Ramón Marsal

Ramón Marsal Ribó was born in Madrid and started playing football at school, where he was soon scouted by Real Madrid's youth coaches and was invited to join the club. As a result, he joined Real Madrid's youth team in these days AD Plus Ultra in the 1948-49 season. To improve and develop as a player he was transferred to Hércules CF and later to Real Murcia. He was called back by Real Madrid for his good performances at Hércules and Murcia, to join their first team squad. He made his official Real Madrid debut during the fourth match of the 1955–56 season where Cultural Leonesa were the opponents, in the time Real played their matches at the Estadio Chamartín. That season the European Cup 1955–56 was held for the first time. Real reached the final and Marsal was chosen in the starting eleven by coach José Villalonga. At the Parc des Princes stadium French team Stade de Reims was beat 4-3, making Marsal a European Champion at the age of 21. In his second season at Real Madrid he scored one of the most spectacular goals in the club's history. Teammate Alfredo Di Stéfano described the goal as follows: "He zigzagged across the pitch and scored an extraordinary goal." The match against Athletic de Bilbao was won 6-0, but Marsal's goal was the story of the day. The goal is still remembered as "the goal of more than one minute". In this season Real Madrid won the European Cup again, but Marsal did not play in the final. On 20 April 1958, during a match against Celta de Vigo in his…