European Cup Finalists
Significant players from this era included the now veteren Adelardo and regular goalscorers Luis Aragonés, Javier Irureta and José Eulogio Gárate. The latter won the The Pichichi Trophy three times in 1969, 1970 and 1971. In the 1970s Atlético also recruited several Argentine employees, signing Ruben Ayala, Panadero Diaz and Ramon Heredia, as well as coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo. Lorenzo believed in discipline, caution and disrupting the opponents’ game. Although controversial, his methods proved successful and after winning La Liga in 1973, the club reached the European Cup final in 1974. On the way to the final Atlético knocked out Galatasaray, Dinamo Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade and Celtic. In the away leg of the semi-final against Celtic, Atlético had Ayala, Diaz and substitute Quique all sent off during a hard fought encounter. Despite this they still managed a 0-0 draw and then won the return leg 2-0 with goals from Gárate and Adelardo. However the final at the Heysel Stadium proved to be a heartbreaker for Atlético. Against a Bayern Munich team that included Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoeness and Gerd Müller, Atlético played above themselves. Despite missing Ayala, Diaz and Quique through suspension, they went ahead in extra-time with only seven minutes left. Aragonés scored with a superb, curling free-kick that looked like the winner. However in the last minute of the game Bayern defender Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised with a stunning 25 yarder that left the Atlético goalkeeper Miguel Reina motionless. In a replay, back in the Heysel, two days later Bayern won 4-0.