NEWS STORY. 13/03/2023
The auditorium of the Duques de Pastrana Complex was the venue for another edition of the Luis de Carlos Forum, hosted by the Real Madrid Foundation. On this occasion, it centered on Amancio Amaro, who was the cub's beloved honorary president and a legend of Real Madrid and world football. Enrique Sánchez, executive vice-president of the Foundation, chaired the meeting which was moderated by Realmadrid TV presenter Álvaro de la Lama. The event was attended by madridista legends such as Pirri, Butragueño, Camacho, Gallego and Clifford Luyk.
Butragueño said the following: “Amancio began to create a certain feel for the Quinta del Buitre. He made Castilla champions of the Segunda División and helped us all develop. He put a lot of faith in me and that's something I'll always treasure. We were privileged to be able to have him at Real Madrid and in the national team and in some way it was his contribution because he helped to build a successful career for us. I saw one of Amancio's games against Borussia Dortmund and I was struck by the immense personality with which he played at the age of 35. I haven't seen anyone else quite like him in the history of Real Madrid.”
Pirri: “Amancio was a great person. He embodied the values of Real Madrid: that winning spirit and something that is very important, the respect they had for him and that he had for his teammates and his opponents. He was a player who took a lot of kickings and he had very serious injuries. Any player would have complained and Amancio never said anything, not even to the one who kicked him. It was a marvellous way to behave.”
Camacho said how fortunate he was to have Amancio as a teammate and coach: “I was able to see him, admire him and spend time with him. We often have an idol who leaves us due to life circumstances, but in this case, being with him and sharing so many moments with him has made him more of a hero. As a coach, I don't think he can be compared to anyone else. You always went to training cheerfully with him.”
Luyk reminisced about how they became friends: “One day I played goalkeeper with Amancio and he told me I looked like Lev Yashin on account of my height. He ended up scoring 8 goals past me, 7 from underneath and one into the top corner. We all know that he was believed to be one of the best players in the history of world football, even by his opponents, and he was deservedly made honorary president of our club.”
Gallego said that the first team Amancio coached after his retirement was the under-19s side he was in that year: “He got a few of us to train with the first team and I was one of them, so it was amazing. He had a bit of everything because he liked to attack, but he was very insistent on the importance of defence and that's why as a coach he had a nose for it and he was clever. He tried to get the best out of everyone and with a tremendous personality. From a footballing angle, Amancio always did something different. He didn't follow the script, he was capable of changing a game with his actions. He's a player that I've always been in awe of.”
