Madrid, Jan 18 (EFE).- Real Madrid, represented by both its fans and its authorities, legends, coach Carlo Ancelotti and captain Marcelo Vieira, fired Francisco Gento on Tuesday, who died today at the age of 88, legend of the club and honorary president, honored at the Santiago Bernabéu with his six European Cups, a milestone that no one has equaled in history. The last goodbye to the ‘Galerna del Cantábrico’, as he was known during his 18 years as a Real Madrid winger and the Spanish team reopened a Bernabéu under construction so that all the fans who wished to could come to pay the last tribute to the one who was his idol. In a one-way tour of the stadium under construction, all those who came to say goodbye to Gento were able to enjoy some memories of his career, such as photographs and miniatures of the trophies won during his career, marked with 24 titles, more than any another Real Madrid footballer with six European Cups, 12 Leagues, 2 Spanish Cups and an Intercontinental Cup, among other trophies. Already in the box area, reduced due to renovations, a large photograph of Gento with his trophies behind it presided over the room, in which the coffin, arranged on a podium, was covered with a white flag with the Real Madrid shield and escorted ahead by the six European Cups and a white shirt with the 11 that identified the winger. Behind, the flags of Real Madrid, of Spain, the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the City Council of the capital with black crepe, and to one side of the coffin a row of flower crowns, commissioned by his wife and children, his brothers, the Royal Madrid, the club’s board of directors, or the association of former white players. The flowers as a tribute to the deceased did not end there, but more wreaths were displayed throughout the corridor: the white basketball section, the Madridista foundation, the ‘Primavera Blanca’ supporters club, the Royal Spanish Football Federation, LaLiga, the Association of Spanish footballers (AFE), rival clubs such as Barcelona or Sevilla… Even a well-known madridista from the world of culture, the singer Alejandro Sanz, recently appointed honorary member of the entity, also wanted to pay his floral tribute to Gento. One of the first to go to say his farewell was Marcelo, one of the three captains of the first team and the second most successful footballer in white history with 23 titles, only one behind Gento, as confirmed to EFE sources from the white entity. Wearing a black suit and shirt, the Brazilian approached the coffin pedestal for a few seconds with deep respect. He was followed by the coach of the women’s first team, Alberto Toril and the team captain, Ivana Andrés. As the hours went by they saw well-known figures of Madrid society go by, such as Father Ángel, president of the charitable organization Mensajeros de la Paz, who was praying before the coffin just at the moment in which the coach of the first team, the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, came to pay his tribute with his wife. Political authorities such as the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and the mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, also spent a long time comforting the Gento family, represented by a good number of relatives, adults and children, ready to give their last bye. Acting as host was the madridista president Florentino Pérez, talking with each other, as well as the director of Institutional Relations of the entity and former player, Emilio Butragüeño. Along with them, he was accompanied by several former players such as Paco Buyo, José Martinéz ‘Pirri’, Fernando Sanz, Fernando Hierro, the Montenegrin Pedja Mijatovic, Álvaro Arbeloa or Rafael Martín Vázquez. Representing Spanish sport, the president of the Higher Sports Council, José Manuel Franco, attended, and leaving aside the historic citizen rivalry, Enrique Cerezo, president of Atlético de Madrid, attended. The feeling for the historical extreme was not reduced to the players and leaders. Real Madrid fans of all kinds and conditions also attended the funeral chapel. Most of them were veterans who remembered their best moments, even at some point out loud. “You were a magnificent person and a better player, may God have you in his glory,” exclaimed an elderly man before the coffin. Another came to say goodbye to his idol with a framed black and white photograph of Real Madrid’s sixth European Cup winning team, the one in 1966. “I never saw him kick anyone, they tripped him up so that didn’t run”, explained Enrique, an 81-year-old madridista fan who didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to pay his last tribute to his idol with his painting. Gento was born in Guarnizo, a district of Astillero, Cantabria, Spain, on October 21, 1933. He went through Rayo Cantabria and Racing de Santander, before signing for Real Madrid, where he played a total of 761 games from 1953 to 1971. , in which he scored 253 goals. With the Spanish team he played 43 games and scored 5 goals, participating in the World Cups in Chile 1962 and England 1966. Gento’s funeral chapel at the Santiago Bernabéu will reopen its doors this Wednesday, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Later he will be buried in his hometown, Guarnizo (Cantabria), in the strictest privacy at the express wish of the family, according to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid fires Gento along with his European Cups
