July 30th marked the 20th anniversary from the debut of one of the most beloved Real Madrid players of the last few decades: Fernando Redondo.
The Argentinian made his debut with Los Blancos in a match against Basilea, with a 2-3 victory for the Spanish club. Redondo played the whole 90 minutes that day, after having arrived to Real that summer from Tenerife,
Manager Jorge Valdano had insisted so much on signing Redondo that he refused a deal for Diego Pablo Simeone instead. The midfielder was a guaranteed starter at Real Madrid from day one, and he was a key for Los Merengues winning the league title in his first year at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He would go on to play in Madrid until 2000, when he moved to AC Milan in an 18-million-euros deal. In all those years, he played a total 227 games for Los Blancos, scoring five goals.
His track record as a Madridista is impressive: he won two Champions Leagues, two leagues, one Intercontinental Cup and one Spanish Supercopa.
He will always be especially remembered for his performance in conquering the eight Champions after giving a master class in Old Trafford in the quarter-finals of the tournament. His back-heel dribble to leave Berg behind and assist Raul to score is one of the plays the fans remember with proud.
