Last Friday, May 12, we remembered one of those dates marked boldly in the history of Real Sociedad: 49 years ago, in 1974, the San Sebastian team, led by Rafael Iriondo, He sealed his first qualification for a European tournament, after finishing the domestic competition in fourth place.
Those were moments of great joy in the txuri urdin family, for the simple reason that they had never met in one of those before. The following year, with andoni elizondo on the bench, Real will repeat the qualification and pass to Europe. On that second continental adventure, we will have the privilege of seeing Liverpool itself from Keegan, Toshack, Clemence and company, which was embarking on a spectacular international takeoff at that time. But all that is still exceptional, it is not normal.
We have to wait for the eighties, including the champion team of Alberto Ormaetxea, which established a mark unsurpassed until now: repeat the presence in European tournaments four times in a row. Well, four decades later, another Real, that of Imanol Bailiff, has managed to match that record, and threatens to surpass it, if all goes according to plan. And the good thing about the case is that it has shed the unusual conditions that surrounded it until recently, to become a relatively normal event. That is why, last Saturday, at the end of the game with Girona, it gave the impression that, more than celebrating something, we have to regret something.
The club is ambitious, and it wants more, because it knows it’s within reach, and that… is history. He doesn’t like the Conference League, he likes the Europa League, but he thinks he’s in a position to go to the Champions League. And that’s why imanol repeat, like a mantra, the message that, at this time, we all know by heart: the Royal Society, this Royal Society, has slipped into history, and promises to try to write more brilliant pages in those to come that year.
PRIDE, NOT PRIDE
I remember that a few days after winning the Cup title in La Cartuja, someone asked me what I wanted from this team from now on. I remember that I hardly hesitated, and although, in the heat of euphoria generated by the title, I could let myself go and look for an answer full of courage and ambition, and pregnant with dreams of new titles, I answered that the only thing I asked of the team was two things: the first, that he excites me every time he jumps on the field of play; the day that doesn’t happen, our long and prosperous relationship is likely to end. And secondly, that he makes me feel proud of everything he does, on and off the pitch. I never pretended -well, maybe when I was young, but I think excuse me that my team is the best of all and sundry. There are those who consider this attachment to a group almost as a political militancy, inflexible, unwavering, and sometimes unshakable. I’m sorry, but I never felt this way. I believe in loving certain colors, but never in an unconditional spirit that prevents you from seeing truths objectively. I want my team to convey pride for what it is, but not pride, founded in the wrong place.
NOT THE SAME STORY
Next Saturday, Real will attend the festivities in the city of Barcelona for winning the Barça League title. It’s not the first time this has happened to the people of San Sebastian but, as I recall, the last time it happened, the locals needed the points and Real was just a witness to the exception. On Saturday the script is different: the Blaugrana have finished the course, and Real lack the points. It’s not the same story.
ALKIZA, MY PRESIDENT
When I started to carry out my work near Real, Inaki Alkiza He is the president of the club so I can say he is my first president. And I don’t think I’m offending anyone if I say that he will always be “my president”, because I lived my beginnings in the world of journalism with him and I must say that he always treated me with the utmost respect, and even already. with great love. Beti art, lehendakari!
DID YOU KNOW…?
– La Real have only won 3 times in their entire history at the Camp Nou in the League, suffering a whopping 65 defeats.
– The last victory for Real at home came in 90-91 (1-3), with goals from aldridge (2 and atkinsonwith the Javier Exposito in the real bank
-The other two wins came in 97-98 (1-3) with goals from Satrus, idigoras and Zamoraand in 85-86 (2-3) with goals from Zamora (2 and Uralde.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
