Real Madrid are preparing to face FC Cartagena in one of those matches where the disparity is overwhelming. With its 15 Champions Leagues and an impressive collection of trophies, Madrid enters the competition in the cup against Deportiva Minera, a team playing in the fourth division of Spanish football.
However, this is not a new club. Its roots date back to 1949, in Llano del Beal. This team reached the final of the Murcian Federation Cup in 1954. It was a tournament designed for 16 teams from Murcia, Alicante and Albacete who competed in a format similar to the Cup.
The first knockout round for Union Minera was against Jumilla, but the draw was restructured as they could not play Elche to move up to the Second Division. The Altabix team, the strongest in the tournament, was the first rival of the miners, a mid-table team in the regional league. Excitement was at its peak in Llano del Beal.
Read more:
Calabazas: Real Madrid reject Van Dijk at zero cost
Their stadium, Ángel Cerdán, was full on May 23 to witness a surprising 3-3 draw. In the return match, which was expected as a simple formality for the Ilicitanos, the final score of 1-1 led to an unexpected tiebreaker at La Condomina. A goal from Tato II allowed the Union to advance to the quarterfinals.
A 5-0 win at Albacete left the second leg as a formality… but it was not to be. A complaint about irregular alignment was made, and it was decided that advancement to the semi-finals would be determined in the second leg. The Union, who started 0-1, eventually won 4-1. Albacete tried the same strategy by claiming that Jodas, the miners’ goalkeeper, had already played the tournament with the Cartagenera team. It did not prosper.
The semi-finals did not take place as Hellín withdrew. La Minera were in the final, and their opponent would be Eldense, a team of a higher category but less powerful than Elche and Albacete.
Read more:
Campaign for affordable football: Premier League fans join forces against rising ticket prices
Brimming with enthusiasm, the final, initially scheduled for July 4, was played on the 11th to avoid coinciding with the Generalissimo Cup final. It took place in the Cartagena stadium under the refereeing of Mr. Cerezuela, and Eldense won 2-1. The minors team was: Jodas; Ñoño, Tato I, Telechia; Juanito Sánchez, Vizcaíno; Guillamón, Nito, Fernando, Paquirri and Bonmatí.
We were in a different time. The final scorer, Paquirri, and Guillamón were juggling their Minera and Marine War League matches. They played for the Submarine Base.
The final against Eldense now seems small compared to what it means for Deportiva Minera to face Real Madrid in the Cup.
-
Read more:
Robbie Keane takes reins as new manager of Ferencvaros, home of Champions League winner Liverpool
On March 26, 1926, Real Madrid visited Cartagena for the first time. They had sent a reserve team taking advantage of the fact that on the 28th they had a match against Murcia in the cup. At the Paseo Alfonso XII pitch, UDCartago won 3-0 against a Madrid that included the Hernández Coronado brothers, Pablo and Rafael, in its squad.
Madrid returned to Cartagena at Christmas in 1962. On January 3, as part of the Christmas events organized by the mayor (Federico Trillo-Figueroa y Vázquez, father of the former Minister of Defense from 2000 to 2004), Madrid returned won 3-1.
Vitaller gave the home side the lead, but Pepillo, Félix Ruiz and Herrera turned the match around in 12 minutes for a score of 1-3.
Interestingly, the referee was Manuel Cerezuela, the same one who officiated the Minera final in 1954.
Real Madrid now mark Cartagena on their official match card. However, they were regular guests during the summers when the Bahía de Cartagena trophy brought the naval city to the forefront of football.
Read more:
Quintanilla vies glory in the Copa del Rey with Almería
Between 1994 and 2002, the trophy was hosted seven times, and the Madrid team participated six times. Four victories and two lost finals.
Among these summer adventures in Cartagena, the date August 13, 1999 stands out. It was the day that Nicolas Anelka, the most expensive signing in the club’s history at the time, made his debut for Real Madrid.
It was against Perugia, a team that had Marco Materazzi in their defensive line, who scored the Italian goal. The match ended 1–1 and fell in favor of White in the penalty shootout. Anelka did not take a penalty; Materazzi missed.
