The arrival of Ricardo Zamora was soon followed by that of Ciriaco and Quincoces. The trio formed the best defence in the world. The result was four titles in as many years (two in La Liga and two Copas). The seeds of Madrid's reputation as winners had been sown, but the outbreak of the Civil War was to cut their run short.
Real Madrid had now accepted the fact that the success they craved would only be possible with the best players. With Zamora, Ciriaco, Quincoces, among others, the trophies came quickly. The 1931-1932 season was a great one for Lippo Hertza's team. The Whites finished the league as unbeaten champions. It was the start of an era of Madrid dominance.
Just a month after the latest cup win (1936), civil war broke out. Real Madrid's finest hour on the pitch so far, was under threat and cut short by the military conflict. It led to many players ending their careers or leaving the country in exile. The club and team would not be reassembled until after the war.
The extraordinary boom in Spanish football meant that some of the players were becoming genuine idols. The best example of this could be found between the sticks at Real Madrid. The final of the 1936 Copa made a star of Ricardo Zamora who was the architect of the Whites' victory over Barcelona. His 'impossible' save from an Escolá shot lives on in books on the history of Spanish football.
On the 19th of April Pedro Parages called an assembly to deal with the situation the club found itself in after the Civil War. With a destroyed stadium and a diminished squad, things were not looking promising. Adolfo Meléndez was named the new president and Real Madrid set about rebuilding itself, practically from scratch.
