That 62-63 season was Barcelona’s third season without HH, whose departure left the club in confusion. After two failures, Kubala, recently retired, took over as coach. Barcelona signed two Uruguayans, Cubilla and Silveira, the first of whom did little and the second nothing. The last vestiges of the great Barأ§a of HH were retiring, or leaving the club. Evaristo went to Madrid, Eulogio Martínez to Elche. Up front there were only two forwards left from that glorious time, Kocsis and Villaverde.
Kubala started the season by losing the final of the Fairs Cup, carried over from the previous year, against Valencia. In the first round of the League they had five defeats. And Red Star eliminated him from the new edition of the Fairs Cup. He suggested redoing his contract as a player and dressing short again while remaining a coach. Llaudet told him no. That made him feel bad and he would end up signing for Espanyol, with a major scandal.
He was replaced by another old glory of the club, José Gonzalvo, Gonzalvo II for football. The second round began with a draw, at home against Athletic and in Seville against Betis. In the third game it was their turn to host Madrid, who was leading, while Barça was seventh. Although they had lost surprisingly in the first European Cup tie against Anderlecht, they were first in the League, kept four of their sacred cows from the great era, Santamar, Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento in good use, and had been right with the hiring of two young people, one Galician and the other Navarro, Amancio and Fأ©lix Ruiz, who formed a good right wing. The coach was still Miguel Muأ±oz, who was in his fifth year, loaded with authority and respect.
The match, matchday 18 of the League, was played on January 27, 1963 after a curious controversy: Barcelona had raised the goalposts after the match on the 13th against Athletic to give a strong review of the grass in the that the lines were erased. Someone suspected that there was an intention to shrink the field, which produced a great cloud of dust. Article 14 of the Competition Regulations prohibited that. The Barça denied the intention, said that it had only been a test and on Thursday the 24th, before the press, with a notary and architect, a measurement was made with the new lines that gave 107.2×72 meters. The measurements from before.
The game was at eight at night, televised, refereed by Juan Gardeazأ،bal (the best of the moment, and perhaps ever, of our refereeing) and the teams were formed like this:
Barcelona: Sadurnأ; Foncho, Garay, Eladio; Vergأ©s, Gensana; Re, Villaverde, Kocsis, Fustأ© and Pereda.
Real Madrid: Vicente; Isidro, Santamarأa, Casado; Müller, Pachأn; Amancio, Fأ©lix Ruiz, Di Stأ©fano, Puskas and Gento.
Barça starts off energetically and puts Vicente in trouble, whose response was splendid. In the 24th minute, Gento’s escape is tripped in the area by Foncho. The penalty is converted by Puskas to make it 0-1. Barأ§a is not intimidated and in the 34th minute they finally manage to beat Vicente through the Paraguayan Re: 1-1. But in the play from the center kick Puskas scores on a long shot, with his right foot! in great failure by Sadurnأ, 1-2. Barأ§a is stunned and collapses after the break when in the 47th minute Di Stأ©fano makes it 1-3. In 67′ Gento scored 1-4 and in 71′ Puskas scored 1-5. There are also two goals disallowed by Madrid. It’s a massacre.
Bernabأ©u, who always had accounts with Barcelona, did what he had never done after more glorious victories, such as the European Cup finals won, or the Intercontinental. He decided to solemnize that day by making a photo-poster (still in black and white) in the English style, with the forward sitting on a bench and the two goalkeepers (the substitute always traveled to the League matches), the three defenders and the two half behind, standing. The photo, 66×52 centimeters in size, with the players’ signatures clearly visible on the chest, was served in a cardboard cartridge.
A spurious version was later made of the same photo. As the starting team changed during the course, with Pachأn moving to Casado’s position and leaving his to Zoco, it was replaced with Zoco’s head instead of Casado’s. He sings a lot, because Zoco’s height was much greater than that of the substitute. And in addition, positions were altered, which were then taken into account.
