Last update 6 June, 2024 by Alberto Llopis
Hanging travels to the 90s on this occasion to visit the Canary Islands, to remember the CD Tenerife From the beginning of that decade, that Canarian team, who became famous in half the world for snatching the League from Real Madrid two seasons in a row. Despite being founded in 1912, the history of Tenerife in the First Division is relatively small however, in that short time, the box chicharrero has managed to leave unforgettable images for all football fans.
Tenerife the years 90 : The golden era of the chicharrero club
Tenerife's golden era can be said to begin with the arrival of Jorge Valdano in the season 91-92. The team, in relegation, is taken by the Valdano-Cappa tandem with eight days left to finish the championship. The duo does not disappoint and manage to save the tinerfeño together with a day in advance. Day where the team would occupy all the front pages of sports dailies to deprive the Real Madrid to win the league.
The next season (92-93) It would be the most successful CD Tenerife in its history. With Jorge Valdano and consolidated on the bench, Argentina would have an excellent template that would allow him to finish fifth and for the first time in his life in UEFA positions. Chemo del Solar players, Fernando Redondo, Chano, Conte, Ezequiel Castillo, Pier, Quique Estebaranz, Felipe Miñambres, Dertycia or Pizzi great evenings of football led to a hobby that for the second year saw Madrid losing the league on the final day to fall 2-0.
This new victory for Real Madrid ended up linking the Tenerife club with Barcelona (the great beneficiary), to the extent that the Catalan club to Tenerife invited to the summer Joan Gamper trophy, where the islanders defeated the Dream Team the Johan Cruyff by 1-3 in the end. Besides, the fans could enjoy the presence of Diego Maradona at the stadium wearing the colors of Sevilla CF.
The last year of Jorge Valdano would come marked by two major achievements. Despite curdle a season rather than discrete League (where the team finished tenth), Copa del Rey in Tenerife reached the semifinals, where only Celta could stop it. In the path, back into quarterfinals, Real Madrid fall to Tenerife's hands by a strong 0-3 in the second leg with a goal by Carlos Aguilera and two of Diego Latorre.
The Euro Tenerife
For your part, in the debut in Europe, the team would reach the third round of the UEFA Cup after eliminating French Auxerre and Greek Olympiakos. Only Juventus Turin would be able to eliminate the Euro Tenerife after tracing a 2-1 Adverse brought the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez.
Valdano to bring a transition period of one year to the club with the arrival of Vicente Cantatore. However, the entrance of German coach Jupp Heyneckes the following year would bring joy to the island. The football team practiced rapid and daring that ended the set again qualified for the UEFA and Juan Antonio Pizzi, the front Facu, as top scorer in the League with 31 shared goals and Golden Boot with Alan Shearer.
The following year Heyneckes on the bench would come marked by the spectacular road team in UEFA Cup, where he managed to reach the semifinals after apear to Maccabi Tel Aviv, to Lazio ( with a 5-3 in the Heliodoro), to Feyenoord and in the quarterfinals to the Danish Brondy. However, el Schalke 04 German would be the executioner of the chicharrero team in the semifinal in an even tie that would not be decided until the extra time of the second leg played in Germany. That would be the last great game for Tenerife, which from then on began an era marked by continuous promotions and relegations until, in the 21st century, it practically did not touch the 1st Division..