ABERDEEN won the ECWC in 1983 after beating Real Madrid in what was a famous night for the Dons and Scottish football. Before the match, the legendary former Celtic manager Jock Stein evaluated their chances of beating the Spaniards.
In his usual calm demeanour, Stein who won the greatest European prize in 1967, backed the Aberdeen players to pull off a shock under his apprentice, Alex Ferguson.
Aberdeen won the match 2-1 thanks to an extra-time winner from John Hewitt. The Scotland manager’s pre-match analysis proved to be spot on and the similarities between Stein and Ferguson were evident.
Jock Stein assesses Aberdeen's chances of overcoming Real ahead of the match.
"They are playing a myth". pic.twitter.com/Sccujsh8ux
— Here We Go! – The Aberdeen FC Podcast (@AFCHereWeGo) May 11, 2020
Perhaps more bizarrely, you also have the Aberdeen supporters signing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ before the match. Which was apparently a regular occurrence in the early 1980s despite it being associated with Celtic and Liverpool. Celtic are said to have adopted the anthem in the late 1960s, having played the Anfield side in the ECWC in 1966.
Ferguson tells the story that before the game, Stein urged him to give his Spanish counterparts an expensive bottle of whisky, suggesting he was in awe of them.
Of course, it was Stein who suggested to Ferguson that he should present Di Stefano with a bottle of whisky. Make him believe that Aberdeen we’re content just to have reached the final, happy to be merely sharing the same pitch as the legendary Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/0qnjZhVkWx
— Here We Go! – The Aberdeen FC Podcast (@AFCHereWeGo) May 11, 2020
Aberdeen’s European triumph comes nowhere near Celtic’s in 1967, Stein’s side triumphed in Europe playing attacking football and Stein etched his name into football royalty.
