Manolo and Fernando

I was too young to remember Bernd Schuster's imperious performance in the 1980 Euros but by the time the tournament mooted by the French was hosted by the French, I was old enough to appreciate the good football dished out by Platini and Co, Yugoslavia, Spain and Denmark. I had a video collection of almost all the matches, but now they're gone. The 1984 edition was, to my mind, arguably the best. I saw live on TV how my all-time favourite full-back Manuel Amoros (bigger, tougher and more skilful than Philipp Lahm, like Lahm, Amoros was equally at home on both flanks) broke Allan Simonsen's leg (I don't think it was on purpose), Platini's goals, Chalana's midfield presence and Antonio Maceda's forays upfront or Rafael Gordillo's sorties on the left flank.

Also there was this enduring image that has stuck to my databank until today, that of an overweight person with a drum and a beret cheering on his team Spain from the stands ...That guy is Manolo el del Bombo, surely one of the game's most recognised faces .

I'm sure he did not sleep after the final. It was time for a fiesta. I would have loved to be able to interview him!

As for Torres who scored the winning goal, Abba's Fernando is a good way of paying tribute to El Nino. I was wrong to underestimate him. I thought he would be just like another Spice Boy, promising so much but failing in the end to deliver.

Can you hear the (manolo's) drums fernando?

I remember long ago another starry night like this

In the firelight fernando

You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar

I could hear the distant drums

And sounds of bugle calls were coming from afar

They were closer now fernando

Every hour every minute seemed to last eternally

I was so afraid fernando

We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die

And I'm not ashamed to say

The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

There was something in the air that night

The stars were bright, fernando

They were shining there for you and me

For liberty, fernando

Though I never thought that we could lose

There's no regret

If I had to do the same again I would, my friend, fernando