conquering in the Spanish Liga, the club offers itself important victories, notably during the 2nd day of the championship in Bilbao against Athletic, victory 3-2. With a goal from Roque Olsen and one from Julio César Britos, the two foreign players doing great things.

On the 7th day of the championship, the club under the orders of Enrique Fernández Viola, and under the presidency of Santiago Bernabéu will crush FC Barcelona 5-0 with doubles from Di Stéfano and Roque Olsen. In the following match, the club offers itself a Metropolitano victory against its rival, Atlético Madrid, 4-3, with a hat-trick from Di Stéfano. Real will also beat Atlético again in the return match of the championship, 2-1, with Di Stéfano scoring a double.

Di Stéfano immediately establishes himself as the technical leader of the team, in the position of center forward. A position he already occupied at River Plate. Real Madrid ends up champion of Spain, 40 points, 72 goals scored for 41 conceded, 17 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats, the beginning of great things. On the other hand, Real Madrid does not win any cup in which it participates during the season.

Di Stefano ends the season with 27 goals in 28 games. Gento, for his part, has not yet found the back of the net in 17 games. Luis Molowny has 13 goals in 23 games while Roque Olsen ends the season with 15 goals in 23 games. In goal, we find Juanito Alonso Adelarpe, who is only 1m72 tall, but is very good.

The 1954/55 season was the one that confirmed the project, the season was marked by the departure of the Uruguayan coach Enrique Fernández in favor of the Spaniard José Villalonga on the club bench. On the recruits side, we can note the arrival of Héctor Rial, a lively Argentinian winger from Nacional Montevideo. Marquitos, the right central defender, Marquitos was recruited and both would become big stars of this team. J. C. Britos returned to Uruguay, perfectly replaced by Rial.

The team was even stronger than the previous season, the club finished champion of Spain again, winning the championship with 46 points, 80 goals scored for only 31 conceded. 20 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses. The club crushed Las Palmas 7-0 with a hat-trick from Di Stéfano. 4-1 CD Málaga, 3-0 FC Barcelona, ​​5-1 Deportivo La Coruña with a hat-trick from Pérez Payá, 5-1 Español with a quadruple from Di Stéfano or 5-1 Celta Vigo.

The Spanish Cup results are disappointing, defeat in the semi-final, 8-1 on aggregate against Seville FC. But the club makes up for it by winning the Latin Cup against Stade de Reims 2-0 with a double from Rial. Rial is that player, sometimes a substitute, sometimes a starter, who is always decisive in big matches.

In the league, Di Stéfano finished the season with 25 goals in 30 games, Roque Olsen moved to the bench and played only 14 small games for 4 goals, José Luis Perez-Paya Soler had 10 goals in 19 games, Paco Gento became an undisputed starter with 27 games for 6 goals as a left winger. Héctor Rial ended his first season at the club with 34 games for 18 goals as an attacking midfielder. Defensively, the club was very strong, with a goalkeeper who was increasingly asserting himself. Juanito Alonso Adelarpe finished the season with 33 goals conceded in 28 games and 7 clean sheets.

The 1955/56 season was both a disappointment in the league and the foundation of a winning culture in the Champions League from the very first edition of the competition. At the start of the season, many small Spanish players were recruited, rotation players, as were the departures and the typical XI remained the same.

In the league, the club lagged behind and finished 3rd in the league with a slightly less good defense, 39 goals conceded in 30 games. In the Copa del Rey, the club was once again eliminated in the semi-finals, this time against Athletic Bilbao who also won the league that season.

But where Real Madrid would impress was on the international level. First of all with the Champions League which made its appearance. In the round of 16, the club thrashed Servette 7-0 on aggregate, Di Stéfano scoring twice in the return match, and Rial scoring 2 goals in the two games.

In the quarter-finals, the club got a scare after having won the first leg 4-0 against Partizan Belgrade. The first leg was complicated, and Partizan won 3-0 at home, not enough to turn the situation around. In the semi-finals, Real Madrid faced AC Milan, 4-2 in the first leg, losing 2-1 in the return leg in Milan. Joseíto was one of the strong men of this Champions League campaign, since the Spaniard scored 2 goals against Milan and 1 against Servette.

In the final, Real Madrid faced Stade de Reims, a legendary French team at the time, and which was rightly one of the best teams of its time. It was the latter who opened the scoring through Michel Leblond, a defensive midfielder for the French team. At half-time, the score was 2-2. And in the 79th minute, it was Héctor Rial who gave Real Madrid the title, scoring a magnificent double. Real Madrid, wins the first Champions League in its history, the first Champions League in history.

The season does not end there since the club will offer itself a second international title against Vasco da Gama in the 1956 Little Club World Cup. Di Stéfano ends the season with 29 goals in 37 games, Joseíto, right winger scores 12 goals in 20 games as does Roque Olsen. Gento is the most used player of the season with 42 games for 11 goals. Ramón Marsal is also a forgotten player of the 1955/56 campaign of Real Madrid with his 8 goals in 11 games. Pérez Payá has 10 goals in 15 games. Héctor Rial, main player of the season, has 23 goals in 38 games as attacking-midfielder.

The 1956/57 season will be one of the most beautiful in the history of the club which will make a historic treble. The club, in its desire to retain its title of European champion will recruit one of the best players in Europe, Raymond Kopa, from the Stade de Reims. The Reims midfielder could also play right winger. He will establish himself as the main percussion and creation player of the team.

In the championship, the club finished 1st, ahead of Sevilla FC, with 44 points, 20 wins, 4 draws, 6 defeats for 74 goals scored and 35 conceded. As for the National Cup, another defeat in the semi-finals...

But in the Champions League, the club won the tournament once again even if the beginnings were laborious, in fact, Real Madrid came very close to elimination in the first round against Rapid Wien, 5-5 on aggregate, a play-off match was necessary, a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

In the quarter-finals, Real Madrid easily eliminated OGC Nice from the competition, 6-2 on aggregate, with a Di Stéfano who walked on water. The semi-final was also controlled, with a 5-3 on aggregate against Manchester United. Kopa, Rial and Di Stéfano were the men of this edition on Real Madrid's side. In the final, the club faced Fiorentina, and easily won 2-0 on goals from Di Stéfano (on penalty) and Paco Gento. Still European champion...

And it doesn't stop there, because the club also plays the Latin Cup, last edition. In the semi-final, the club pulverizes AC Milan 5-1 on a hat-trick from Paco Gento before Di Stéfano scores the only goal of the final against Benfica. What's funny is that the Latin Cup is an anomaly when you know that it is the ancestor of the Champions League... Which is already there. And so, in the space of a month, Real Madrid is twice European champion.

The man of the season is undoubtedly Alfredo Di Stéfano who ends up winner of the Ballon d'Or, for the second edition of the trophy, ahead of Billy Wright, Duncan Edwards and his teammate Raymond Kopa... But the vote is without any debate, 30% for the player who then has Spanish nationality and can therefore win the trophy which rewards at the time the best European player.

Di Stéfano will have finished his season with 43 goals in 43 games, mind-blowing. Raymond Kopa has 8 goals in 32 games, as said before, he is more of a creative player than a statistics player. Gento scores again 11 goals in 40 games. Joseíto who has established himself on the right wing has 17 goals in 32 games while Hector Rial only plays 14 games for 3 goals. Mateos will have taken advantage of this to play 30 games and score 17 goals.

The 1957/58 season was a continuation of Real Madrid's dominance. The club strengthened itself in the transfer window with the arrivals of Rogelio Dominguez, the former goalkeeper of Racing Club in Argentina, and José Santamaría, who both joined the starting line-up. Roque Olsen left the club, as did Perez Paya Soler.

In the league, the club finished first in the championship with 45 points, 20 wins, 5 draws, 5 defeats, for 71 goals scored but above all 26 goals conceded! The defense was then one of the strong points of this team, with the arrival of Santamaría, who was then one of the best defensive players on the planet and who formed a superb duo with Marquitos.

In the Spanish Cup, the club reached the final, but lost 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao on goals from Arieta and Mauri. In the Champions League, the Royal Antwerp club in the round of 16, it is a glaring lack of adversity in front, the club in white wins 8-1 on aggregate, with a double from Di Stéfano in the first leg and a hat-trick from Héctor Rial in the return in 41 minutes. The latter finds his colors with the famous one from the white house.

During the quarter-finals first leg, Real who faces Sevilla FC will realize one of its best matches in its history, 8-0, quadruple from Di Stéfano and double from Kopa. In the return Chus Pereda scores a double. Victory on aggregate 10-2. Real Madrid has never been so dominant and strong offensively. The reason? Surely the change of coach, with Luis Carniglia on the bench who sets up a team in WM, that is a 3-2-2-3, very offensive and which perfectly uses the qualities of the different players.

Héctor Rial is a technical attacking midfielder, who combines perfectly with Kopa and his brilliant dribbling and passing. Di Stéfano is a centre forward capable of dropping back and defending, putting a lot of pressure on his opponents. Gento, on the other hand, is technical and above all very fast, he overflows on numerous occasions on his left flank of the attack.

In the semi-final, Real faces Vasas SC, a Hungarian club, which they torpedo 4-0 in the first leg, thanks in particular to a hat-trick from Di Stéfano. In the return leg, the club can afford to play with less pressure, overall score, Real wins 4-2.

The final will pit Real Madrid against Juan Alberto Schiaffino's AC Milan. At half-time, the score is blank, 0-0. Schiaffino opened the scoring, Di Stéfano equalized, Ernesto Grillo gave Milan the lead again with a quarter of an hour to go, but Héctor Rial equalized two minutes later. The match went to extra time, and Paco Gento gave his team the victory by scoring the winning goal in the 107th minute.

The new goalkeeper, Rogelio Domínguez, had a superb first season, 20 games for 13 goals conceded and 11 clean sheets. Rare standards for the time. Offensively, the numbers were impressive, Ramón Marsal had 15 goals in 25 games, Héctor Rial had 22 goals in 39 games, Di Stéfano scored 36 goals in 44 games. Gento had 11 goals in 39 games. But the one who impressed with his playmaking qualities was undoubtedly Raymond Kopa who had the best season of his career with 11 goals in 34 matches and won the 1958 Ballon d'Or ahead of Helmut Rahn and Just Fontaine (helped by his exceptional World Cup).

The 1958/59 season is considered by many to be the best in Real Madrid's history for one thing, a crazy thing that the club would do in the summer transfer window. The club brought in Ferenc Puskás on a free transfer after a period in which he no longer played, the player arrived obese in the Spanish capital. But he did not lose his talents as an outstanding goal scorer. With him, another player who would be in the starting line-up arrived: Herrera Alonso from Real Oviedo.

With its attacking line: Puskás, Kopa, Rial, Gento and Di Stéfano, the club was definitely the best on the planet. 3 of them are also among the best of all time without any dispute. And they were not going to disappoint. Kopa, who would later say that Puskás and Di Stéfano were the two strongest players he had ever seen play (having seen Maradona... Pelé... Ronaldo... Messi), would be the team's playmaker.

Despite the club not winning the championship, finishing runner-up behind FC Barcelona, ​​the club had one of its best statistical seasons of the time: 47 points, 21 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses, 89 goals scored and 29 conceded, in 30 league games.

Although the Copa Del Rey curse seemed real, once again being eliminated in the semi-finals, the club reached the Champions League final again. Real Madrid successively eliminated Beşiktaş 3-1 on aggregate, Wiener Sport-Club 7-1 on aggregate and Atlético Madrid 2-1 in a play-off match.

In the final, the Spanish club meets Stade de Reims again, and this time the outcome of the match will be simple and quick, victory 2-0 with a goal from Enrique Mateos in the first minute of play then a second from Di Stéfano in the 47th minute. Real Madrid is on a fourth Champions League.

Juanito Alonso in goal, he concedes 24 goals in 29 games for 13 clean sheets. Héctor Rial scores 13 goals in 31 games, Puskás signs a magnificent return to the world of football with a season with 25 goals in 34 games. Gento has 10 goals in 33 games. Kopa has 11 in 37 games. Chus Herrera has 9 goals in 25 games. And Di Stefano peaks at 34 goals in 43 games, but he is no longer a center forward, he plays attacking midfielder/second striker! Which makes the statistics even more impressive! And which will give him his second Ballon d'Or, that of 1959.

The last season of Real Madrid's wonderful age was 1959/60, even if the club lost Raymond Kopa in the transfer window, who decided to return to France to secure his future, the club led by Manuel Fleitas Solich would retain its winning spirit.

The club recruited Luis Del Sol, Didi (recent winner and best player of the 1958 World Cup), as well as 9 other players! But while Didi arrived with the aim of supporting and then replacing Di Stéfano, he was the victim of racism, criticism and a toxic relationship with the Argentinian player who did everything to make him leave the club (which would happen at the end of the season).

In the league, the club finished runner-up again, behind FC Barcelona at the end of a decent season: 46 points (tied with FC Barcelona), 21 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses, 92 goals scored for 36 conceded... Real lost the title due to a goal difference 2 goals lower than that of FC Barcelona. The club also lost the final of the Spanish Cup, 3-1 against Atlético Madrid despite a goal from Puskás.

But in the Champions League, Real remains Real, and continues to crush the competition, winning 12-2 on aggregate against Jeunesse Esch in the round of 16. Then 6-3 on aggregate against Nice in the next round. 6-1 on aggregate in the semi-final against FC Barcelona. And finally a historic final won 7-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt, with a hat-trick from Di Stéfano and a quadruple from Puskás. The Hungarian player will have scored 12 goals in this edition of the Champions League, finishing top scorer of the competition. Di Stéfano, will have scored 8 goals in the Champions League. Real Madrid will have done it, 5 Champions Leagues won in 5 years. The club ended its season with the 1966 Intercontinental Cup, won 5-1 on aggregate, with Puskás scoring twice in 8 minutes, and a goal from Di Stéfano and Gento for the big names of Real Madrid. The first edition of the competition.

Despite its aging squad, the club will have managed to retain its European title, which it will lose later, due to the change of squad, and the drop in level of its legends because of their age. This last season statistically: Didi 6 goals in 19 games (31 years old), Héctor Rial 2 goals in 9 games (31 years old), Jesus Herrera Alonso 13 goals in 39 games (22 years old), Pepillo 22 goals in 18 games (26 years old), Di Stéfano 23 goals in 34 games (33 years old), Ferenc Puskás 47 goals in 36 games (34 years old). Paco Gento 19 goals in 38 games (26 years old).

Defensively, we are also close to the end of the cycle, José Emilio Santamaría (30 years old), Marquitos (27 years old), Antonio Rogelio Dominguez (29 years old). But the club will continue to win on the national scene, before winning a new Champions League in 1966.