“In my time, with Messi we didn’t win the League, we won them all”

Eladio Silvestre Graells (Sabadell, 1940) He is a former Barcelona defender who defended the colors of Barça during one of the most difficult periods of the entity: the sixties and early seventies, before the arrival of Cruyff. When winning the League is impossible. He gave his all for Barcelona, ​​​​​​as a left-back part of one of the most powerful defenses in the club’s history, along with Torres and Gallego. At the age of 82, he follows Barça, he has very clear ideas, he gets angry when he hears things like the ‘Negreira Case’ and he doesn’t miss any detail of what the team is doing. He played 353 official matches between 1962 and 1972, making him the 31st player in Barcelona’s history. We chatted with him at Masia Can Ferran.

Who is the defense of all those who see who else reflects?

heart In the sense of playing with all five senses, without allowing yourself a second of deconcentration. He also started in the elite as a full-back and ended up being an impressive central defender, with an impeccable attitude”.

And those now?

I love Araujo. He is very fast for how tall, strong, strong he is and he works hard to improve what he can improve, like his ball handling. And it has the most important thing a defense should have. What is this? Defend… am I classic there? I think the striker is there to score goals, the goalkeeper to save and the defender to defend. If it does other things too, what more could you ask for?

And what about the left side?

The three we have this season, Balde, Alba and Marcos Alonso, are very offensive. When they look ahead they are sharp. Balde took an important step this year and once he improves some defensive habits, polished by experience, he will be even better.

Eladio has played against some of the best players in history or at least seen them. Who was the best?

I played once against Pelé’s Santos, which we won 1-0 and ‘O Rei’ only played half the game. Also against Di Stéfano in the final stages and against Johan Cruyff preparing the 1966 World Cup with the team. I remember saying ‘how that skinny kid played! Then there were the Charltons, Bobby Moore… Later, retired, Maradona. But I have no doubt. The best of all is Messi, the best…

Because?

Because he was the only one I saw doing everything and almost every day, goals, assists… and for so many years! There are your numbers. See both World Cups. He organized himself to arrive well and win. He did so with a more modest selection of names than the others. Even to say that he is walking makes sense: he must be thinking about what work he will do in defense.

Do you feel bad that Leo didn’t make it back to Barça?

I expected that. In fact, I already have a clear; I won’t be back. After what they did to him… He shouldn’t have gone out. That’s the key.

Eladio spent eleven years in Barça’s first team and never won the League. What is missing from that group?

Look, Messi. With him we wouldn’t have won the League, all of them. We have no differential crack and he is the best I have ever seen. We won Cups, like the final of the bottles, and Fair Cups, which cost a lot, like a big Zaragoza of five wonderful. But the League, we didn’t win. pity…

Is that your biggest thorn?

Definitely. I feel so bad for not retiring at least one League. We were about to get two or three, but we were always short or left over.

What is missing or what is left?

I repeat that we lack the plus above to win the stalemate games. Mendonça arrived, very good but a bit older. And we also have more than one arbitration and two left. They talk a lot about Negreira…

Since the topic appeared. You are the indirect opponent of the famous penalty that was not, but awarded by the Guruceta de Rifé to Velázquez, in a Barça-Madrid Cup match. What do you remember about that?

I still get goosebumps when I remember that. I saw the play from a very short distance, because I was running right behind Rifé and Velázquez. When I saw him call a penalty on a play that was nothing and more than that, way out of bounds, I went up to Guruceta and applauded him. Then he fired me and that’s where I ended up burning. I told him everything, everything. My teammates and even the Real Madrid player Sanchis stopped me, otherwise I don’t know what could have happened.

Yes, because Eladio was even trained as a boxer…

Fortunately, this served me for useful things, such as work discipline and resistance to blows. When I was younger, I even made gloves with professional boxers.

Eladio is a tough defender?

He is a defender and that is very clear to me. I already said that the goalkeeper stops, the defender to defend and the striker to attack. I loved playing in that iron defense with Torres and Gallego. And Sadurní at the back, who is a tremendous goalkeeper, as well as a great friend.

Sadurní is a rare international as he is at the same time as Iribar…

It is when we talk about Iribar, we talk about the best goalkeeper that football has ever produced. As far as internationals are concerned, at that time there was almost no playing in the national team. I spent eleven years at Barça and only played for the national team 13 times.

Did they have markers and marked more than now?

That happens all the time in the game. It’s part of soccer. Without losing nobility, a defender has to mark the line, he cannot be soft. At the last stage of my career, with Hercules promoted to the First Division, Arsenio Iglesias took me from the side and told me ‘you will be central’, my boss at the back. And how I enjoyed it! I scored seven goals and even took penalties.

Is there a big difference between football in your time and now?

I only know one thing: I would like to play football now and I think it’s worth it. I’ve always loved physical preparation and that’s why this fit.

What was the worst moment of your career?

I also have no doubt: the death of Benítez. He is a very, very good friend of mine. When he arrived, I didn’t know why Artigas asked me to go with him. And he liked me very much. He’s a very good lad and an exceptional right-back, back and forth. Faster than anyone. Even Gento was left behind. That’s why when he died shortly before a Barça-Madrid game it was so hard. They called us from the club and gave us the terrible news, his sudden death. It still makes me excited to remember it, especially waking up at the Camp Nou where the players were watching over him. It’s my turn in Sadurní. And then we have to play like nothing…

Benítez might be the best 2 he’s ever seen…

Yes. And also Dani Alves. It looks exactly the same. Aggressive with and without the ball, powerful, with character…

What can you tell us about the coaches you have worked with?

Kubala gave me the confidence to establish myself among the elite. He is a very good coach and I love him a lot. Among others I also remember Buckingham, who knew a lot about football and had a sense of humor. He even spoke broken Spanish, with Minguella as translator. From Michels, I highlight his self-esteem. He has many, many. He fully believed.

Same as picking the best player… Who is the best coach you’ve ever seen?

Guardiola, for sure. I am also clear. Wherever you go, your gear is yours. How they occupy spaces, how they dominate parties. At Barça, the best coach kept up with the best player ever, Messi, as well as those around them. There has never been a team like it.