21 year anniversary of Juanito's death

by Zealous Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:43 pm

April 2, 1992, marks the anniversary of Juan Gómez’s death in a traffic accident: Juanito, one of the legends of Real Madrid and of Spanish football. The tragic event occurred when he was returning to Merida after watching a white team game against Torino in the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. He was 37 years old and Merida’s coach. Since then, his memory has remained engraved among all Real Madrid fans and is commemorated at Santiago Bernabéu stadium, where his name is chanted at the 7-minute mark of each game.

Ball skills, steals, goals, passes, and honour are some of the characteristics of Juanito’s game that made him one of the best football players in the history of Real Madrid. Born on November 10, 1954, in Fuengirola (Malaga), Juanito was a Real Madrid player from 1977 to 1987. He played 401 official games, made 153 goals, and won 2 UEFA Cups, 5 Spanish League championships, 2 Copas del Rey, 1 League Cup Final, and the Top Scorer Trophy for the 1983-84 season.

Real Madrid’s number seven was always well loved at Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and that’s why it’s now a tradition to chant "Illa, illa, illa, Juanito Maravilla" (Marvelous Juanito) at minute seven of each game. Juanito also left mythical images in Real Madrid's history, like leaping for joy when he left the field from the game against for the Borussia Mönchengladbach UEFA Cup.