Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol]; “Royal Madrid Football Club”), commonly known as Real Madrid, or simply as Real, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain.
Founded on 6 March 1902 as the Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn a white home kit since inception. The word real is Spanish for “royal” and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem. The team has played its home matches in the 81,044-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European sporting entities, Real Madrid’s members (socios) have owned and operated the club throughout its history.
The club was estimated to be worth €3.47 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2018, and in the 2016–17 season it was the second highest-earning football club in the world, with an annual revenue of €674.6 million. The club is one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Real Madrid is one of three founding members of La Liga that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929, along with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. The club holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with Barcelona and El Derbi with Atlético Madrid.
Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s, winning five consecutive European Cups and reaching the final seven times. This success was replicated in the league, where the club won five times in the space of seven years. This team, which consisted of players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Francisco Gento and Raymond Kopa, is considered by some in the sport to be the greatest team of all time. In domestic football, the club has won 64 trophies; a record 33 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey, 10 Supercopa de España, a Copa Eva Duarte, and a Copa de la Liga. In European and worldwide competitions, the club has won a record 25 trophies; a record 13 European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Cups and four UEFA Super Cups. In international football, they have achieved a record six club world championships.
Real Madrid was recognised as the FIFA Club of the 20th Century on 11 December 2000,[14] and received the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit on 20 May 2004. The club was also awarded Best European Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS on 11 May 2010. In June 2017, the team succeeded in becoming the first club to win back to back Champions Leagues, then made it three in a row in May 2018, extending their lead atop the UEFA club rankings.
Are you a Real Madrid F.C.fan? Think you know your Ramos from your Ronaldo? If so, read on to find out more about some interesting facts you may not know about the Madrid team.
Why is there a crown on the shield?
Founded in 1902, Real Madrid C.F. was actually first named ‘Madrid Club de Fútbol’. In 1920, King Alfonso XII added the word ‘real‘ in the front of it, meaning ‘royal’, thanks to the international success the team was having. The crown emblem on the shield appeared when the name was amended.
That crown briefly disappeared, but now it’s back
Thanks to the turbulent years during the Spanish Civil War, the word real and the crown on the shield was dropped. The team was known during these years as Madrid C.F. Instead, a purple band was added to the shield. The purple band has stayed, but the real name and emblem have both reappeared since the end of the war.
Real Madrid C.F. never dropped down the second division
Real Madrid C.F. is one of three teams in Spain that has never dropped down to the second division. The other two teams are F.C. Barcelona and Atlético de Bilbao.
They’ve been numbered since 1947
Real Madrid C.F. was the very first Spanish team to number their players. On November 23, 1947, players first sported numbers on their shirts during a game with Atlético de Madrid in the Metroplitano Stadium.
Real Madrid once played at El Escorial
Just after the team was created in 1902, Real Madrid was invited to play during the festivities of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (a town and palace outside of Madrid). The town celebrations included a game between Real Madrid and a team from Moncloa. The game was held in front of the El Escorial monastery on August 11, 1902, and Madrid won, with a score of 6-5.
Real Madrid C.F. wears white because…
There are many legends and stories to why Real Madrid C.F. wears white uniforms, but the most popular goes back to the grassroots of soccer in Spain: many boys used to practice in their white undershirts.
There’s another Real Madrid out there
Real Madrid South Africa is a semi-professional football club from Galeshewe, in the Northern Cape area of South Africa. Although the original name of the team was Ipogeng Stars, in 1989, the president of the club decided to rename the team Real Madrid as he was a big fan.
The new Real Madrid stadium is coming and it will be bigger
The new Santiago Bernabéu will begin construction in 2018 and will be exactly 12 meters larger than the current stadium. Enlarging the size will be a necessity in order to install the retractable roof that will cover the new stadium.
FIFA says Real Madrid C.F. is the best team
FIFA named Real Madrid C.F. the ‘Most Successful and Best Football Club of the 20th Century’. Do you agree?
They may also be one of the richest and most popular teams
Real Madrid C.F. is the second richest in the world in terms of revenue, and the second most valuable club in the world to date. They apparently earn more than €600 million per year, and have a fan base of more than 228 million supporters.