Gianluigi Buffon (black) is sent off by Michael Oliver (blue) against Real Madrid in 2018.
“Así, Así, Así gana el Madrid,” the Sporting Gijón fans chanted at the Real Madrid players. It translates to, “That is how Madrid always wins!”
This chant inundated the El Molinón stadium, as Sporting chased La Liga behind Los Merengues, in their matchup disputed on November 19, 1979. The “cántico,” or song, started when a controversial call went in favor of Real Madrid, giving them the 3-2 win over Gijon. Ever since, the chant has been used when Madrid has polemic plays go their way, which ends up proving decisive.
Senen Moran-Rivero, a young Spanish journalist from Gijon, recalls the tale. In the 7th minute, Sporting midfielder Enzo Ferrero was elbowed in the skull. In retaliation, he kicked the opposing Madrid player and was subsequently sent off. Sporting fans lost their minds. “Así, Así, Así gana el Madrid!” They screamed.
Enzo Ferrero’s skull, bleeding from the elbow he endured against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid would go on to win that league title by defeating undermanned Gijón, by merely 4 points, on route to lifting their 19th league title.
Ever since, the feeling of anti-Madrid sentiment bled throughout Spain, following the Merengue club wherever they went. Take it from a life-long Sporting fan, Frichu Yustas. He says the Ferraro incident has a legacy even in the modern-day by ultras of Spanish football.
“I was at the game, and was a kid but I remember it perfectly. All their trips to the Molinón always impacted us. At the end of each game, many fans would go to the entrance of the stadium to wait for the referee and insult him. Some were even whacked by police enforcement. The anger was huge and the dissatisfaction is still felt by some to this day,” he recalls.
La Liga table in 1978-79, where Real Madrid was crowned Champions.
But this isolated incident isn’t the only case of Real Madrid benefiting from refereeing mistakes.
LA LIGA
As the most successful club in Spanish history, Real Madrid has won 34 La Liga titles. During the 1950s, when Spanish dictator Francisco Franco was an alleged supporter of the club, the team won 4 la liga titles in 1954, ‘55, ‘57, and ‘58. Madrid’s subsidiarity from the Spanish government made them loved in the capital—but hated throughout.
Alfredo Di Stéfano (left) was a major catalyst in Real Madrid’s domination of European Football during the late 1950’s. [Goal.com]
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The way Real Madrid is placed under a magnifying glass not only occurs in Spain but throughout Europe.
Spanish media outlets react to Real Madrid’s win over PSG in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, in which a controversial penalty kick was awarded. [TuDn]
In the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid trailed Juventus 3-0 at home, in a decisive second leg of their quarterfinal tie. In the last minute of the game, the referee gave Madrid a lifeline: a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and buried the kick to send Real through to the semi-finals. But the controversy didn’t end there.
Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus shot-stopper, confronted the referee and was sent off for his excessive berating of match official Michael Oliver. The match proved to be a huge controversy, leading people to question the validity of Real Madrid’s Champions League title.
Gianluigi Buffon (left) confronts Michael Oliver (middle) after a penalty is awarded to Real Madrid. [Goal.com]
A year prior, Real Madrid won in the exact same stage of the competition against Bayern Munich. The win came courtesy of a hattrick from Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored two offside goals.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Speaking of the ex-Madrid man, during the Ronaldo era, the superstar was constantly subjected to homophobic and offensive chants from opposition all across Spain. “Ese Portugues, Hijo de p*ta es,” (That Portuguese is a motherf*cker).
But these insults don’t go unheard. In 2015, when Real Madrid chased La Liga away at CF Cordoba, Cristiano Ronaldo lost his cool. He punched and kicked Edimar, and was red-carded moments after. His gesture of rubbing the “World Champion” patch on his shirt was an indication to the opposing fans of what Real Madrid was: officially the best team in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo rubs the FIFA Club World Cup winner’s patch in front of the Eibar fans as he is sent off. [BeIN]
FAILURE
Despite being so successful, Real Madrid, like any club, is prone to failure. In 2009, “El Alcorcónazo” happened, where Madrid lost 4-0 away to Alcorcón, a third division side, in the Spanish cup. Despite a 1-0 win in the second leg, Madrid was eliminated and humiliated.
In 2015, in the same competition, a similar humiliation occurred. Real Madrid fielded Denis Cheryshev, a Russian player who the previous season was on loan at Villareal. He received a yellow card and was suspended from the previous season, but as a result, was ineligible to play in the competition. When Cadiz fans and players filed a class-action lawsuit against Real Madrid for violating league rules, the Royal Whites were expelled from the competition.
FC Barcelona’s Gerard Pique, known for his anti-Madrid sentiment, could hardly hold his laughter, tweeting moments after the decision was made public by La Liga president Javier Tebas.
In Spain, there is a phrase called “Villarato,” a conspiracy theory where Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are favored by referees to ensure that they continue winning and monopolizing the league. Both sets of fans are constantly hurling insults at each other, claiming that one team cheats while the other wins fairly. The truth of the matter is that referees make mistakes and neither team has an advantage. But that pill is a bitter one to swallow, especially for ex-Barca forward: Neymar Jr.
The Brazil superstar posted on his Instagram moments after the final whistle, in which FC Barcelona dropped points, leading Real Madrid to their first league title in 5 years. “Hahaha, that was a penalty!” he exclaimed on his social media story.
FC Barcelona was denied a goal against Real Betis In 2017, a goal that ultimately gave Real Madrid the La Liga title by 3 points. [BeIN Sports]
The truth is, both teams have seen decisions go their way in the past. While Barcelona has been successful in the past decade, Madrid has the historical advantage in the head-to-head, and a loaded trophy cabinet to show for it.
Real Madrid is the most hated team in Spain, but also the most successful. No matter how many boos or jeers are thrown towards the players, and what they stand for, the 34 La Liga titles and 13 Champions Leagues cannot be erased. Only ignored.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Alfredo Di Stefano, a passing of the torch illustrated by Goal.com
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