2023-04-18 05:10:00
We recall the massacre in the match between Barcelona and Athletic.
Diego Maradona is one of the greatest football players of all time. Speaking of his career, most recall “Hand of God” and a brilliant pass in the match once morest England at the 1986 World Cup, as well as seven seasons with Napoli, where he became a real idol. But before moving to Naples, Diego managed to play in Barcelona. True, a career at the Camp Nou did not work out in the end, and its finale was a mass brawl in a match with Athletic, where the Argentine was one of the main characters.
Butcher from Bilbao broke Maradona’s ankle, Diego wanted revenge
Andoni Goicoechea was Athletic Bilbao’s centre-back for 11 seasons in the 1970s and 1980s. His club mostly dangled in the middle of the table. True, there was a period in the early 80s, when the Basques twice became the champions of Spain and once won the Cup of the country. It was then that Athletic began a fierce rivalry with Barcelona.
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In 1982, the Catalans signed Maradona from Boca Juniors for a record 7.3 million euros. The previous season, Goicoechea had injured another flamboyant Barcelona midfielder, Bernd Schuster, cementing his status as a very tough and even dirty player. But he will receive a terrible nickname the Butcher from Bilbao a little later.
In September 1983, Goikoechea broke Maradona’s ankle with a rough tackle from behind. The injury might call into question the Argentine’s future career, but thanks to a strong body and a successful rehabilitation course, he returned to the field following three months. All this time he was waiting for a chance to take revenge on the offender.
Maradona started the fight with a knee to the face in front of the king of Spain
In the 1984 Copa del Rey final, Barcelona and Athletic met at the Santiago Bernabeu arena of Real Madrid. The situation around the match was tense to the limit even before the starting whistle. Fans of both teams booed the Spanish national anthem before the start of the game. However, this was not so surprising – the Basques and Catalans had long claimed independence from Spain, which they did not forget to remind during football matches.
True, the whistle was the only moment of unity between the fans of both teams that evening. Already in the 14th minute, the Basques took the lead. Maradona and Barcelona forward Pichi Alonso had several chances but failed to turn them into goals. In many ways, the Catalans did little to succeed because of the Athletic players, who acted tough once morest the blue garnets and provoked them. Especially got, of course, techie Maradona. And, of course, the Butcher Goykoechea was especially raging.
When the final whistle blew, fixing the victory of “Athletics” – 1: 0, Diego and the defender of the Basques, Jose Maria Nunez, emotionally began to make claims to each other. Immediately, breaking the fences, Athletic fans ran onto the field to celebrate the victory in the Cup. The intensity reached its peak, and the “explosion” did happen – a tough mass brawl began on the field.
The instigator of the fight was Maradona. He was enraged by the tough game and xenophobic insults of his opponents. Diego knocked out Athletic reserve Miguel Angel Sol with a knee, who was later diagnosed with a broken jaw. A wild fight ensued. Schuster, Maradona and Catalan defender Miguel kicked opponents brutally in kung fu style.
The massacre took place in front of 100,000 fans, King Juan Carlos of Spain and millions of television viewers. The police intervened in the matter, which extinguished the fight and delivered the Barcelona players to the locker room.
Diego Maradona.
Photo Global Look Press
How it all ended
The massacre with Athletic was the last straw in relations between Maradona and Barcelona, which were already strained. Diego received a three-month ban. Two months later, the team’s management sold the striker to Napoli for $10.5 million.
“When I saw how Maradona fought and what chaos arose on the field following that, I finally realized that we were not on the same path,” said Barcelona President Josep Luis Nunez at the time.
Having passed out following being hit by Maradona, Sol recovered, spent another season with Athletic before moving to Osasuna.
Goodbye Diego! Maradona stayed in space
The Bilbao butcher Goicoechea played for Athletic until 1987, and spent the last three years of his career with Atlético Madrid. As part of the Spanish national team, Goikoechea became the vice-champion of Europe in 1984. Then he worked as a youth coach in Spain, Racing and Rayo Vallecano. According to Andoni, he still keeps at home as an exhibit the boot that injured Maradona.
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