Not all of the players that have been involved in the 111 years of Barça history have been able to win at the Santiago Bernabéu.
One team that did achieve such glory was Terry Venables’ 1984/85 title winning side, which
won 3-0 in the Spanish capital.
Not all of the former players we spoke to had the same predictions
regarding the match on Saturday, but they all agreed that there would still be much to play for
whatever the result.
'Tente' Sánchez: “There is a before and after”
The 1985 captain, Vicente 'Tente' Sánchez, who played 326 matches for FCB between 1975 and
1986 considers that “there is a before and after this game, as the League is so tight, but
every game is important and there will still be seven games after Saturday and the smallest of
errors could cost dearly. You have to think of every game until the end of the season and worry
about yourselves and not what the other team does.”
Gerardo Miranda, sure we’ll win
Somebody who is convinced of Barça’s possibilities is Gerardo
Miranda. The Canary Islander was at the Camp Nou between 1981 and 1988, and feels this season is
much like last’s: “A similar thing happened last year and if Barça won there, it
decided the League. The team did what they had to do and I think if Barça want to win the title
again this year, they’ll need to hit the Bernabéu with a win, and I’m convinced
they’ll do it”, he said.
Carrasco: “it will be decisive for morale”
Francisco 'Lobo' Carrasco, a wide attacker from 1978 to 1989 feels a win in Madrid would
boost morale. “It would be a tough blow for them” he said. “I don’t think
it’d decide the league because the title is decided at grounds like Mallorca, Xerez and
Osasuna, lower level grounds, but the Bernabéu is about self-esteem, it is an overwhelming
sensation to come back from there with a win and boosts your morale for the rest of the
season”.
Carrasco says that if Pep Guardiola’s get three points on Saturday it would be “a
tough blow for Madrid, like what Olympique Lyon did. They only have the League left and it would be
tough for them to se Barça win it again. A win would give Barça wings and would leave Madrid very
upset”.
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Championship victory
The 1984/85 season got off to the best possible start with a clear win in Madrid, and Barça went on
to lead the table from start to finish, collecting the title with 4 games to spare in the famous
game with Valladolid and Urruti’s unforgettable penalty save. In his amazing debut match as
FCB coach, Terry Venables fielded that September 2, 1984, the following line up; 'Tente' Sánchez,
Migueli, Alexanko, Julio Alberto; Schuster, Calderé, Víctor, Rojo; Carrasco and Archibald. Early in
the second half, an Ángel own goal opened the scoring, and Barça finished the job with goals from
Archibald and Calderé to make it 3-0.