Who were the first British football team to beat Real Madrid on their own turf?
It’s a question many have no doubt faced in pub quizzes up and down the country, and those same people might have been left surprised when they found out the answer.
That’s because it wasn’t one of the now elite teams that occupy the Premier League, nor is it any team that currently make up the professional game in England.
The answer lies at lot closer to home, here in East Lancashire, and the accolade belongs to Nelson Football Club.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the time Nelson became the first British side to beat Real Madrid in Spain, when they won 4-2 at the then-new Campo de Ciudad Lineal ground as part of a pre-season tour.
Nelson were a professional side at the time, sitting in the Football League Second Division and facing league games against the likes of Manchester United, Leicester City, and Leeds United.
READ MORE: Last look at one of East Lancashire's lost football grounds
Before the 1923/24 campaign kicked off, though, Nelson embarked on an epic trip to Spain to play three pre-season games – two each against Racing Club de Santander, Real Madrid, and Real Oviedo.
The tour got off to a disappointing start at Nelson recorded a 2-1 defeat against Santander, with Dick Crawshaw netting the only goal, but three days later they managed to reverse the scoreline and record a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Johnny Black and Clem Rigg.
Then came the history-making moment. Exactly 100 years ago today, a brace from former Manchester City forward Crawshaw and goals apiece from Joseph Eddleston and Bobby Hutchinson gave Nelson a stunning 4-2 victory against Real Madrid.
Reports are mixed on the order of scoring, though Nelson fan David Wells, who kindly provided information on the game for us, said Nelson took the lead and were then pegged back twice before going on to score a further two, sealing the 4-2 victory.
After the game, Nelson players and officials were given a reception at Real Madrid’s headquarters, where the Spanish giants expressed their admiration for Nelson’s style of play and described them as the best British team to have visited Spain.
READ MORE: Farewell to Nelson, the first English club to beat Real Madrid away
Unfortunately for Nelson, their second game against Madrid didn’t quite go the same way, losing 401 two days later, but they restored pride in the final two games of the tour with a 2-1 win and then a 2-2 draw against Real Oviedo.
Upon their return to England, Nelson found life in the Second Division tough and were relegated alongside Bristol City, though they did manage another famous feat on the way by beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Life is much different for the two sides now.
On Wednesday, May 17, Real Madrid will compete in the second leg of their Champions League final against Manchester City, having won the competition a record 14 times.
Nelson, meanwhile, have just recorded a mid-table finish in the North West Counties League First Division North. Quite the contrast in fortunes since that astonishing day 100 years ago.
Does that mean we’ll never see the two face each other again? Perhaps not.
Nelson have been in contact with both Madrid and UEFA about trying to reorganise the game to mark the centenary.
Though we’re not likely to see stars like Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric grace the pitch at Victoria Park, Madrid sending any sort of team to repeat the game in Lancashire would no doubt draw in a crowd.
Until there is an update on that, the thought that what Nelson achieved on that day, and will never be done again, will have to do.
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