The notoriously predatory Emilio Butrageuño was the dominant figure within Real Madrid’s legendary Quinta del Buitre who went by the nickname El Buitre (The Vulture) – was so lethal a marksman that it was his nickname which adorned the collective moniker of the Quinta del Buitre – roughly translated as Vulture’s Cohort – a label which had been handed to Butragueño and the four teammates he emerged with from Real Madrid Castilla during the early-to-mid 1980s it was Butragueño who was the last of this famous five to make his first-team debut for Los Blancos Butragueño would go on to an array of trophy-laden years in the iconic all-white of Real Madrid – but only with three of them Sanchís and Vázquez prospered spectacularly alongside El Buitre arguably making him the most mysterious and enigmatic member of the Quinta del Buitre Butragueño’s meteoric rise was in sharp contrast to the path Pardeza took Sanchís and Vázquez remained in the Real Madrid squad for 1984/85 one which had won the Segunda División in 1984 despite being ineligible for promotion to the Spanish top-flight Undeniably Castilla’s star performer in 1984/85 as the other members of the Quinta del Buitre assisted Real Madrid in lifting the UEFA Cup Pardeza was in imperious form alongside his strike partner Julià a player who would go on to a productive if modest career at Real Oviedo Conscious that Pardeza had outgrown his Castilla surroundings by the summer of 1985 with an embarrassment of riches available to them in forward positions they decided he should go out on loan for a season to a fellow LaLiga club of substance largely in a bid the end their five-season league title drought Read  |  Emilio Butragueño: the vulture La Romareda would be Pardeza’s destination and Real Zaragoza was the perfect club for him to acclimatise to the rarefied air of LaLiga A club which had periodically threatened to pull up a chair to the very top-table of Spanish football they had risen dramatically during the 1960s when they enjoyed an eight-season span during which they never finished outside the top five places in LaLiga It was during this time that Zaragoza also collected their first pieces of major silverware playing in the final of four successive Copa Generalísimo’s between 1963 and 1966 prevailing in the second and the fourth of those finals When they won the 1964 final against Atlético Madrid at a vibrant and packed Bernabéu it came just 11 days after they had won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Valencia at a half-full but still atmospheric Camp Nou although within three years the club was obtaining its highest ever league finish trailing a very distant runner-up to a dominant Real Madrid In a decade when Los Maños drifted from one extreme to the other and then back again The Zaragoza that Pardeza teamed up with in 1985 was again on an upward trajectory Despite an uninspiring league finish the season before there had been a run to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey while the two seasons prior to that had seen the club narrowly miss out on European qualification Pardeza was followed to La Romareda by another Bernabéu exile in the shape of Francisco Pineda an attacking player who felt the need for pastures new and to play on a week-to-week basis something he had been denied at Real Madrid They were joined in the Zaragoza forward line by young Uruguay striker Rubén Sosa who would eventually excel in Serie A with both Lazio and Internazionale This new strike triumvirate was blessed to be the beneficiaries of the midfield promptings of Spain international Juan Antonio Señor who had played in theEuro 84 final and would go on to represent his nation in Mexico at the 1986 World Cup their highest league position in over a decade and lifting their third Copa del Rey in the process ending a 20-year trophy drought It was a startling return to prominence for the Aragon club and Pardeza was central to it all Blessed with a low centre of gravity, strength, and an eye for an unexpected angle of the through ball, Pardeza was a peculiarity to the traditional pattern of play for Spanish clubs, who were used to their central attacking players concentrating on the final third of the pitch. If you need a comparative player, you could perhaps look towards Mark Hughes where he would suffer due to a similar lack of understanding over his movement and positioning despite playing under the management of Terry Venables Pardeza found an environment which was happy to embrace his niche approach to the game Pineda and Señor all benefitted from the creativity of Pardeza who chipped into the goals tally for the season with five he never had a higher scoring season in the colours of Zaragoza than he did in 1985/86 Read  |  The seven years that saw Emilio Butragueño and Hugo Sánchez score 43% of Real Madrid’s goals Zaragoza were unbeaten in their last 12 league games Barcelona and Athletic Club finished above them As Pardeza’s mother-club clinched its first LaLiga title in six years his loan side swept to glory in the Copa del Rey defeating Barcelona in the final at the Vicente Calderón in Madrid thanks to a heavily deflected winner by Sosa While the Copa final had been the biggest game of Pardeza’s career so far it was the two legs of the semi-final that decided his immediate future He had been impossible to contain for his opponents His stunning performances in helping Zaragoza to the final convinced Los Blancos that he would be spending the 1986/87 season at the Bernabéu a decision which was first pondered when Pardeza and Zaragoza overwhelmed Castilla in the quarter-finals Just 15 days beyond the 1986 Copa del Rey final this time at the Camp Nou in the short-lived Spanish League Cup He was on target in a 2-2 draw and was now looking to proving himself a worthy addition to the Real Madrid squad for the defence of their LaLiga title and their first European Cup campaign since 1980/81 Pardeza played a crucial cameo role in Real Madrid’s successful defence of the title in 1986/87 offering a distinct difference from the periphery when called upon He even scored both Real Madrid goals in a 2-1 victory at the Bernabéu over Zaragoza during a closely contested run-in When chasing their tail in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final against Bayern Munich it was to Pardeza that Leo Beenhakker turned in a forlorn and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to turn around a 4-1 first leg deficit He may have had a LaLiga winners medal in his hand Pardeza’s talents were being bound in the limitations of the horizons Real Madrid allowed him to have with Beenhakker unwilling to let him go on a permanent basis Pardeza returned for another season at La Romareda Unbeknown at the time, it would be 10 years before Pardeza finally kicked his last ball in anger for Zaragoza, while his expected swift return to the Bernabéu would only come more than 20 years later, as sporting director under the presidency of Florentino Pérez The 1987/88 campaign was perfect for Pardeza on a personal level, linking effortlessly once again with Sosa in a Zaragoza side that occasionally contained an injury-blighted Frank Rijkaard A mid-table finish of 11th was a disappointment but not one which stopped him agreeing a permanent move to La Romareda that summer With the departures to Serie A of both Sosa and Rijkaard Pardeza became the man that Zaragoza built their side around Radomir Antić led Zaragoza to an incredible fifth-place finish in 1988/89 and for a long stretch of the season they did until an impressive 11-game unbeaten run to the finish line earned them a UEFA Cup spot Read  |  Real Zaragoza: the kings of the Copa Antić put together an eclectic collection of players, inclusive of the bludgeoning Francisco Higuera, Bulgarian striker Nasko Sirakov, and the unpredictable goalkeeping of José Luis Chilavert It was a combustible but entertaining team which also boasted Spanish internationals to be in Francisco Villarroya and Juan Vízcaino It might not have been the Quinta del Buitre but Pardeza was once again a part of an expressive and free-thinking collective Although 1989/90 failed to offer the collective highs of the previous season Pardeza made a breakthrough at international level appearing as a substitute at the Nep Stadion in Budapest in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Hungary He also made Luis Suárez’s squad for the finals in Italy reuniting him with the other four members of the Quinta del Buitre Having not even made the bench for Spain’s opening two games Pardeza was amongst the substitutes for the final group game against Belgium the chance for all five members of the Quinta del Buitre to share a pitch together at the World Cup finals was lost as Butragueño had departed the Bentegodi pitch just a short few minutes prior to Pardeza’s arrival It was the fifth and final time that Pardeza represented his country He watched on helplessly as an unused substitute as Spain slipped out of the World Cup in the last-16 against Yugoslavia who had been controversially removed from the fray despite Spain needing a goal to push the game into extra-time Pardeza returned to La Romareda and found only upheaval Antić had departed and heading out of the club were Villarroya to Real Madrid and Vízcaino to Atlético It was back to the drawing board for Zaragoza as they opted for former Uruguayan international midfielder While Maneiro wouldn’t last the full season in charge he did make one very telling contribution to the future well-being of the club He was responsible for the arrival of Gustavo Poyet a player who would span the remainder of Pardeza’s time at La Romareda who would lead the club for six productive years and was credited as the man who converted Poyet from a striker to an attacking midfielder Zaragoza very nearly crashed to relegation Higuera and Poyet fought hard to pull the club through a relegation playoff win against Murcia from where Fernández laid the foundations that would lead Zaragoza back to the promised land of silverware Within 12 months of their flirtation with relegation, Zaragoza were ending the 1991/92 season in a credible fifth place, clinching with it UEFA Cup football and the signing of Andreas Brehme they reached the final of the Copa del Rey Injury would restrict Pardeza to no more than the role of an unused substitute at the Mestalla Without their two most prominent components Real Madrid were simply too strong for Zaragoza Read  |  The decline of Real Zaragoza, a club that once lifted trophies amongst LaLiga’s elite Pardeza and Zaragoza were back in the final By now Pardeza was club captain and he was joined in the side by the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Nayim and Argentine striker Juan Esnáider Zaragoza prevailed on penalties after a goal-less 120 minutes The quality of the match mattered little to a club whose successes are fleeting and there to be embraced passionately a chair at the very top-table of Spanish football seemed to be in the offering for Zaragoza The 1994/95 season brought them the most iconic moment in their history that Nayim launched his audacious last-gasp attempt to settle the 1995 Cup Winners’ Cup final it was an effort that was much more measured and premeditated than many observers gave credit for As David Seaman lay against his own netting unable to summon the senses to rise to his feet coaching staff and fans spontaneously combusted The image of Pardeza and Fernández embracing on the pitch was a joyous one Pardeza’s on-pitch vision worked to perfection in symbiosis with the ideals and meticulous planning of Fernández Pardeza and Zaragoza had reached the peak of their powers He would play at La Romareda for two further seasons that saw the club regress to mid-table water-treading before enjoying two years in Mexico at Puebla alongside his former Zaragoza teammate Higuera The respect with which Pardeza was held saw him return to both Zaragoza and Real Madrid as sporting director his on-pitch intelligence transferred to the corridors of power at La Romareda and the Bernabéu Pardeza took the path less travelled compared to his other four comrades At the Bernabéu he was arguably stifled by his natural gravity-led sense of positioning it took him into an area of the pitch that belonged to Míchel as a higher positioned midfield playmaker and it needed a club to build a team around him to win the best of his talent Zaragoza gave him that and it says everything about how unique Pardeza was that he spent so long at La Romareda Unlike when Real Madrid allowed Vázquez to depart the Bernabéu for Torino – after which they saw the error of their decision and reclaimed the midfielder within two years – Los Blancos missed out on Pardeza for good at no point did a Barcelona or an Atlético Madrid feel that they could accommodate him within the pattern of their formations Pardeza would have found himself in high-demand had he found his way into the English game Yet it was in Spain and LaLiga that he would remain etching a legacy as one of the finest talents to play outside of the traditional big two By Steven Scragg @Scraggy_74 The World Cup winner netted a sensational treble as Paris Saint-Germain took command of their Champions League last-16 tie with a 4-1 away win in the first leg Mbappe's smart close-range finish cancelled out Lionel Messi's penalty opener before he tapped in after half-time to give PSG the lead for the first time Moise Kean added to that advantage before a sublime breakaway fourth saw Mbappe sweep a stunning finish into the top-right corner The France forward is the first visiting player to score three times at Camp Nou since Diego Forlan's hat-trick for Villarreal in 2005 That Forlan effort was the first of the 21st century the previous being the only other Champions League treble besides Mbappe's when Andriy Shevchenko led a remarkable 4-0 away win for Dynamo Kiev in 1997 Not all hat-tricks for away sides at Barca have resulted in such dominant displays with three of the 10 trebles coming in matches that ended all square And two three-goal stars actually finished on the losing side including poor Milinko Pantic in a Copa del Rey epic months before Shevchenko stole the show Pantic scored four times for Atletico Madrid yet they improbably went down 5-4 to Bobby Robson's Blaugrana The only other instance of a visiting player netting four came at Barca's previous Les Corts home when Julian Arcas did so in a draw with rivals Espanyol in 1956 Two of the 10 hat-tricks came at Les Corts - the other eight were all at Camp Nou - as Barca also beat Valencia 4-3 in 1948 despite Vicente Segui's treble Not since 2005 had a visiting player scored a hat-trick away to Barcelona with Kylian Mbappe the 10th ever.Kylian Mbappe became just the 10th player ever to score a competitive hat-trick away to Barcelona on Tuesday Nayim's famous goal from the halfway line was a moment of magic that beat a "faultless" David Seaman Standing at one end of the Parc des Princes Andoni Cedrún watched on as his team-mate Mohammed Alí Amar struck the ball high into the Paris night sky As the folk song which echoed around the schoolyards would later claim it was an audacious attempt from the halfway line but in reality it was just inside Arsenal's half off to the right near the Real Zaragoza technical area he makes the loose-fitting jersey of the 1995 final almost look like it was tailored to fit him he draws particular attention to the forgotten goal of the final - Juan Esnáider's opener for the team from Aragón Because he hit it with all the characteristic fury of Juan Esnáider."  While that's not the goal that everyone remembers it is a moment that encapsulates the dynamic of the game quite well a journalist who covered the game at the time for the Heraldo de Aragón noted this was a meeting of two very different visions of the beautiful game "Arsenal played a typical British style of football," recounts Gay who now works as the press officer for Real Zaragoza "but they had a number of impressive players Nigel Winterburn - a really brilliant team It's true that they didn't play in the same way as Zaragoza but they had won the Cup Winners' Cup the year before." that clash of styles was more than evident Wright tangled with Zaragoza's Francisco Higuera in the centre circle the two squaring up to each other and almost coming to blows who arrived at Zaragoza from Tottenham in 1993 and it didn't take long for the contempt that familiarity had bred to show through John Hartson went in on a late tackle from behind and dragged his studs down the calf of his opponent Nayim and Lee Dixon were at each other's throats for the opening half hour Absence had not made the heart grow fonder in this case When Arsenal got the ball they looked to shift it forward quickly; the plan was to hit Hartson and release Wright played triangles and moved the ball along the ground trying to play wide to exploit the space provided by Alberto Belsué's stamina and pace from right back The experience of Stewart Houston's side (who took over as caretaker after George Graham was sacked in February) told in the opening period with the likes of Tony Adams and Paul Merson who had won the title against Parma one year earlier helping their team to settle into the game despite Zaragoza's superior technical skill Image: Arsenal manager George Graham celebrates with captain Tony Adams (left) and goal scorer Alan Smith (right) after the team paraded the European Cup Winner's Cup through North London John Stillwell / PA Archive/Press Association Images They had been absent from European competition since the 1980s and just a few years earlier had been fighting for their top flight survival "There's a before and after to this story," explains Cedrún "and it all started with a famous game against Murcia to avoid being relegated to the second tier in the 1989/90 season." That quality was coupled with the experience of those already in the team who suited the project while young players with a hunger to win titles came through the ranks they were beaten finalists in the final of the Copa del Rey in 1992/93 season they went one better and claimed the trophy Their route to the final started with two games away from home as Zaragoza were not allowed to use their Romareda stadium A win against Feyenoord saw them take a trip to England to play Chelsea giving them a taste of the type of game that awaited them in the final A 3-0 win at home was almost overturned at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea scored three times to make things too close for comfort and finally a goal from Santi Aragón got us through "Chelsea were true proponents of the English style of football They won the ball and then attacked at speed That power told in the early stages of the final and clear-cut opportunities were few and far between An intervention from Solana was required to stop Wright finding the back of the net before Fernández's side got close to the rhythm of the game Keown was bloodied and suffered a nose injury after a clash with Ray Parlour; Esnáider and Adams clashed with the big Arsenal man gesturing to him after a tackle that he wanted a handshake by way of apology and Real Zaragoza's Juan Eduardo Esnaider look for the ball during the European Cup Winner's Cup final at the Parc Des Princes Lionel Cironneau / AP/Press Association Images As stunning as the volleyed opening goal was it was canceled out shortly afterwards by a far scrappier one from Arsenal and cut the ball back to the find Merson thanks to a favourable bounce who pulled his shot to the left (by accident or design) Fernández gestured from the bench for his players to take a touch Jesús Villanueva held a cigarette between his fingers a picture of calm when it seemed that his team were anything but Arsenal had scarcely deserved that equaliser A fantastic piece of defending from Belsué denied them on the line but aside from that the best chances had all come from Zaragoza The only reason Arsenal were even still in the game was He denied Pardeza a great chance just a few minutes into the second half a ball across from Belsué found Higuera alone in the middle of the box and Seaman denied him with a point blank save he went full stretch to touch a header from Aguado on to the post and gather the rebound even Esnáider had to pat him on the back and congratulate him Nayim's stunning strike is the moment that decided the game given that he was drafted in as a substitute for the final in place of injured Juanmi Cedrún has a somewhat deeper understanding of what Seaman must have gone through you can glimpse the destiny of the goalkeeper," he muses but right there is when the goalkeeper can become a hero or a villain a player can miss a number of opportunities and score one goal but a goalkeeper can be brilliant for a whole game "The job of a goalkeeper entails moments like that As much happiness and joy as I felt in that final I also knew that what happened to Seaman can happen to any goalkeeper And that's why it's such a specialised position "You can equally be terrible all game and make two important saves towards the end or save two or three penalties in a shootout A strike from distance in the last minute of extra-time he knew the position that Seaman liked to occupy in the box "He didn't score that goal by chance," says Gay He shot with certainty and with determination knowing how Seaman played and that his single strike of the ball could become a moment of magic while back home the entire city of Zaragoza was captivated by the game and glued to their screens He notes that it was the moment that Real Zaragoza "were seen as a club who deserved to be on the European stage All the outlets here in Spain recognised them as such and it earned the team the admiration of the international press too." and the goodwill felt towards the club has never been lost but things haven't reached the heights of that night in Paris again Great players have come through the ranks or joined the team since However, the mismanagement of the club's finances meant that they have become somewhat of a yo-yo club in recent times struggling to get back to the top table of football in Spain but Zaragoza fans are hoping that more magical moments like Nayim's bolt from the blue that dropped out of the sky in the Parc des Princes and the name on the crest of Real Zaragoza "But I believe we're starting to rear our heads again to try and touch that sky once more."  This form collects your email so that we can send you emails By clicking yes you confirm your accept our privacy policy Developed by Square1