REAL MADRID - OSASUNA
Enrique Martín almost signed for Real Madrid in the 80s
During his playing career, the current Osasuna coach was highly sought-after; Real Madrid offered 100 million pesetas for him, but the bid was rejected...
Real Madrid wanted to sign Enrique Martín
Enrique Martín Monreal was one of the star players of Osasuna's 1980s side. The Navarra-born striker caught the eye of Real Madrid who tabled a bid of 100 million pesetas. But that offer was rejected out of hand by then-president, Fermín Ezcurra. Martín revealed the details of Madrid's failed trasnfer attempt when he chatted to AS this week: “That was a bummer... without wanting to offend anyone; it was one of those potentially life-changing possibilities which only come along once in your life - they never come along again. Its not that often that such a big club comes knocking for you, and your clubs refuses to let you go. Who knows what would have happened. I'm convinced that it would have triumphed had it gone though, but you never know, do you? It was a blow for me because you hardly ever get the chance to play for a side of that calibre. But life goes on, as they say. My life has been full of ups and down, a real rollercoaster ride. But here I am at Osasuna and I am happy”.
Osasuna was, and still is, a public limited sports company, and Ezcurra put the decision of whether the club should cash in on Enrique Martín and sell him to Madrid to the Assembly. “We all know the stupid decisions which general assemblies make, and I knew exactly what was going to happen”, Martín sighed. The Osasuna coach didn't disclose which year Madrid put in their bid but Ramón Mendoza would have been Real Madrid president, and in the side at the time, according to him were “Juanito, Santillana, Benito, Camacho, García Remón… great players”.
