Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Facts

Real Madrid, a Spanish football team, which is the biggest football club in the world, plays its home games at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Although their nickname, "Los Blancos," was changed to "Los Galácticos" in the 2000s as a result of the large number of well-known and costly players who joined the club, they still wear all-white uniforms.

The "Bernabéu," as it is frequently referred to, is one of the largest stadiums in the world, fitting for one of the biggest teams in the world. After the Camp Nou in Barcelona and the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, the Bernabéu is the third-largest club stadium in all of Europe.

Real Madrid has always been considered to be among the top soccer clubs in Spain. Along with FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, it is one of the three clubs that have never been demoted from La Liga, the Spanish football league.

It was not until Santiago Bernabéu, a former member of the team, was elected club president in 1943, Real Madrid did not only become one of the biggest clubs in Spain, but also in Europe.

Another interesting Santiago Bernabeu stadium facts is that, Real Madrid's new president upgraded the club's training facility and built a new stadium as among his first actions. To finance the project, the club obtained a loan from the "Banco Mercantil e Industrial."

Just one year after Santiago Bernabéu was elected club president on October 27, 1944, construction of the stadium began, after completing the purchase of the site on which it is located. To start work on the new stadium, architects Manuel Munoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler were appointed in September 1944.

The stadium's construction took three years, and when it was finished in 1947, it could accommodate 75,145 spectators, including 27,645 in seats and 47,500 on the stands.

Another interesting Santiago Bernabeu stadium fact is that the stadium's designers were Manuel Muoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler, who were brought on board just one month before work on the stadium really got underway on September 5, 1944.

The stadium was finished a little more than 3 years later. It could hold 75,145 spectators, out of which 27,645 were seats, while 47,500 were for standing crowds.

Another interesting Santiago Bernabeu stadium fact is that - Real Madrid really won the first game that was played at their new arena, unlike, for example, Manchester United, who lost their debut game at Old Trafford against Liverpool.

On December 14, 1947, Real Madrid played against the Portuguese team "Os Belenenses," and "Los Blancos" won by 3-1. Real Madrid striker Sabino Baringa was the first player to ever score at the Bernabéu. The first official match took place on December 28, 1947, during matchday 12 of La Liga against Atletico de Bilbao, which had been postponed because of the stadium's inauguration.

When the stadium initially became operational, Estadio Chamartín, Real Madrid's previous home, was replaced. As a result, it was given the name Nuevo Estadio Chamartín.

The board of Real Madrid at that time chose to change the club's name to honour president Santiago Bernabéu, just over 11 years after work on the new Real Madrid home began and just 8 years after it was finished.As a result, the stadium's name was changed to "Estadio Santiago Bernabéu" from "Nuevo Estadio Chamartín."

The stadium was renamed in 1955, the same year that the first significant renovations were finished. The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium once had the title of largest stadium in all of Europe during this period, which is among its most intriguing facts.

On June 19, 1955, the first upgrades were finished, increasing the stadium's seating capacity from just over 75,000 to over 125,000.

The Bernabéu needed a significant renovation because Spain would host the 1982 FIFA World Cup and it would be one of the primary venues for this event. For starters, FIFA mandated that there must be roofs over two-thirds of the sitting area.

Along with redesigning the stadium's facade, electronic signs were installed, and the locker rooms and press facilities were renovated, additional stadium improvements were done which included covering all the seating areas with roofs except for the east side.

During 1955, the stadium grew to a capacity of 125,000 people, making it one of the largest stadiums in Europe. Floodlights were installed in 1957 as part of ongoing upgrades to enable night-time competition. The relocation of the club's offices to the stadium was finished in 1965.

The first electronic scoreboard was erected inside the stadium on December 14, 1972, i.e., on the stadium's 25th anniversary of the Inauguration. The first time it was utilised was in a friendly game versus the Portuguese Belenenses.

The UEFA demanded that the stadium be upgraded once more, to avert calamities like those that led to the Hillsborough and Heysel Dramas, which resulted in scores of fatalities.

A theatre was built on the west side, and a new commercial area was established and inaugurated. A total of 20,200 improved seats were put in place, each tilted 87 degrees for the best view and proximity to the field.

Four new towers were built in each of the stadium's four corners, and an additional ring was added to address the problems that Bernabéu had, in order to comply with the new standards. The stadium's height increased from 22 to 45 metres, more than doubling.

Another interesting Santiago Bernabeu stadium fact is that - When Florentino Perez took over as Real Madrid's president in the early 2000s, he set in motion a strategy to maintain Real Madrid's position as the world's largest club.

In order to turn the stadium into a contemporary arena, Florentino Perez's master plan called for a 127 million euro renovation between 2001 and 2006.

The east side of the stadium was expanded, and a new stage was built in recognition of the east side. Other renovations included a new audio system, bars, boxes, and VIP areas.

The stadium's east side was extended, which led to an increase in capacity that brought the total to 81,044.

The Santiago Bernabeu stadium is situated in Madrid's Chamartín neighbourhood. It is located on the block bounded by Rafael Salgado, Padre Damian, and the streets of Concha Espina and Paseo de la Castellana.

The Santiago Bernabeu metro station on line 10 provides service to the stadium. Additionally, bus routes 14, 27, 40, 43, 120, 147, and 150 also serve the area.