López Ufarte and the cup tradition of the Royal Society: "In my time, we were a strong family"

Prince Rainier sponsored the coolest Txuri-Urdin winger. “Qui est ce petit diable?” exclaimed the sovereign after witnessing his dazzling dribbles in the final of the 1975 Monaco youth tournament, won by Spain over France (2-1). «Some journalist heard that and from then on I kept that nickname. I was skilled, a different player from that Real Sociedad team of the 80s, which had very strong people, like Satrústegui, Idígoras or Górriz. I was different, to give today's young people an idea, I played in a similar way to Iniesta or David Silva. “I was a winger and then I moved to midfield,” explains Roberto López Ufarte (Fez, Morocco, 1958), a left-handed player who captivated with his dribbling.

López Ufarte is an emblem in the history of Real Sociedad, winner of two Leagues (1980-81 and 1981-82) and idol of Spain in the 1982 World Cup.. He opened the scoring in the first Copa del Rey final won by Real Sociedad, on March 30, 1987, against Atlético de Madrid (2-2, extra time and victory on penalties). This Tuesday, the San Sebastian team, against Mallorca, seeks its fifth appearance in a cup final, 0-0 in the first leg.

«I played that final knowing that it was going to be my last game with Real Sociedad. Toshack, who was the coach, had told me that my time had passed, that I had to leave. That day I didn't know that weeks later I was going to sign for Atlético. Jesús Gil y Gil became president of the club, hired Menotti and the Argentine insisted on having me. I was part of Jesús Gil's first project, the one that was headed by Futre. The Portuguese and I played in the same position,” recalls the former footballer.

«We played in Zaragoza, it was hot and there were many mosquitoes that got into our eyes and mouths. We were not favorites. We changed the system, Larrañaga moved to the center of the field. We finished 2-2. I scored the first goal, then Da Silva tied, we went ahead with a goal from Txiki Begiristain and Rubio tied. We went to extra time and won on penalties, with two saves from Arconada. I think that day the motto 'It's okay, we have Arconada' was born. We celebrated the victory at the hotel and then we went to San Sebastián to celebrate with the people and the institutions. I have a strange memory, of joy and sadness, because we won, but I knew that I was going to leave a team that was my life.. “Some insisted that I stay when they had previously told me to leave,” the former royalist striker said in a telephone conversation.

The path to that final bears certain parallels with today. In the semifinals, Real faced Athletic, precisely Atlético de Madrid's rival in next Thursday's tie. «I remember that in the first leg, in our field, we had a very bad time because for a long time we played with two less, it seemed that Athletic spared our lives. We resisted as best we could. In the second leg we won 0-1 with a goal from José Mari Bakero,” emphasizes The Little Devil, who adds that that match was complicated, as could be this Tuesday's.

«When the ball came out of the draw matchup, many were happy because, a priori, Mallorca is weaker than Atlético or Athletic, but I didn't really like it.. And historically, Mallorca has never been good at Real Sociedad. We've always had problems, and now it won't be any different. The first leg ended 0-0 but nothing has been decided. In addition, Mallorca has a coach, Javier Aguirre, who knows the job very well.. The tie is very open, the same goes for San Mamés, I see Atlético capable of getting into the final. Who do I prefer in the final? Maybe to Atlético because I was part of that club,” he warns.

The fact is that Real has a new opportunity to get a ticket to the final with a team that also aspires to get into the Champions League quarterfinals.. Now it is a good squad, but different from the one that amazed 40 years ago. «The secret of that is that we were like a family, we knew each other since we were little, we played on the beach, in La Concha. We combined very well. On the playing field I always had a special understanding with Zamora. In the field we understood each other with our eyes closed. I also related well with the young people who were arriving, like Bakero or Begristiain. One crucial thing is that as soon as we were injured, the same team was almost always repeated. We spent practically the entire season with 13 players. “People knew the team by heart,” he recalls.. The base team of the 80s, coached by Alberto Ormaetxea, was the following: Arconada; Celayeta, Górriz, Gajate, Olaziola; Diego, Alonso, Zamora; Idígoras, Satrústegui and López Ufarte.

A group of youth players that stood up to Real Madrid in the League, that snatched the champion title from them on the last day and that for several years was the backbone of the Spanish team.

The winger says that before there was more connection between the players: “Then football was different, it was more enjoyable.”. We spent a lot of time together, after games or training we would stay to eat or have tapas.. We were a strong family. Gorriz and Gajate joked that their respective wives told them that they spent more time together than with them. We still usually meet up, at least once a year, during the Christmas weeks.. Now everything is different in human treatment and, above all, about money, let's not even talk about it.. “Before, with what you earned in one year you paid for a house in three years, now with what you earn in one season you buy three houses.”

López Ufarte was a small, skinny kid who looked out of place among physically powerful players.. But he knew how to take advantage of his virtues. «There was a coach, Javier Expósito, who asked us who was the bravest player on the team. Many said that Satrústegui and Idígoras, but he responded that I was the bravest, because I went to dribble, they kicked me, but I did it again without fear.

His exquisite technique was a consequence of the famine during his childhood: «After the Civil War, my parents went to Morocco to look for work.. I was born in Fez. I remember that when I was a child I played in a very small playground, with 20 or 30 children, the spaces were small and I think my dribbling ability was born there, the same old street football.. Qualities that allowed him to score 129 goals for Real Sociedad and be the club's second top scorer, only surpassed by Satrústegui.. With the Spanish team he played 15 games and scored seven goals.

After leaving Real Sociedad he played a season at Atlético de Madrid and in 1988 he signed for Betis. He retired in 1989, but has always been related to football and, especially, to the San Sebastian club.. «At Real I spent 12 years as a player and 12 as a coach, helping coaches like Toshack, Irureta, Clemente and Krauss. I have spent a quarter of my life with Real. I was like the Molowny of the Royal Society, a man of the house. As a coach I have been with Toshack on several occasions, I believe that since he was the one who decided that I should not continue at Real, out of remorse whenever he could he turned to me as second coach,” he underlines.

In 2013 he went to Vanuatu (Australia) and a year later to Morocco, in the Casablanca team. At 65 years old, The Little Devil collaborates with Cadena Cope. Tonight he will comment on the game with the memory of that unforgettable first time.