Established in 1902 Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is the world's most successful football club for the 20th century, as ranked by the governing body of international football FIFA, ahead of Manchester United.
The team play in an all-white uniform, which is the origin of their nickname, Los merengues (the whites). Their home stadium is the Santiago Bernabéu in Chamartín, Madrid, which was founded on December 14, 1947. It has a capacity of 80,354 spectators and its pitch measures 106x72 meters.
Since the middle of the 20th century, Real Madrid has consistently been ranked as one of the top football clubs in Europe. It has won the European Cup more times (nine) than any other club, winning the first five European Cups. The rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is legendary, and draws as much from Spanish politics as it does from footballing matters.
In recent years, Real Madrid have become famous for signing some of the world's best footballers, giving the club a new nickname of Los galácticos (the galactics).
Academy:
The ‘Fundacion Real Madrid’ is renowned for its team of youth coaches and technical training expertise. The Fundacion works with 500 schools in Spain promoting education through sporting values using educational materials that the Academy has produced. The ‘Fundacion’ also regularly hosts themed debates and symposiums on sports issues.
Transport Access : Madrid’s airport, Barajas is a 30 minute drive from central Madrid, the Bernabeu stadium and inspiresport’s accommodation facilities. Madrid has two main stations serving the city centre, Charmartin and Atocha.
Out and About: Madrid was host to 6.5 million tourists in 2004. The immense Bernabeu stadium is situated in the heart of Madrid’s city centre, close to Plaza de Castilla. The ‘Prado’ is recognised as one of the largest and most prestigious museums in the world and is home to an impressive collection of European Art including paintings by Spanish artists Goya and Velázquez. The king’s palace and gardens are also a major tourist attraction for the city and are situated close to Bernabeu stadium.
Take a stroll in the enormous Retiro park and watch the city’s residents, los Madrilenos at leisure; between the boating lakes and cafes, there’s enough to do to while away a whole afternoon. The ‘Warner Brothers Park’ is also situated in Madrid.
Inspiresport provides a professional city guide to take in all the sights of this beautiful, most Spanish of Spanish cities.
We Recommend: Hedonist’s Guide to Madrid, published by Filmer Ltd.
