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40 years on from the heroic result: a tribute to the 12-1 heroes

Thursday's Extraordinary General Assembly commemorated the 40th anniversary of that unforgettable match at the Benito Villamarín.
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Thu, 21/12/2023 - 16:32

Though qualification seemed impossible, they managed it. Beating Malta by 11 goals was necessary on that 21st December 1983; but it was not, on paper, easily achievable. At stake was qualification for the France 1984 European Championships, which would eventually see Spain go all the way to the final. But neither the fans who packed out the Benito Villamarín in Seville nor, of course, the players who stared in that pre-Christmas epic could have known that.

40 years later, the RFEF's Extraordinary General Assembly wished to pay tribute to them by taking part in the event, with various details that recalled that historic day. At the entrance to the Luis Aragonés assembly hall, photographs of the match and various types of memorabilia  - a television camera from the time, an original shirt, posters and pendants from the match, or the headsets with which José Ángel de la Casa commentated on that "goal from the Señor" on TVE - welcomed the audience to a stage where the current national team crest shares the space with the one worn on the chest by Santillana, Maceda, Rincón and Sarabia, among others.

A feat that is now part of Spanish footballing eternity.

At the end of the Assembly, and in between the memory of the 16 squad players and the national team coach, the late Miguel Muñoz, several of those players took to the stage in the Luis Aragonés hall: Paco Buyo, José Antonio Camacho, Andoni Goikoetxea, "Lobo" Carrasco, Carlos Alonso González "Santillana", Manu Sarabia, Poli Rincón, Tente Sánchez and Francisco Guerri represented that unforgettable squad on stage. Mercedes Mendoza, widow of the sadly deceased Marcos Alonso, also attended the tribute.

 

Afterwards, some of those stars present on the stage recalled their feelings during that historic match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was undoubtedly a moment of great emotion and many shared memories of legendary players that form the authentic eternal history of Spanish football. Just as legendary is the man who gave that epic victory the voice we all associate with it: the match commentator, José Ángel de la Casa. He also received the warmth and affection of the Luis Aragonés assembly hall; and Fernando Giner, president of Legends Spain, wanted to give him a shirt with the number 12: the number of the 12 man that the supports are, and the number of goals Spain scored in that epic match.