Real Madrid is one of the most cheered for football teams across the world. They’ve been home to some of the best players of all time and are the representative of elite Spanish football. Some of the best football campaigns have come from Real Madrid and legends have been made wearing their iconic white jerseys. Continue reading to learn more about the iconic Spanish Club!

About the Club

Real Madrid was established in 1902 under the name of Madrid Football Club. Unlike any other club, in 1920 King Alfonso XIII bestowed them with the title of “real” – or “royal” in English – making them true football royalty. Early on in their career the club played at a variety of different stadiums but had no where to truly call home, until club president Santiago Bernabeu headed construction of the stadium that bears his name to this day. Opened in 1947, the Bernabeu can hold more than 80,000 spectators and was the venue for the FIFA World Cup Final in 1982.

Since their establishment, Real Madrid has proved to be one of the strongest Spanish teams. Their first notable accomplishments were from 1905 to 1908 where they won four consecutive Copa del Rey victories. With a growing fan base, the club moved from stadium to stadium to accommodate their fans, until the creation of Bernabeu in 1947. The post-WWII period gave rise to the clubs future success stories and the rivalry the club holds dearly with FC Barcelona. In 1943, during the semi-final match of the Copa del Generalisimo, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11-1. It was an extraordinary comeback but an eternal rivalry between clubs was born. Today, fans know that any match between the two teams is called “El Clasico”, and is framed to be the best matches in club football.

Real Madrid sealed multiple wins throughout the 20th century, including LaLiga Cups, first edition European Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and Copa del Rey trophies. The 80’s were dominated by a generation of brilliant young players. The “Vulture’s Cohort”, led by Emilio Butragueno, made Real Madrid into one of the best teams in history. With two back-to-back Champions League wins (1984-85), and five consecutive LaLigas (1985-90), Real Madrid was the team to beat.

In 2000, Florentino Perez became the Clubs new president and reorganized the club’s economy to make them the richest in the world. He completely renovated the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, created a new sports complex, and opened the Alfredo de Stefano stadium. For the field, he purchased world-class players including David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zinedine Zidane to make their fans’ dreams come true. Signing the best players and managers led to profound changes in the club’s structure and a new era for Real Madrid.

One of the clubs most notable wins was their LaLiga title from the 2011-12 season. They won with a record breaking 100 points, making it the highest score achieved in the history of the championship at that stage, and 121 goals. This wasn’t the only highlight from the decade – in 2017 the club saw a record-breaking year when they took home five trophies: The European Cup, the Club World Cup, LaLiga title, European Super Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup. The talent and thrill that Real Madrid provides continues to better with every added year. In the past nine years, they’ve won five UEFA Champions League titles – their most recent being 2022. With a stacked roster, fans can’t wait to see what silverware they bring home this year!

Highlights and Fun Facts!

There’s no doubt in our minds that Real Madrid is an extraordinary club! Here are some of their highlights and fun facts that prove they’re the ultimate team:

• The club was voted by FIFA as the most successful football club of the 20th century.
• They’ve won the most LaLiga titles (35) of all Spanish clubs, 14 UEFA Champions League Cups, 8 FIFA Club World Cups, 5 European Super Cups, and 19 Spanish Cups, to name a few!
• Real Madrid is one of the three founding members of LaLiga that have never been relegated from the top divisions since its inception in 1929.
• In 1947, the club was the first in Spanish football to number their players.
• A study done by Harvard University found that Real Madrid is the most popular and famous football team in the world with more than 228 million supporters!
• After winning the UEFA Champions League 5 times in a row, UEFA granted the club the right to wear the UEFA badge of honor.

Notable Players

The tension between Spain’s two biggest football clubs was amplified in the 1950’s when both Real Madrid and Barcelona wanted to sign Argentinian striker Alfredo Di Stefano. Stefano broke off a proposed deal with Barcelona to sign with Read Madrid, ultimately making the club one of the most powerful teams in the 1950-60’s. Stefano is considered to be the best player in club history receiving two Ballon d’Ors (1957, 1959), and one of the stars who ruled European football for five years in a row. He was known for his exceptional all-around skill, stamina, and intelligence. To this day, he’s considered to be one of the best center forwards in football history.

In the early 2000’s a large sum of money was invested into key players. Popularly known as the Galacticos, Real Madrid was able to get their hands on some of the best players in the world: David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Luis Figo. Each of these players supported and lead the club to multiple victories, and highlighted everything that was wonderful about the game. One of the most decorated to the club was Cristiano Ronaldo, who over his nine years of play, scored a record of 450 goals. His drive, skill, and athleticism led him to earn five Ballon d'Ors, five Champions League titles, two LaLiga titles, and two FIFA Men’s Best Player awards while with Real Madrid. Today, we get to see players like Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Vinícius Jr, and Federico Valverde hit the pitch and make long-time fans proud!

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