Madjer’s heel like the heel of the Trojan hero, Achilles!

Prologue!
On a fateful May night in 1987, Rabah Madjer etched his name in football history with a breathtaking backheel goal that stunned Bayern.

The “Praterstadion” in Vienna witnessed a David vs Goliath battle, with Porto, the underdogs, taking on the three-time continental champions Bayern. As the match unfolded, Bayern’s confidence grew after Ludwig Kögl headed them in front.

However, Madjer’s Porto side refused to give up. Thirteen minutes from the end, Brazilian forward Juary broke down the right flank, attempting a pass across goal that took a deflection, slowing it down. Madjer, seemingly having overrun the ball, calmly prodded his right leg forward, waiting for the ball to bounce behind him. With precision and poise, he jabbed it beyond Hansi Flick on the line, leaving the Bayern defender bewildered.

This iconic moment was not just a testament to Madjer’s skill but also a turning point in the match. Four minutes later, Madjer crossed the ball for Juary to seal the win, cementing Porto’s historic victory. Even Pelé, the Brazilian legend, was impressed, saying, “It would have been the greatest goal I’ve ever seen if he had not looked back at it.”

Madjer’s backheel has become an enduring symbol of creativity and ingenuity in football, earning its place in the annals of the sport’s history

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May 27, 1987, Vienna, Austria.
The final match of the Champions Cup between Bayern Munich and Porto takes place at the “Praterstadion”. Both teams are among the most famous clubs in Europe and the world. Especially Bayern, who have won the most prestigious trophy in Europe three times before this final, at a time when the stars of German football played for this club, such as captain Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Ulie Hoenes, the legendary goalkeeper Sepp Mayer….

While Porto, appears for the first time in the finals regardless of the popularity it enjoys in the international arena. In the ranks of the “Porto” team, Futre, defender and captain Pinto, Magalhaes, Sousa but above all the Algerian Rabah Madjer stand out. However, for Portuguese football up to that time, only one name is on top, the black diamond Eusebio of the 60s.

The Germans of Bayern, for their part, have big names in football who play with the representative team, just as this club has always had.
The goal is defended by the outstanding Jean M. Pfaff, currently the top 3 goalkeeper of the world. Then in defense Pflugler, Eder and Brehme. In midfield, Lothar Matthaus and in attack alongside Dieter Hoeness is Rrumenigge, but he is Michael, the brother of the great Carl Heinz, the captain and star of West Germany who has been transferred to Milan for Internazionale.

Also, with Bayern are absent in this final two other starters, Klaus Augenthaler and Wolfhart. So, there are 6-7 names playing with the strong West German representative. Always not to forget the only witness of that night who is still active today, Hansi Flick, with number 7, the current coach of Barcelona.

To get to this final, Bayern has eliminated teams like PSV Eindhoven
(2-0 / 0-0); Austria Wien (2-0/1-1); In the quarterfinals they have defeated Anderlecht of Belgium (5-0 / 2-2), as well as Real Madrid in the semifinals (4-1 / 0-1);

Meanwhile, Porto started with a bang, 9-0 / 1-0 against Rabad Ajax of Malta, in a match where Gomes scored 4 goals, to continue in the second round against Vitkovice of Czechoslovakia (0-1 / 3-0); In the quarterfinals, not without difficulty they beat Brondy of Denmark (1-0 / 1-1) and in the semifinals Dinamo Kyiv (at that time the Ukrainian club that represented the Soviet Union) 2-1 / 2-1.

Everyone considers the German team Bayern as the favorite. And that’s how it will turn out until the 77th minute, the Germans will lead the match 1-0 with a goal by Kogl in the 24th minute.

13 minutes left in the match. Bayern seems to be winning the fourth trophy after those three in a row in the 70s.

A quick counterattack by the Portuguese on the right wing by Jorge Dos Santos Juary, the Brazilian who once played for Avellino in Serie “A”. He crosses into the area very close to goalkeeper the Belgian J. M. Pfaff. The ball gets deflected by a defender which changed its trajectory.

And there Madjer, with his back to the goal, has nothing to do but pull out of his arsenal of magic, a backheel that will remain in the history of European football and perhaps even in the world if we are talking about a high-ranking final.

A legendary moment; Madjer’s heel like Achilles’ heel!

He was already running to the near post, so he let the ball go between his legs and hit it with a back-heel because there was a defender on the line. If Madjer had controlled the ball, he would never have scored that great goal. A more impudent back-heel you could not wish to see.

It`s all 1-1!

“It was a real explosion – I really didn’t expect to score from a back-heel in the final,” said Madjer. “What happened to me is extraordinary.”!

And three minutes later, Juary would score the winning goal 2-1 in favor of the Portuguese who won the trophy for the first time. But what has remained in the archive of the Champions League finals is precisely the gesture, a magical movement, the back-heel kick of Algerian Rabah Madjer and is often referred to as the “Madjer special”.

It is the second time that the Germans have been stunned by Algerian footballers after that unimaginable (1-2) defeat in the 1982 World Cup…

Rrummenigge – Breitner. A meaningful smile is seen in this photo after the match!

And it would be Madjer in the 54th minute who would put Algeria in the lead, followed by the winning goal scored by Lakhdar Bellumi in the 68`.

The Germans, with a little help from Austria, would have the last laugh thanks to the ‘Disgrace of Gijon’. This is another story that we will cover on this page.

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Madjer is an Algerian football star who reached the peak of his success with Porto during the 1980s, or more specifically in 1987 when he became part of the winners of the European Cup (now the Champions League).
He has collected 108 appearances with Porto, scoring over 50 goals between 1985 and 1991. Madjer also has over 20 years of experience as a coach.

But in 2022, Rabah Madjer receives 18-month jail term over fraudulent practices . Algerian Legend Rabah Madjer has found himself in some hot water concerning some business dealings which have been revealed to be far from ethical.

The winner of the African player of the year in 1987, starred in the Algerian national team colors before going on to coach the side, was charged to court alongside a business partner for fraudulent practices in a newspaper they owned.

18-month prison sentence and has also asked him to pay a fine of 100,000 Algerian Dinar along with other fees, which includes a 4-million-dinar compensation being requested by ANEP, as well as repayments for the money which he illegally made.

Thus ends the story of the Algerian star who lit up the Prater field in Vienna, 38 years ago with that unexpected magical shot, leaving everyone speechless, just as he did today with his penalty.

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Sports Vision +Plus Champions Hour in activity since 2013

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