Real Madrid had to wait 32 long years. A full 32 years without winning Europe's elite club trophy, almost unimaginable for the competition's most successful club. So the elation was enormous when the Spaniards finally lifted the trophy again on 20 May 1998, courtesy of a 1–0 victory over Juventus in Amsterdam. The men from Madrid were coached by Jupp Heynckes, or ‘Don Jupp’ as he was fondly known.
Despite the long yearned-for triumph, the coach and club parted company almost immediately. “It was very difficult to coach at this club," the 66-year-old reported, “there were many factors involved. And anyway, independently of the club's decision, I'd already resolved not to carry on." Whatever really happened behind closed doors back then, Heynckes’ positive memories of his time in Madrid outweigh the negatives: “I had a wonderful year there," he says.
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