‘That game is still the last time that Real Madrid lost a major European final. We were led by Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the best manager of all time, who just scared you into winning!’ Gordon Strachan on Aberdeen’s iconic 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup victory

Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson poses with the Scottish Premier Division and Scottish Cup trophies in August 1984. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Gordon Strachan has achieved many things during his career in football.

The midfielder played 50 times for Scotland and managed them on another 40 occasions, won the Scottish Premier Division twice, the old English First Division and the FA Cup.

But there are few players that are able to boast that they have beaten Real Madrid in a major European final.

Gordon Strachan on Aberdeen’s 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup triumph

Gordon Strachan in action for Scotland against Denmark at the 1986 World Cup (Image credit: Alamy)

By the time Aberdeen had reached the final of the 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup in Gothenburg, it had already been a remarkable run of matches.

After an 11-1 aggregate win against Swiss side Sion in the Preliminary round, the young Scots faced trips beyond the Iron Curtain to Albania and Poland before a mouthwatering quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich.

Gordon Strachan in action for Leeds United — Gordon Strachan would later go on to win the title with Leeds United (Image credit: Getty Images)

After holding the Germans level at the Olympiastadion, they produced an exhilarating 3-2 comeback win at Pittodrie to set up a semi-final against Belgian side Waterschei Thor, who were blown away 5-1 in the first leg.

That meant a final was set up against a Real Madrid side, managed by club icon Alfredo Di Stefano.

An early Eric Black opener was soon cancelled out by a Juanito penalty, before John Hewitt’s extra-time winner.

“That game is still the last time that Real Madrid lost a major European final,” Strachan tells FourFourTwo. “The oldest player in our team was only 28 and we all came from Scotland, which was phenomenal, led by Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the best manager of all time, who just scared you into winning!

Alex Ferguson and Mark McGhee hold up the European Cup Winners' Cup as Aberdeen return home by boat following their victory over Real Madrid in the final in Gothenburg in May 1983. (Image credit: Getty Images)

“People ask you, ‘How did you keep winning?’ We just didn’t want to get beat! That game always gives me a link to any Aberdeen person around the world, and I still have a bond with the other players – every now and then, all of us get together.

“Nothing changes, we’re the same characters, just a bit fatter and balder!”

Strachan was speaking in association with Best Online Casino Nederland

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For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

With contributions from

Chris FlanaganSenior Staff Writer

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