In the early hours of November 29, 1996, a car was speeding down the A-2, the highway that connects Barcelona with Zaragoza. In the back seat was 73-year-old Alfonso Soláns Serrano, founder of the Pikolin sleep empire and president of Real Zaragoza, which was still competing in the First Division at the time. He was feeling ill and had traveled to the Catalan capital to undergo a minor dental procedure, but before reaching the operating room, his condition worsened. On the advice of the private doctor who had accompanied him, he decided to return home. They never arrived: at 3:00 a.m., right on the road, the doctor declared him dead.