Thomas Guasch | Dukadam, the goalkeeper who saved four penalties, left us. The only one

The goal is in mourning: Helmut Dukadam left us, which is called historical. The only goalkeeper to save four penalties in a shootout in a European Cup final. That Barça-Steaua stopped them in ’86, right? No one went to the post or to the exit. He kept two and purified two. Never seen before.

His victims were Alexanco, Pedraza, Pichi Alonso and Marcos El Pichon. It all ended with a score of 2:0 in favor of Dukadam’s team… which conceded two goals. The first to stop them was the great Javier Urruti, the Barça goalkeeper. Bask stopped half of those shooting at him. But nothing.

Both shared their experience and banner. After Barça’s championship victory in Valladolid, Urruti exclaimed: “I love you!” journalist Joaquim Maria Puyal. Many banners have been made with this. In the old Sarria, after the final lost by Barça, to the Ducades, I appreciate it! made by Spanish fans. The management of Barça at that time felt terrible. Keep in mind that President Nunez himself was an Espanyol player. In other cases – logical anger.

Thus, in the eighth round six lost. Lacatus and Balint scored, and later passed through Oviedo and Burgos. 1986. This was supposed to be the first match for Barça. Final in Seville. There are fifty thousand Barcelona fans in the stands against a handful of Romanians.

Everything was amazing. Dakadam’s team reached the final, becoming one of the greatest and constant surprises of the competition. For those who came to watch him play during the semi-finals, I remember my colleague Alberto Sanchis at El Mundo Deportivo warning about his danger. Romanians are also good, he summarized in his reports.

The danger was everywhere: their managers waited in vain for a visit from an emissary of Barça, Koldo or something similar with an offer to buy them the game. In his Seville hotel, the security of the leaders was waiting for the suitcase. Barça’s visit did not take place. Many managers of that time admitted that they put this idea aside, confident of their victory. The fight has always been a battle…

During the match with the endless score 0:0, Coach Venables decided to replace Schuster, who became very angry. So much so that he took a shower and went to the hotel. A Seville taxi driver called the radio station and reported that he had taken the German to the team residence: he was ignored. Bernd was the most authoritative penalty taker in that Barcelona. He left.

We saw that Steaua were no monkey three years later when they returned to the final, their second in four seasons, played coincidentally at the Camp Nou. Warned by Milan, Sacchi gave him no respite and crushed him 4–0.

Shortly after this, Dukadam fell ill and officially suffered a thrombosis in his right arm. He denied that the Securitate, the country’s feared police force, had attacked him for refusing to hand over a Mercedes to the dictator’s son, Nic Ceausescu. As a reward for his performance, Real Madrid president Ramon Mendoza announced a gift.

Helmut denied this, and Don Ramon would only laugh if he were asked about it. The goalkeeper said his only bonus was $200 and a Dacia, not a Mercedes, from his club, which is run by another Ceausescu, Valentin, brother of Nicolae, the country’s president.

I met the goalkeeper in the Madrid final, I don’t remember, the eighth or ninth. Maybe Tenth. Casillas did play and he told me he considers himself great, although he doubts he will one day save four penalties in a shootout. Neither he nor anyone else at this point.

“My secret? Practice hard, try to keep up with your opponent’s race… and hope he makes a mistake. Dukadam knew, who was better than him, that a well-taken penalty was a goal. “With one or four goalies under the sticks,” he joked.

Helmut Dukadam left us on December 2 this year at the Military Hospital in Bucharest due to complications after heart surgery. He’s already with Urruti, what a conversation that will be! Rest in peace.