"La Quinta del Buitre" era: Tribune © EuroFootball.com

"Tribune" regular participant and "Real" fan Vadimas decided to write an article about the players he fell in love with the royal Madrid club. So, for your attention - "La Quinta del Buitre" era. December 4, 1983 - a very important date in the history of Madrid's "Real" club. On this day, "Real" cantera students Manuel Sanchis and Martin Vazquez made their debut in the first team in a match against "Murcia" at the "Condominos" stadium. These were the first steps of five young talents who left a significant mark in the history of "Real". This quintet was named after Buitre, one of the players from this quintet. It consisted of Manuel Sanchis, Martin Vazquez, Emilio Butragueno, Michel, and Miguel Pardeza. These "pavones" became true "zidanes" and left a lasting mark not only in the history of "Real" but also in the Spanish national team. "Real" at that time fascinated millions of fans with their fighting spirit, determination, and sacrifice, thus the concept of the "Juanito spirit" emerged, representing a team and players who fought until the end, even in very difficult situations. Juanitas (pronounced Chuanitas) Gomez Gonzalez was a "Real" forward who never gave up and fought until the last moment, tragically dying in a car accident on April 2, 1992. From that time onwards, "Real" fans have prayed for miracles from his spirit. This team was unpredictable: one day they could lose to a team away with a score of 0-3 and the next day beat the same team at home with a score of 5-0. They always focused only on attacking, defense was a secondary concern for the players. Beginning In the 1983-84 season, "Real" was coached by the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano, who decided to invite two very talented players from Castilla: Manuel Sanchis and Martin Vazquez. Both players made it into the starting lineup and played excellent matches. Martin Vazquez played brilliantly in midfield alongside Santillana and Juanito. Sanchis, playing in defense, scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute. The match ended with a 0-1 victory for "Real". On December 31, Miguel Pardeza made his debut in the match against "Espanyol". He played only 7 minutes in his debut match, replacing Ulrich Stielike. On February 5, 1984, the fourth member of this quintet, Emilio Butragueno, made his debut in the team. That season, "Real" finished in second place, with 3 out of the 4 young talents playing important roles in the team. Martin Vazquez played 19 matches, starting in 16 of them, and scored 1 goal (his first goal came in a match against "Mallorca" on March 25, 1984). Manuel Sanchis played 18 matches, starting in 16 of them, and scored 3 goals. Emilio Butragueno played 10 matches, starting in 8 of them, and scored 4 goals (in his debut match, he scored 2 goals after coming on the field in the 46th minute and helped the team secure a victory). Miguel Pardeza played only 3 matches, starting in only one of them, and did not score any goals. In the summer of 1984, it was announced that the final member of this quintet, Michel, would join the team. Key events during the Buitre era December 4, 1983. Alfredo Di Stefano returned to the club and started trusting the young Castilla players, inviting Manuel Sanchis and Martin Vazquez to the team. Sanchis scored the winning goal in that match. December 31, 1983. Miguel Pardeza made his debut in the match against "Espanyol". February 5, 1984. Emilio Butragueno, the top scorer in the Segunda Division and the biggest star of this league, made his debut for "Real" against Cadiz with the first team's jersey. His debut was impressive, as he scored 2 goals in the second half and helped the team secure a victory. A new legend of "Real" and the Spanish national team was born. July 17, 1985. The team's presentation for a new season, and Di Stefano invited the final member of the quintet, Michel, to join the team. The famous quintet, which was coached by Amancio Amaro in Castilla's Segunda División, reunited, this time in the first team, marking a new stage in their careers. May 22, 1985. The end of the season, and "Real" finished by winning their first UEFA Cup. The team consisted of a mix of great veterans (Gallego, Juanito, Valdano, and Santillana) and youth and is considered one of the best in "Real's" history. In 1985, to gain more playing experience, Miguel Pardeza was loaned to the "Zaragoza" club, as he did not play a single match for the Real team during the 1984/85 season. During the season, he played 26 matches for Zaragoza and scored 5 goals. March 22, 1986. With 4 rounds left until the end of the championship, Madrid's "Real" secured the champions title and also won the 2nd consecutive UEFA Cup. The title of the Spanish champions was won after a break of 5 years. 1987. After a decent season, Miguel Pardeza was sold by the "Real" team to the "Zaragoza" club, and the Buitre quintet became the Buitre quartet. Miguel Pardeza played 28 matches for Real, starting in 13 of them, and scored 5 goals. April 20, 1988. International glory returns to "Real". "Real" defeated strong teams at the time such as "Napoli" with Diego Maradona, "Porto," and "Bayern" to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the semi-finals, they lost to Eindhoven's "PSV," who won the Champions League that year. May 6, 1990. Another impressive season ends for "Real." The club won its 5th consecutive La Liga title and scored 107 goals in 38 matches. 1990. Martin Vazquez leaves to play in Italy for the "Torino" club and returns to the team only in 1992 after missing 2 seasons abroad. April 14, 1991. Ramon Mendoza is re-elected president of Real and collected a record number of votes in the history of Spanish football. That day, "Real" crushed the "Valencia" club with a score of 4:0. June 26, 1993. In the final, Real Madrid defeated the "Zaragoza" team 2-0, with goals scored by Butragueno and Mikel Lasa, winning their 17th King's Cup, which was also the last one. December 16, 1993. "Real" won the Spanish Super Cup. The return match against "Barcelona" at the "Camp Nou" stadium ended in a 1-1 draw, while the first match on December 2, Real won 3-1 at home. May 25, 1994. By beating "Boca Juniors" with an overall score of 4-3 (3:1 at home and 1-2 away), Real won the Iberia Cup. July 1, 1994. Jorge Valdano refreshed the team's lineup by inviting Fernando Redondo, Michael Laudrup, Amavisca, Quique Flores, and bringing back Santiago Canizares. At the end of the season, Emilio Butragueno left the team. He went to play for the Mexican "Atletico Celaya" club. June 18, 1995. After a 5-year break, "Real" won the La Liga championship and the Champions League. The President of the Spanish Football Federation awarded Manuel Sanchis with the championship trophy. July 1, 1996. The team began training under Italian Fabio Capello. With him coming in, Michel left the team, joining Butragueno at the "Atletico Celaya" club, and Clarence Seedorf, Davor Suker, Predrag Mijatovic, and Roberto Carlos were added to the team. Martin Vazquez also left the team, joining "Deportivo" in La Coruna. June 14, 1997. Under Fabio Capello's leadership, Real Madrid won their 27th La Liga championship and showed the most impressive game in recent years. August 23, 1997. Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4-1 and, after overturning a one-goal deficit in the first leg away at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, won the Spanish Super Cup. May 20, 1998. In the final held in Amsterdam against Juventus, Real won 1-0 and secured their 7th Champions League title. Predrag Mijatovic scored the winning goal, and the trophy was presented to the team's captain, Manuel Sanchis. It was the first Champions League trophy won in 32 years. December 1, 1998. Real won their second Intercontinental Trophy at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo by defeating Vasco de Gama 2-1. Roberto Carlos and Raul scored for Real, while Naza scored for the Brazilian club. May 24, 2000. Real Madrid won their 8th Champions League title - in the final held at the Stade de France in Paris, they beat Valencia 3-0. Coming on the field as a substitute, Manuel Sanchis lifted the Champions League trophy for the second time... July 31, 2001. Manuel Sanchis officially announced the end of his career. The La Quinta del Buitre era concluded. He was the only player to spend his entire career in the Real Madrid club. The great captain was the last player from this fantastic generation, which also included Michel, Emilio Butragueno, Rafael Martin Vazquez, and Miguel Pardeza. During this period, Real Madrid won 8 Spanish league titles, 2 King's Cups, 5 Spanish Super Cups, 2 Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Cups, and 1 Intercontinental Cup. Now let me briefly tell you about each player separately. Manuel Sanchis Hontiyuelo was born on May 23, 1965, in Madrid, into the family of Manuel Sanchis Martinez, a defender for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. He made his debut for Real Madrid on December 4, 1983, and spent 18 seasons with the team. Captain of the team and defensive leader. Sanchis played 524 matches in La Liga, which is the third result in the history of La Liga and the first result among field players, as the first two places are occupied by goalkeepers. He scored 33 goals. He played 66 matches in the King's Cup, 35 matches in the UEFA Cup, and 58 matches in the Champions League. He made his debut for the Spanish national team on November 12, 1986, in a match against Romania, and played a total of 48 matches, scoring 1 goal. He participated in the 1988 European Championships and the 1990 World Cup. His last match for the national team was played on March 11, 1992, against the Commonwealth of Independent States. His last match for Real Madrid was on June 17, 2001, against Valladolid. After retiring, he briefly worked as a coach and is now one of the candidates for the position of president of Real Madrid. He has an economist background. Rafael Martin Vazquez was born on September 25, 1965, in Madrid. He made his debut for Real Madrid on December 4, 1983, and played 10 seasons with the team with breaks (1983-1990 and 1992-95). He was a very technical attacking midfielder. He played 252 matches for Real Madrid and scored 47 goals. He made his debut for the Spanish national team on September 23, 1987, in a match against Luxembourg, playing a total of 38 matches and scoring 1 goal. He participated in the 1988 European Championships and the 1990 World Cup. His last match for the national team was on December 16, 1992, against Latvia. His last La Liga match for Real Madrid was on June 6, 1995, against the Deportivo club. After retiring as a player, he started a coaching career and works in Real's youth academy. Miguel Pardeza Pichardo was born on February 8, 1965, in Huelva. He made his debut for Real Madrid on December 31, 1983, in a match against Espanyol. He spent only 3 seasons in the team but played 2 seasons (1983/84 and 1986/87). He played 28 matches and scored 5 goals for Real Madrid. He thrived as a great forward at the Zaragoza club, where he spent 11 seasons and scored more than 10 goals in 4 seasons. He made his debut for the Spanish national team on October 11, 1989, in a match against Hungary, playing only 5 matches. He participated in the 1990 World Cup, and his last match for the national team was played on June 21, 1990, against Belgium. He last wore the Real Madrid shirt on June 6, 1987, in a match against Espanyol. Now the sports director of Real Zaragoza and a potential candidate for the position of sports director at Real Madrid, he is one of the possible candidates for the position of sports director at Real Madrid. Emilio Butragueno Santos was born on July 22, 1963, in Madrid. He made his debut for Real Madrid on February 5, 1984, in a match against Cadiz and scored 2 goals in his debut match. He spent 12 seasons with Real Madrid and played 341 matches, scoring 123 goals. One of the best forwards of all time at Real Madrid and the Spanish national team. He made his debut for the Spanish national team on October 17, 1984, in a match against Wales and scored a goal in his debut match. In total, he played 69 matches for the national team and scored 26 goals. He participated in the 1984 and 1988 European Championships and the 1986 and 1990 World Cups. His last match for the national team was on November 18, 1992, against Ireland. He last wore the Real Madrid jersey on January 22, 1995. Since 2000, he has been the vice president of the club, responsible for player acquisitions, and is the right hand of Florentino Perez. Not very popular among fans due to his transfer policies. Jose Miguel Gonzalez Martin del Campo (Michel) was born on March 23, 1963, in Madrid. One of the best of all time at Real Madrid and the Spanish national team as a midfielder. He made his debut for Real Madrid on April 11, 1982, in a match against Castellon, but then spent several seasons in Castilla and was permanently transferred to the main team in 1984. He scored a penalty in his debut match. He played 404 matches and scored 97 goals for Real Madrid. He made his debut for the Spanish national team on November 20, 1985, in a match against Austria. He played 66 matches and scored 21 goals for the national team. He participated in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and the 1988 European Championships. His last match for the national team was on November 18, 1992, against Ireland. After failing to qualify for the 1992 European Championship final stage, the national team coach Javier Clemente decided to revamp the team and no longer invited the members of the Buitre quintet to the national team. He last wore the Real Madrid shirt on May 25, 1996, in a match against Zaragoza. After retiring, he worked as a sports journalist for a long time and is now the head coach of "Rayo Vallecano" trying to revive this famous club, which is currently playing in the Third Division of the Spanish league. He is mentioned as a potential candidate for the position of Real's head coach or he will be allowed to lead Castilla. Conclusion These players made their debut in the team when it was going through one of the worst periods in its history, but they managed to lift it from the crisis and make it the most powerful club in Spain and one of the most powerful in Europe. Only the legendary "Barcelona" led by Johan Cruyff, known simply as the "Dream Team," was able to stop their dominance in Spain, but even against them, they fought fiercely and were close to winning the championship titles in the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons, but missed out on the titles in the last rounds by losing to the same "Tenerife" on away matches. In the current Castilla, there are talented players like Michel, Sanchis, Butragueno, Martin, and they can bring the club back to the path of victory, but the team lacks someone like Alfredo Di Stefano, who gave the talented youth the opportunity to shine and waited for the team to start showing results. Fans waited for a championship title for 6 years, but during that time, a team was created that was unmatched for 5 seasons in a row. This team was a perfect mix of young talents and experienced players. Roberto Soldado, Juanfran, Borja Valero, and Ruben de la Red have already won titles with the youth Spanish national team, just like their older colleagues Sanchis, Martin, and Pardeza, and are waiting for their chance in the first team."