If the Pedro Ferradiz won four European Champions Cup trophies, we didn’t even know what the European Champions Cup was!

When Pedro Ferrandiz created the basketball museum à la Springfield under the umbrella of his eponymous foundation (Fundacion Pedro Ferrandiz) in Alcombeda, Madrid, we didn’t even know what foundation meant!

When Pedro Ferradit walked through the events in red shorts, we didn’t even know what the color red was!

When Pedro Ferradit smoked cigars, we didn’t even know where Cuba was going!

I’m exaggerating in all of this, of course, but not essentially, as the late Feradith will be remembered as one of the most prominent figures in the annals of basketball, and most importantly, the “patriarch.”

from Real Madrid.

He also made Real queens in basketball

So he died recently at the age of 94, the man who, before Pablo Lasso was born, made Real Madrid the “queen” (and) of basketball.

Before handing the reins to Lolo Sainz, the small but shrewd coach led the Madrid side to four European Cup victories (1965, 1967, 1968, 1974), in addition to 12 Champions League and 11 Spanish Cup victories.

Why did I call him smart before?

Ah yes that’s a lovely story he once told me himself and he didn’t lie to make himself look great but he meant it.

Back then, the teams and the referees stayed in the same hotel and, despite their rivalry and the importance of the upcoming games and especially the finals, they talked day and night.

They chatted, ate, drank, gossip and the next day “murdered” each other over who would win and who would lift the trophy.

Hungary on the terrace

These soirees mostly took place on the roof gardens of the hotels, on the roofs, as we colloquially call them. There were the coaches, the organizers, and sometimes the players from the teams, as well as the referees, who of course all tried to make them feel good.

Depending on the games, Real Madrid’s Pedro Feradith, Olimpia Milan’s Cesare Rubini, Alexander Gomelsky (Riga, CSKA Moscow), Yevgeny Alekseev (CSKA Moscow) and so on hung out with the referees all night making sure everyone went together not to aim.

In the morning the same mothers kept gathering!

Good morning, you must be late

“We would go together, but I would set an alarm and get up before dawn to be seated” Ferradit told me once.

“Rubini or Gomelski woke up late and by the time they got on the roof I had done my work with the referees so I could get a few more whistles ‘Good morning, you must be late’ and I wanted to go back to my room “.

Feradith was not only smart, but also a very restless spirit, which was indelibly marked with the founding of the Basketball Museum and Library in 1991 on the outskirts of Madrid (Alcombeda).

I had the honor of being one of the guests at the opening, went there twice more and indelibly burned the image of this tiny little man in red trousers, smart shirt and a cigar in his hand into my memory.

On top of that, Feradith forced FIBA ​​to change the relevant rule because of a book he wrote called “Autocanasta” (Car Basket).

Now I imagine that he sets the alarm clock again and again goes first to the roof that will be in heaven!