Eladio Silvestre
Born in Sabadell (Barcelona) in 1940, Eladio was a strong, hard tackling defender who was famous for his no-nonsense, no prisoners taken style
Born in Sabadell in 1940, Eladio was a strong, hard tackling defender who was famous for his no-nonsense, no prisoners taken style. It was often though that opposing forwards would rather get rid of the ball than take on Eladio and the defensive trio of the mid-sixties made up of Benítez, Gallego and Eladio won great respect from other team’s attackers. His strength also allowed him to get up and down the right flank to lead the team’s counter attacks.
Eladio had a temperamental character and that led him to an infamous incident in a Cup game against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in 1970, when the referee famously blew a penalty for a foul committed fully three metres outside the box. Eladio was subsequently sent off for his mock applause and telling the ref: “You are a Madrid fan! You have no shame!”