Today marks 30 years since the passing of one of Real Madrid's greatest legends: Juan Gómez, Juanito. On 2 April 1992, the former madridista lost his life in a road traffic accident as he returned to Mérida after attending the clash with Torino F.C.at the Santiago Bernabéu. The news of the unexpected death of Juan Gómez 'Juanito' left Real Madrid with a heavy heart. The legendary Malaga '7' lost his life in a traffic accident almost five years after his last game in a Real Madrid shirt. He was 37 years old at the time and was working as Mérida head coach.
Juanito was born on 10 November 1954 in Fuengirola (Malaga) and he went on to make history with Real Madrid between 1977 and 1987. He made 401 competitive appearances for our club, scoring 121 goals and winning 2 UEFA Cups, 5 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, 1 Copa de la Liga and 1 Pichichi Award.
Upon his presentation in 1977, he said: "Playing for Real Madrid is like touching the sky, Real Madrid has always been my first choice as a team and Madrid has always been my favorite as a city". A player with tremendous dribbling ability, whose passion and determination was broadly loved by the fans.
Juanito put his fiery temper and his abundant skill at the service of his beloved Real Madrid. His passion for the team was obvious every time he put on a white shirt and his talent and commitment to the cause had the fans on their feet on numerous occasions. He was an artist with the ball and was obsessed with winning.
Remembrance: Ever since that tragic day, madridismo remembers Juanito in the seventh minute of every game at the Santiago Bernabéu with the chant, "Illa, illa, illa, Juanito maravilla". Juanito's playing style was the perfect blend of quality and raw determination, which saw him take centre stage in countless unforgettable moments in madridista history, including his jumping for joy following a huge comeback against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1985/86 UEFA Cup.
Below are some of the moments that defined his great career:
The bottle in the 'battle of Belgrade': In November 1977, recently transferred from Burgos to Real Madrid , the man from Fuengirola made headlines wearing the Spanish shirt for receiving an unfortunate blow from a bottle during a tense qualifying match between Yugoslavia and Spain for the 78 World Cup in Argentina. because I have a bigger head , "recalls José María García that Juanito told him with his Andalusian joke as soon as he regained consciousness.
An immortal dribble: Juanito starred in one of the best 'chotis' ever seen at the Bernabéu in a cup derby on the way to the historic final between Real Madrid and Castilla in 1980. The mythical '7' nailed the red-and-white goalkeeper José Navarro with a subtle cut with his magical left hand.
A symbolic celebration that could be worth a European Cup: This goal by Juanito made it 2-0 against Inter in the first leg of the 80/81 European Cup semi-finals. It was the occasion in which he was closest to lifting the great continental title, but Madrid would lose the final against Liverpool. Symbolic was the celebration of the goal, with Juanito on the fence, an image that would be repeated regularly at the Bernabéu.
His most remembered goal in Can Barça: Juanito scored many amazing goals ... and he was particularly good at Barcelona and the Camp Nou, the stage in which he grew up and in which he scored several goals. One of the most beautiful was in the 82/83 League. Between him and John Metgod they found a hole in the Barça defense so that the man from Malaga finished against Urruti with a precious Vaseline.
The most emotional change in the history of the Bernabéu: The Whites' legend starred in an unforgettable substitution for the Bernabéu in the 90th minute after a 4-0 comeback against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the round of 16 of the 1985/86 Uefa Cup. "I have played two World Cups and one European Championship and this has been the happiest day of my career," he said excitedly after the match.
The stomp on Mathäus, a great blot on his career: Known for his passion on the field, Juanito's wires crossed on April 8, 1987 when he stepped on Lothar Matthaüs twice , first in the back and then in the face. It was the semifinals of the European Cup and the action cost him a five-year ban without playing European competitions and precipitated his goodbye to Real Madrid. In amends to Matthaüs, he presented her with a cloak and a rapier in a later reconciliation.
Withdrawal 'bullfighter' of the hand of Curro Romero: That peculiar gift to Mathaüs was nothing more than a sample of his passion for bullfighting that left an iconic image to remember the day of his retirement. On June 27, 1989, Curro Romero cut off his ponytail, literally, in the tribute match that Málaga played for him against a selection of LaLiga footballers.
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