Gento’s shirty at John
Gordon Bannerman
John Lambie had no chance of claiming Real Madrid legend Gento’s prized shirt almost 50 years ago.
The Spanish winger claimed Lambie had booted him black and blue in a so-called friendly against St Johnstone in the Santiago Bernabeu.
Willie Ormond’s Saints had their summer break in 1971 interrupted by a bizarre plea to play Madrid in a warm-up ahead of their European Cup Winners’ Cup final against Chelsea.
And Saints legend John Connolly recalls his late colleague leaving his mark in the 3-1 defeat.
Right-back Lambie was tasked with halting the gifted Gento, who played more than 400 times in the famous white shirt and also won 43 caps.
Former Saints golden boy Connol ly recal led: “I managed to get one but at the end of the game John tried to get Gento’s shirt and he wouldn’t give him it.
“He said in broken English that he had been kicked up and down the park all game.”
Even tough- tack ler
Lambie, who famously went on to manage the likes of Pa r t i ck Thi s t le and Hamilton Accies, couldn’t stop Saints slipping to defeat after Gordon Whitelaw’s 30-yard strike had given them a shock lead.
Connolly, who went on to star for Everton before moving into the dugout with Queen of the South and Saints, added: “Against one of the best teams in the world that was sti l l a tremendous performance.
“We had been off for a week but then got a call to say we had to get back in for a friendly.
“The season had finished so I asked who we were playing – and when I was told it was Real Madrid I was in shock.
“Maybe their thinking was to play a British side and give their team a boost before playing Chelsea.
“But they didn’t stiff us, that’s for sure, and if we had been in full training I’m sure that it would have been even closer.”
The game didn’t help Real as they lost the final 2-1 to Chelsea in a replay after a 1-1 draw two days earlier.