On the morningโฃ of May 7, 1986, he wasโ a largely unknown goalkeeper. โคHis team, Steaua Bucharest, was preparing toโค play inโ theโ final of the Champions Cup โโ now the Champions League โโ against Barcelona, โโbut his name, Helmut Ducandam, was only known in Ceausescu’s Romania. Inโ theโฃ evening of the same day, the whole football โworld learned about โhim.
No oneโ had saved four penalties โฃin a โฃrow โขin a โคEuropean final โbefore.โ And no one has repeated this feat until today, โคwhen Dukedam is no longer alive. He “died” on Monday 2/12 at the age of 65.
He will go โขdown โin history as theโ shooting starโค of โขthe parks. The goddess Fortune gave a rare moment of glory to the tall goalkeeper (1.93) โ he signed one of theโ biggest surprises in theโ annals โคof football โ โbut instantly afterwards she turned her โback on him. โThatโฃ final was to be the โฃlast major โฃgame โฃof his career. Complete โhappiness was succeeded by tragedy.
One morning, while enjoying his summer vacation โat a Black Sea resort, he โฃwoke โคup withโฃ a โฃsharp pain โin โhis right arm. It was July 12, 1986. He was taken to hospital, where he wasโ diagnosed with thrombosis. He underwent โคsurgery,he was spared amputation,but his career โคat the highest level was over โat the age of 27,at a time when โฃEurope’sโฃ top clubsโค were negotiating with Steaua โto signโ him. โDukandam, that year’s candidate โfor the “Ball d’Or” and “footballer of โขthe year” in the relevantโข French Footballโ vote, did not have time to โredeem his trick.
In โขDecember he followed Steaua, the first team from the former Eastern bloc to win European Champions thanks to him, to Tokyo forโค the Intercontinental Cup final (against Southโ American champions โRiver โPlate).โฃ He would not be able to โฃcompete โ the doctors warned โฃhim that it โwould be too dangerous for โฃhis health โ but he would beโค the one to bring the japanese toโ the field. No one knewโ whatโ happened to him.He was photographedโข doing a โขfew jumps, falling to the โground, always with โคhis left hand, givingโค interviews and signing autographs. then he disappeared from the face of theโฃ Earth.
Ducandam’s mysterious “disappearance” โgave rise to a myth – that โฃhe fellโ victim to the dictatorial regime -, โwhich madeโข him even more popular in Romania.There were rumours, afterโ the desperate defeat to Barcelona, 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โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
Whatโ were the key moments in helmut Ducandam’s football career before โฃhis disappearance?
On the morning of May 7, 1986,โฃ he was a largely unknown goalkeeper.โ His team, Steaua Bucharest, was preparing to play in the final of the champions Cup โ now the Champions League โ โagainst Barcelona, โbut hisโ name, Helmut ducandam, was onyl known in โขceausescu’s Romania.โ By โthe evening of that day, โthe entireโ football world learned about him.
No one had saved four penalties in a row in a European final before, and no โone has repeated this feat until today, after Ducandam has passed away. Heโข “died” on monday, December 2, at the ageโฃ of 65.
He will go down in history as the shooting star of the parks. Fortune gaveโฃ a rare moment of glory toโฃ the tall goalkeeper (1.93m) โ he achieved one of the biggest surprises โขin the annals of football โ but just after that, misfortune struck. That final was to be the last major game ofโค his career. Complete happiness was succeededโข by tragedy.
One morning, while enjoying his summer vacation at a Black Sea resort, he woke up โฃwith a sharp pain in his right arm on July 12, 1986. He was taken to the hospital,where he was diagnosed withโข thrombosis. He โคunderwent surgery; he was spared amputation, but his career atโค the highest โlevel was over at the age of 27, right when Europe’s top clubs were negotiating with Steaua to sign him. Ducandamโฃ was that โyearโs candidateโ for the “Ballon d’Or”โฃ and “Footballer of the Year” in the relevant French Footballโข vote, but he โdid not have โtime to โฃredeem his fame.
In December, he โfollowed Steaua โ the first team from the former Eastern bloc to win the European Champions Cup thanks to him โ โคto โTokyoโ for the Intercontinentalโข Cup โfinal against South American champions River Plate.โฃ He would not be ableโข to compete โ the doctors warned him that it would be too risky for his health โ but he would beโข there to bring the Japanese to โthe field. No oneโค knew what โhappened to him after that.โ He was photographed making a few jumps, falling to the ground, always landing on his left hand, giving interviews and signing autographs. Then he disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Ducandam’s mysterious disappearance gave rise to a mythโค โโ that he fell victim to the dictatorial regime โ which made him even more popular in Romania.โ There were rumors โthat after the desperate defeat to Barcelona,he had become โคembroiled in dangerous political circumstances due toโค his brief fame.Despite the end ofโ his career โขand the sadness that followed, the legend of Helmut Ducandam remained a poignant story in the landscape ofโ Romanian football.