Jump to content

Real Madrid CF

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Real Madrid
Full nameReal Madrid Club de Fútbol[1]
Nickname(s)Los Blancos (The Whites)
Los Merengues (The Meringues)
Los Vikingos (The Vikings)[2]
La Casa Blanca (The White House)[3]
Reyes de Europa (Kings of Europe)[4][5]
Madridistas (supporters)[6]
Short nameRMA
Founded6 March 1902; 122 years ago (1902-03-06) (as Madrid Football Club)[7]
GroundEstadio Santiago Bernabéu
Capacity85,000[8]
PresidentFlorentino Pérez
Head coachCarlo Ancelotti
LeagueLa Liga
2023–24La Liga, 1st of 20 (champions)
Websiterealmadrid.com
Current season

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol] ), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football.

Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn a white home kit since its inception. The honorific title 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. Real Madrid have played their home matches in the 85,000-capacity Santiago Bernabéu in central Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European sporting entities, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club throughout its history. The official Madrid anthem is the "Hala Madrid y nada más", written by RedOne and Manuel Jabois.[9] The club is one of the most widely supported in the world, and is the most followed football club on social media according to the CIES Football Observatory as of 2023[10][11] and was estimated to be worth $6.6 billion in 2024, making it the world's most valuable football club.[12] In 2024, Real Madrid become the first football club to make €1 billion ($1.08bn) in revenue according to club's announcement in relation to the 2023/24 season.[13]

In domestic football, the club has won 71 trophies; a record 36 La Liga titles, 20 Copa del Rey, 13 Supercopa de España, a Copa Eva Duarte and a Copa de la Liga.[14] In International football, Real Madrid have won a record 33 trophies: a record 15 European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, a record six UEFA Super Cups, two UEFA Cups, a joint record two Latin Cups, a record one Iberoamerican Cup, and a record eight FIFA Club World championships.[note 1] Madrid was ranked first in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics Club World Ranking for 2000, 2002, 2014, 2017.[18] In UEFA, Madrid ranks first in the all-time club ranking.[19][20]

Being one of the 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), Real Madrid has many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with Barcelona and El Derbi Madrileño with Atlético Madrid. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s and 60s, winning five consecutive and six overall European Cups and reaching a further two finals. This success was replicated on the domestic front, with Madrid winning 12 league titles in 16 years. This team, which included Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Paco Gento and Raymond Kopa is considered, by some in the sport, to be the greatest of all time.[21][22] Real Madrid is known for its Galácticos policy, which involves signing the world's best players, such as Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham to create a superstar team.[23] The term 'Galácticos policy' generally refers to the two eras of Florentino Pérez's presidency of the club (2000–2006 and 2009–2018); however, players brought in just before his tenure are sometimes considered to be part of the Galácticos legacy. A notable example is Steve McManaman, who like many other players also succeeded under the policy.[24] On 26 June 2009, Madrid signed Cristiano Ronaldo for a record-breaking £80 million (€94 million);[25] he became both the club's and history's all-time top goalscorer.[26][27][28][29] Madrid have recently relaxed the Galácticos policy, instead focusing on signing young talents such as Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham[30] and Kylian Mbappé.[31][32]

Real Madrid is recognised as the greatest football club of the 20th century by FIFA and as the best European club during the same timeframe by the IFFHS,[33] while also receiving the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit in 2004.[34] Real Madrid has the highest participations in the European Cup/Champions League (43),[19] a tournament in which they hold the overall record for the most wins, most draws and most goals scored.[35] Real Madrid is the only club to have won three consecutive titles (three-peat) in the European Cup/Champions League twice, first in 1955–56, 1956–57, and 1957–58, and second in 2015–16, 2016–17 and 2017–18. In June 2024, they won a record-extending 15th Champions League title (the fifth in nine seasons), recognised as such by Guinness World Records.[36] Real Madrid is the first club across all of Europe's top-five leagues to win 100 trophies in all competitions.[37] As of July 2024, Real Madrid are ranked 2nd in the UEFA club rankings and first in last 10 years (2013–2023) overall.[38][39]

History

Early years (1902–1943)

Julián Palacios, the first president of the club in 1900–1902

Real Madrid's origins go back to when football was introduced to Madrid by the academics and students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, which included several Cambridge and Oxford University graduates.[40] They founded (Sociedad) Sky Football in 1897, commonly known as La Sociedad (The Society) as it was the only one based in Madrid, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa.

In 1900, conflict between members caused some of them to leave and create a new club, Nueva Sociedad de Football (New Society of Football), to distinguish themselves from Sky Football. Among the dissenters were Julián Palacios, recognized as the first Real Madrid president, Juan Padrós and Carlos Padrós, the latter two being brothers and future presidents of Real Madrid. In 1901, this new club was renamed as Madrid Football Club. Later, following a restructuring in 1902, Sky was renamed as "New Foot-Ball Club".[41][42][43]

On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, Madrid Football Club was officially founded.[7] The Padrós brothers summoned other football enthusiasts to a meeting in the back room of Al Capricho, the family business. They viewed football as a mass sport that should be accessible to representatives of all social classes, and thought the new club should embody that idea. The brothers proposed the name, Madrid Football Club, which was unanimously accepted. The membership fee was also set, two pesetas a month, and the color of the shirt was chosen to be white in honour of a famous English team Corinthian, which Juan Padrós had met on one of his trips.[44][45]

Madrid FC team in 1906

Three years after its founding, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909, when club president Adolfo Meléndez signed the foundation agreement of the Spanish FA. After moving between several grounds, the team relocated to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912.[46] In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real (Royal) to the club.[47]

In 1929, the first Spanish football league was founded. Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona.[48] Real Madrid won its first league title in the 1931–32 season and retained it the following year.[49]

On 14 April 1931, the arrival of the Second Spanish Republic caused the club to lose the title Real and the royal crown on its emblem, going back to being named Madrid Football Club until the end of the Spanish Civil War. Football continued during the Second World War, and on 13 June 1943, Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 in the second leg of the Copa del Generalísimo semi-finals, the Spanish Cup having been renamed in honour of General Franco.[note 2][50]

The first leg, played at the Les Corts in Catalonia, had ended with Barcelona winning 3–0. Madrid complained about all the three goals that referee Fombona Fernández had allowed for Barcelona,[51] with the home supporters also whistling Madrid throughout, whom they accused of employing roughhouse tactics, and Fombona for allowing them to. The newspaper Ya reported the whistling as a "clear intention to attack the representatives of Spain."[52] Barcelona fans were banned from traveling to Madrid. The day of the second leg, the Barcelona team were insulted and stones were thrown at their bus as soon as they left their hotel.

Barcelona's striker Mariano Gonzalvo said of the incident, "Five minutes before the game had started, our penalty area was already full of coins." Barcelona goalkeeper Luis Miró rarely approached his line—when he did, he was armed with stones. As Francisco Calvet told the story, "They were shouting: Reds! Separatists!... a bottle just missed Sospedra that would have killed him if it had hit him. It was all set up."[53]

Real Madrid went 2–0 up within half an hour. The third goal brought with it a sending off for Barcelona's Benito García after he made what Calvet claimed was a "completely normal tackle". Madrid's José Llopis Corona recalled: "At which point, they got a bit demoralized," while Ángel Mur countered, "at which point, we thought: 'go on then, score as many as you want'."[54] Madrid made it 8–0 by half-time; two goals were also ruled out for offside, and proceeded to score a further three goals in the second half, to which Barcelona replied with a late consolation goal.[55]

According to football writer Sid Lowe, "There have been relatively few mentions of the game [since] and it is not a result that has been particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, the 11–1 occupies a far more prominent place in Barcelona's history. This was the game that first formed the identification of Madrid as the team of the dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims."[51] Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper from the 1943 match, said: "There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game."[56]

Santiago Bernabéu and unprecedented success (1943–1978)

Alfredo Di Stéfano led the club to win five consecutive European Cups (currently the Champions League).

Santiago Bernabéu became president of Real Madrid in 1943.[57] Under his presidency, the club was rebuilt after the Civil War, and he oversaw the construction of the club's current stadium, Estadio Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (now known as the Santiago Bernabéu), and its training facilities Ciudad Deportiva. Additionally, during the 1950s former Real Madrid Amateurs player Miguel Malbo founded Real Madrid's youth academy, or "cantera," known today as La Fábrica. Beginning in 1953, he embarked upon a strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, the most prominent being Alfredo Di Stéfano.[58]

Amancio Amaro, captain of the Yé-yé team of the 1960s

In 1955, acting upon the idea proposed by Gabriel Hanot, a French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe, Bernabéu, Ernest Bedrignan (deputy chairman of the Ligue de Football Professionnel)[59] and Gusztáv Sebes created the European Cup, a continental tournament for the league champions around Europe, which is today known as the UEFA Champions League.[60] It was under Bernabéu's guidance that Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football. The club won the European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the 7–3 Hampden Park final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960.[58] After these five consecutive successes, Real was permanently awarded the original cup and earned the right to wear the UEFA badge of honour.[61] Real Madrid's achievements in Europe were built upon its unprecedented domestic dominance, with the club winning twelve league titles out of sixteen possible from 1953–54 to 1968–69, including a five-in-a-row sequence in 1961–65, and finishing runners-up a further three times.[62]

Real Madrid's captain Paco Gento shaking hands with Zamalek's captain Sharif El-Far before their friendly match on the occasion for celebrating 50 years on Zamalek's establishment in Cairo Stadium on 10 March 1961

The club won the European Cup for a sixth time in 1966, defeating Partizan Belgrade 2–1 in the final with a team composed entirely of same nationality players, a first in the competition.[63] This team became known as the Yé-yé. The name "Yé-yé" came from the "Yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus in The Beatles' song "She Loves You" after four members of the team posed for Marca and impersonated the Beatles.[64] The Yé-yé generation was also European Cup runners-up in 1962[65] and 1964.[63] In the 1970s, Real Madrid won six league championships and three Spanish Cups.[66] The club competed in its first European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970–71 and progressed all the way to the final, where it lost to English side Chelsea 2–1 in a replay.[67] On 2 July 1978, club president Santiago Bernabéu died while the World Cup was being played in Argentina. FIFA decreed three days of mourning to honour him during the tournament.[68] The following year, the club organized the first edition of the Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu in memory of its former president.

Bernabéu had been Real Madrid's president for almost 35 years, during which his club won one Intercontinental Cup, six European Cups, 16 league titles, six Spanish Cups, two Latin Cups and one Copa Eva Duarte.[69]

Quinta del Buitre and sustained success (1980–2000)

In the early 1980s, Real Madrid had lost its grasp on the La Liga title, until a new cohort of home-grown stars brought domestic success back to the club.[70][71] Spanish sports journalist Julio César Iglesias gave to this generation the name La Quinta del Buitre ("Vulture's Cohort"), which was derived from the nickname given to one of its members, Emilio Butragueño. The other four members were Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza. All five footballers were graduates of Real Madrid's youth academy.[70][71] With La Quinta del Buitre (reduced to four members when Pardeza left for Zaragoza in 1986) and notable players like goalkeeper Francisco Buyo, right-back Miguel Porlán Chendo and Mexican striker Hugo Sánchez, Real Madrid had one of the best teams in Spain and Europe during the second half of the 1980s, winning two UEFA Cups, five Spanish championships in a row, one Spanish Cup, and three Spanish Super Cups.[70][71] In the early 1990s, La Quinta del Buitre split up after Martín Vázquez, Emilio Butragueño and Míchel left the club.

In 1996, President Lorenzo Sanz appointed Fabio Capello as coach.[72] Although his tenure lasted only one season, Real Madrid were proclaimed league champions, and players like Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker, Clarence Seedorf, Roberto Carlos and keeper Bodo Illgner, arrived at the club to strengthen a squad that already boasted the likes of Raúl, Fernando Hierro and Fernando Redondo. As a result, Real Madrid (with the addition of Fernando Morientes in 1997) finally ended its 32-year wait for its seventh European Cup: in 1998, under manager Jupp Heynckes, they defeated Juventus 1–0 in the final with a goal from Mijatović.[73]

In November 1999, Vicente del Bosque took over as coach. For the last season of the century, 1999–2000, the squad was still led by the older veterans such as Fernando Hierro, Fernando Redondo, Roberto Carlos and Raúl. Real added the budding young talents of Guti and Iker Casillas, supported by the arrival of Steve McManaman and Nicolas Anelka from the English Premier League, alongside local talents Míchel Salgado and Iván Helguera. In Del Bosque's first season in charge, Real won the Champions League for the eighth time, following a 3–0 victory over Valencia in the final, with goals from Morientes, McManaman and Raúl.[74] This victory marked the beginning of a successful period in Real Madrid's history.[75]

Florentino Pérez era (2000–2006)

In July 2000, Florentino Pérez was elected club president.[76] He vowed in his campaign to erase the club's €270 million debt and modernize the club's facilities. However, the primary electoral promise that propelled Pérez to victory was the signing of Luís Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona.[77] The following year, the club had its training ground rezoned and used the money to begin assembling the Galácticos team by signing a global star every summer, which included Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luís Figo, David Beckham and Fabio Cannavaro.[78] It is debatable whether the gamble paid off, as despite winning the UEFA Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup in 2002, followed by La Liga in 2003, the club failed to win a major trophy for the next three seasons. Off the field, the Zidanes y Pavones policy resulted in increased financial success based on the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential around the world, particularly in Asia.[79]

Beckham and Zidane were considered Galácticos.

The few days after the capturing of the 2003 La Liga title were surrounded with controversy. The first controversial decision came when Pérez sacked winning coach Vicente del Bosque.[80] Over a dozen players left the club, including Madrid captain Fernando Hierro, while defensive midfielder Claude Makélélé refused to take part in training in protest at being one of the lowest-paid players at the club and subsequently moved to Chelsea.[81] "That's a lot [of players leaving] when the normal rule is: never change a winning team," stated Zidane.[82] Real Madrid, with newly appointed coach Carlos Queiroz, started their domestic league slowly after a hard win over Real Betis.[82]

The 2005–06 season began with the promise of several new signings: Júlio Baptista (€24 million), Robinho (€30 million), and Sergio Ramos (€27 million).[83] However, Real Madrid suffered from some poor results, including a 0–3 loss at the hands of Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu in November 2005.[84] Madrid's coach Wanderley Luxemburgo was sacked the following month and his replacement was Juan Ramón López Caro.[85] A brief return to form came to an abrupt halt after Madrid lost the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals 6–1 to Real Zaragoza,[86] a defeat that was nearly reversed with a 4–0 home victory. Shortly after, Real Madrid were eliminated from the Champions League for a fourth successive year, this time at the hands of Arsenal. On 27 February 2006, Florentino Pérez resigned.[87]

Ramón Calderón era (2006–2009)

Ramón Calderón was elected as club president on 2 July 2006 and subsequently appointed Fabio Capello as the new coach and Predrag Mijatović as the new sporting director. Real Madrid won the Liga title in 2007 for the first time in four years, but Capello was nonetheless sacked at the end of the campaign.[88] The title was won on 17 June, where Real faced Mallorca at the Bernabéu while Barcelona and Sevilla, the other title challengers, faced Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Villarreal, respectively. At half-time, Real were 0–1 down, while Barcelona had surged ahead into a 0–3 lead in Tarragona. However, three goals in the last half-hour secured Madrid a 3–1 win and their first league title since 2003.[89] Real Madrid repeated as league winners in 2007–08, but the following season ended up being one of the most disastrous in the club's history: Real was knocked out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage for the fifth time in a row, losing to Liverpool 0–5 on aggregate, and was embarrassed by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu with a humiliating 2–6 loss, which all but confirmed the league title for Barça that went on to win the treble.[90]

Second Florentino Pérez era (2009–present)

Cristiano Ronaldo was the club's most expensive signing when he joined in 2009, costing €94 million. He went on to become the club's all-time top scorer.

On 1 June 2009, Florentino Pérez regained Real Madrid's presidency amid the outrage over the club's decline.[91][92] Pérez continued with the Galácticos policy pursued in his first term, buying Kaká from Milan for a record-breaking (in pounds sterling) sum of £56 million,[93] and then breaking the record again by purchasing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80 million.[94] Real Madrid spent in excess of €261 million in the summer of 2009, and the assembled team was soon dubbed the Second Galácticos.[95] The 2009–10 season, however, was a transitional one as Madrid again finished second in the league, although this time amassing 96 points, the club's record at the time, and went out of the Champions League at the hands of Lyon. The season was marred by Cristiano Ronaldo's injury, that sidelined him for seven weeks,[96] although he still topped the goalscoring charts with 33 goals, and Madrid became the highest scoring team in La Liga, with 102 goals. Real Madrid also had the misfortune to become the runners-up with the highest points total in the history of Europe's top five leagues, until surpassed by Liverpool's 97 points in 2018–19.[97][98]

José Mourinho took over as manager in May 2010.[99][100] In the 2010–11 season, the rebuilt Madrid successfully fought on all fronts, going toe to toe with a brilliant Barcelona side which some regard as the greatest team in football history. Ultimately, Madrid finished second in the league, with 92 points and four behind their perennial rivals, defeated them in the Copa del Rey final, and lost to Barça in the Champions League semi-finals, where Real progressed to for the first time since 2002–03. Moreover, from 16 April through 3 May, a rare occurrence happened when, for the first time ever, four Clásicos were to be played in a span of just 18 days. The first fixture was in the league campaign on 16 April (which ended 1–1 with penalty goals for both sides), the second one was in the Copa del Rey final (which was won by Madrid 1–0 a.e.t., bringing them their first trophy in the second Galáctico era) on 20 April and the third and fourth ones in the controversial[101][102] two-legged Champions League semi-finals on 27 April and 3 May (Barcelona won on aggregate with a 2–0 away victory and a 1–1 home draw).[103] Madrid again became the highest scoring team in La Liga, with 102 goals, repeating its output from the previous season, with Ronaldo scoring 40 and winning the European Golden Shoe.

In the 2011–12 season, Real Madrid won La Liga for a record 32nd time in its history, also finishing the season with numerous league records set, including 100 points amassed in a single season, a total of 121 goals scored, a goal difference of +89, 16 away games won, and 32 wins overall.[104] They also competed in the UEFA Champions League for the 15th successive season,[105] losing in the semi-finals to Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out after a 3–3 aggregate tie. Madrid entered the Copa del Rey as the defending champions, but lost 3–4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to Barcelona. In the same season, Cristiano Ronaldo became the fastest player to reach 100 goals scored in Spanish league history. In reaching 101 goals in 92 games, Ronaldo surpassed Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskás, who scored 100 goals in 105 matches. Ronaldo set a new club mark for individual goals scored in one year (60) and became the first player ever to score against all 19 opposition teams in a single season.[106][107]

Real Madrid started the 2012–13 season by winning the Supercopa de España, defeating Barcelona on away goals. However, the super cup turned out to be their only trophy of the season, despite being close to win them all. Real finished runners-up to Barça in La Liga, accumulating 85 points, and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third year in a row, where they were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund 3–4 on aggregate. Madrid also entered the Copa del Rey in the round of 32, going on a memorable run to the final, which saw them defeat Barcelona in the semi-finals before losing to Atlético Madrid 1–2 a.e.t. Real Madrid faced the Blaugrana six times throughout the season, coming away with three wins, two draws, and one loss. A major transfer of the season was the signing of Luka Modrić from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee in the region of £33 million.[108] After a loss to Atlético in the Copa del Rey final, Pérez announced the departure of José Mourinho at the end of the season by "mutual agreement".[109]

La Décima and Champions League dominance

2014 UEFA Champions League Final starting lineup, with a front three of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo (dubbed BBC)
Real Madrid players celebrate the club's historic tenth European Cup / Champions League win (La Décima) in 2014.

On 25 June 2013, Carlo Ancelotti succeeded Mourinho to become the manager of Real Madrid on a three-year deal, with Zinedine Zidane named as one of his assistants.[110] On 1 September 2013, the long-awaited transfer of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur was announced. The transfer of the Welshman was reportedly a new world record signing, with the transfer price approximated at €100 million.[111] In Ancelotti's first season at the club, Real Madrid fought on all three fronts for the continental treble. Despite leading in the league campaign on multiple occasions, Madrid ultimately finished in third place (level on points with Barcelona and three behind cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid), collecting 87 points in total and scoring a record 104 goals.[112] By that time, Los Blancos had already secured the Copa del Rey – against rivals Barcelona – in April, with Bale scoring the winner.[113] The major breakthrough came in the UEFA Champions League, where Real returned to the final after twelve years, having beaten defending champions Bayern Munich 5–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals.[114] In the final, they defeated then-recently-league winners Atlético Madrid 4–1 a.e.t. to clinch their tenth European Cup (first since 2002) and become the first team to win ten European Cups/Champions League titles, an achievement known as "La Décima" (Spanish: "The Tenth," [la ˈðeθima]).[115] Real's attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano, dubbed the BBC, finished the season with 97 goals.[116]

After winning the 2014 Champions League, Real Madrid signed goalkeeper Keylor Navas, midfielder Toni Kroos and attacking midfielder James Rodríguez.[117] In August, Madrid won the 2014 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, the club's 79th official trophy.[118] During the last week of the 2014 summer transfer window, Real Madrid sold two players key to the previous season's successes: Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich and Ángel Di María to Manchester United. This decision by the club was surrounded by controversy, with Cristiano Ronaldo stating, "If I was in charge, maybe I would have done things differently," while Carlo Ancelotti admitted, "We must start again from zero."[119]

After a slow start to the 2014–15 season, Real Madrid went on a record-breaking 22-match winning streak, which included wins against Barcelona and Liverpool, surpassing the previous Spanish record of 18 successive wins set by Frank Rijkaard's Barça in the 2005–06 season.[120] In late December, Real Madrid won their first Club World Cup, defeating San Lorenzo 2–0 in the final.[121] The winning streak came to an end in their opening match of 2015 with a loss to Valencia, leaving the club two short of equalling the world record of 24 consecutive wins.[122] Madrid was in contention for both the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League until the very end but ultimately came up short, finishing with 92 points in the league, two behind treble-winning Barcelona and losing to Juventus 2–3 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals.[123] Ronaldo finished the season scoring 48 league goals, winning his fourth European Golden Shoe, and 61 goals in all competitions, breaking his record from 2011 to 2012.[124] Overall, despite playing an attractive attacking football and being the highest scoring team in Europe with 118 league goals,[125] several narrow defeats meant that Real finished the season with two trophies out of six possible, which contributed to the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti on 25 May 2015.[126][127]

On 3 June 2015, Rafael Benítez was confirmed as the new Real Madrid manager for the 2015–16 season, signing a three-year contract.[128] Real Madrid remained unbeaten in the league until a 3–2 loss at Sevilla on the matchday 11. This was followed by a 0–4 home loss in the first Clásico of the season against Barcelona. Perhaps, his reign is best remembered by multiple lopsided wins achieved both in La Liga and the Champions League (6–0 vs Espanyol, 8–0 vs Malmö, 10–2 vs Rayo Vallecano and others). In the Copa del Rey round of 32, Real accidentally fielded an ineligible player in a 3–1 first leg win at Cádiz and was disqualified from the tournament two days later by the competition judge, despite protests from president Pérez.[129][130][131] In the meantime, Madrid comfortably topped their UCL group with 16 points and a +16 goal difference. Benítez was relieved of his duties on 4 January 2016 following allegations of unpopularity with supporters, displeasure with players and a failure to get good results against top teams.[132] Benítez's departure was announced along with the promotion of Zinedine Zidane to his first head coaching role.[133] Under Zidane, Madrid managed to turn the odds in its favour, ultimately winning the Champions League, something no one expected. The notable results include a 2–1 away victory over reigning treble winners Barcelona, who were on a record-breaking winning streak, a fantastic comeback against Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-finals (after losing the away game 0–2, Madrid erased the deficit and won 3–0 at home, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick), as well as a 12-game winning streak to conclude the league campaign, meaning Real finished second, with 90 points and just one point behind champions Barcelona, coming agonizingly close to clinching the title and overcoming a 12-point deficit in the process.[134] Finally, on 28 May, Real Madrid's eleventh Champions League title was won thanks to a 5–3 penalty shoot-out victory over rivals Atlético Madrid after a 1–1 draw in the final, with the achievement being termed "La Undécima".[135][136][127]

2016–17 La Liga champions Real Madrid celebrate the title with Community of Madrid President Cristina Cifuentes.

Real Madrid began their 2016–17 campaign, which was to be Zidane's first full season in charge of the club, with a victory in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla.[137] On 10 December 2016, Madrid played their 35th-straight match without a loss, which set a new club record.[138] On 18 December 2016, the club defeated Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers 4–2 in the final of the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup.[139] With a 3–3 draw at Sevilla in the second leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16 on 12 January 2017, Madrid progressed to the quarter-finals with a 6–3 aggregate victory and extended its unbeaten run to 40 matches, breaking Barcelona's Spanish record of 39 matches unbeaten in all competitions from the previous season.[140] Their unbeaten streak ended after a 1–2 away loss against the same opposition in La Liga three days later.[141] The team then was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Celta Vigo 3–4 on aggregate. These slips, however, did not affect the overall trajectory of the season. In May, Madrid won the league title for a record 33rd time, their first title in five years, accumulating 93 points in the process.[142] On 3 June 2017, the club's victory over Juventus in the Champions League final resulted in Real Madrid becoming the first team to successfully defend their title in the UEFA Champions League era, and the first to win consecutive titles in the competition since Milan in 1989 and 1990, when the tournament was known as the European Cup.[143][144] Real Madrid's title was its 12th, extending the record, and its third in four years. The achievement is also known as "La Duodécima".[145] The 2016–17 season was the greatest campaign in terms of trophies won (four out of possible five) in the history of Real Madrid, an achievement that would be later equalled in the 2017–18 season.[146]

Real kicked off the 2017–18 campaign by winning its second consecutive and fourth overall UEFA Super Cup in a 2–1 victory against Manchester United.[147] Five days later, Real Madrid beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou 3–1 in the first leg of the 2017 Supercopa de España and then defeated Barça 2–0 in the return leg, ending their 24 consecutive match scoring record in El Clásico matches and winning the second trophy of the season.[148] On 16 December 2017, Real beat Brazilian club Grêmio 1–0 in the FIFA Club World Cup final and became the first team to retain the trophy.[149] In the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League, Madrid once again progressed to the final where they defeated Liverpool 3–1 to become the first club to win three straight titles in the Champions League era, as well as the first team to win three consecutive titles in the European Cup/Champions League since Bayern Munich in 1976. The trophy also marked Madrid's fourth win in five years and their eighth consecutive semi-finals appearance. On 31 May, only five days after winning the final, Zidane announced his resignation as Real Madrid manager, citing the club's "need for change" as his rationale for departing.[150][151] Zidane's and Ronaldo's departures marked the end of the Second Galáctico Era that yielded four Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, two Supercopa de España, three UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles. The team was instrumental in ending Barcelona's dominance, despite the Blaugrana boasting arguably the greatest collection of talent in history,[152] and overshadowed the Catalans on the European stage.[153] Real Madrid was also somewhat notoriously unlucky in its league campaigns throughout these nine years, finishing runners-up with 96, 92 (twice) and 90 points, as well as on 87 points in third place, just three off the league winners.[98]

Following Ronaldo's departure

Chart of Real Madrid's league performance 1929–2024

On 12 June 2018, Real Madrid named Julen Lopetegui, the head coach of the Spanish national team, as their new manager. It was announced that he would officially begin his managerial duties after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, the Spanish national team sacked Lopetegui a day prior to the tournament, stating that he had negotiated terms with the club without informing them.[154][155] The club then began re-shaping the squad in the summer of 2018, which included the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus for a reported €117 million.[156] Madrid began their 2018–19 campaign by losing to Atlético Madrid 2–4 a.e.t. in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup. After a 1–5 loss to Barcelona in El Clásico on 28 October which left Real Madrid in the ninth place with only 14 points after ten games, Lopetegui was dismissed a day later and replaced by then Castilla coach, Santiago Solari.[157] On 22 December 2018, Real Madrid beat Al Ain 4–1 in the FIFA Club World Cup and became the outright record winners of the Club World Cup with four titles.[158] However, they were then knocked out of the Copa del Rey at the semi-final stage by Barcelona, losing 1–4 on aggregate. On 5 March 2019, Real was defeated by Ajax 1–4 (3–5 on aggregate) at home, crashing out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage after eight consecutive semi-finals appearances. On 11 March 2019, Real Madrid dismissed Solari and reinstated Zidane as the head coach of the club.[159] Madrid finished the season with 68 points and a +17 goal difference, its lowest totals since 2001–02 and 1999–2000 respectively.[160]

In the summer of 2019, Madrid signed Eden Hazard, Luka Jović, Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Reinier and other players for a total of more than €350 million.[161] On 12 January 2020, Madrid beat cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid in a penalty shootout in the Supercopa de España final to win their eleventh title.[162] After a three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, La Liga was restarted in June and Madrid won ten games in a row to capture the team's 34th league title, collecting 87 points in total.[163] From the competition's resumption in June and until the end of the 2020–21 season, Real temporarily played home fixtures at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, while the Santiago Bernabéu underwent extensive renovations.[164][165]

Further domestic success and La Decimocuarta

Real Madrid players celebrating the double on 29 May 2022, the day after their Champions League victory

Zidane left a second time on 27 May 2021 after going trophyless that season,[166] with Carlo Ancelotti returning to coach the team for the 2021–22 season.[167] On the domestic front, he delivered two trophies out of possible three, winning La Liga and the Supercopa de España.[168][169][170] As such, Ancelotti won all six available top trophies at Madrid.[171] In the Champions League, Madrid produced one of the most memorable runs of all time,[172] defeating pre-tournament favourites Paris Saint-Germain,[173][174] defending champions and favourites Chelsea,[175] Premier League champions and heavy favourites Manchester City,[176] all in dramatic fashion,[177] and setting up the final against Liverpool, who were once again widely considered as favourites,[178] in a rematch of their 2018 encounter. A lone Vinícius Júnior goal sealed the 14th European Cup for Los Blancos, their fifth in nine years, and Ancelotti's second in charge.[179][180] Real also claimed their fourth ever European double (after 1956–57, 1957–58, and 2016–17). Despite Real's status as the most decorated team in the history of the Champions League, they were not favoured to win that year's edition, and their improbable run was widely considered a surprise.[181]

Even more success and La Decimoquinta

After a highly successful 2021–22 season, Real Madrid signed German defender Antonio Rüdiger and French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, while club legends Marcelo, Isco, Gareth Bale and Casemiro left the club. Real Madrid's 2022–23 season began with lifting the UEFA Super Cup and later the FIFA Club World Cup. The season ended with Real Madrid winning the 2022–23 Copa del Rey, but losing the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup to FC Barcelona and the Champions League to Manchester City, being defeated 5–1 on aggregate.

In 2023, Real Madrid signed Jude Bellingham, who was given the number #5 jersey, previously used by Zinedine Zidane. Real also signed Arda Güler and Fran García. Meanwhile, Vinícius Júnior was given the number #7 jersey, previously used by Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo; while Rodrygo was given the number #11 jersey, previously used by Gareth Bale. Karim Benzema left the club, while Toni Kroos would later announce that he would retire from football after this season.

The 2023-24 season would prove to be another highly successful season for Los Blancos. First, Real Madrid lifted the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona 4–1, taking revenge of the previous year's 3–0 defeat. Then, Real Madrid lifted the La Liga with relative ease, reaching 95 points, the second-best winning campaign by Real Madrid in La Liga history after the 2011–12 100 points season. In the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid knocked out RB Leipzig in the Round of 16, then defending champions Manchester City in penalties.

In the semifinals, Real Madrid faced Bayern Munich again. The first match was a 2–2 draw, while the second match in the Bernabéu was marked by a double by Joselu in the last few minutes of the game, with Bayern Munich suffering a historic comeback after leading 1–0. Real Madrid faced Borussia Dortmund in the final, and won 2–0, with Dani Carvajal being the man of the match and scoring with a header after a Toni Kroos corner, and Vinícius Júnior once again scoring in a UCL final. Real Madrid won their 15th Champions League without losing a single match during the campaign.

Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, Real Madrid announced that striker Kylian Mbappé would be joining the club on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in July 2024, concluding one of the most highly anticipated transfer sagas in modern history.[182]

Crests and colours

Crests

The first crest had a simple design consisting of a decorative interlacing of the three initials of the club, "MCF" for Madrid Club de Fútbol, in dark blue on a white shirt. The first change in the crest occurred in 1908 when the letters adopted a more streamlined form and appeared inside a circle.[183] The next change in the configuration of the crest did not occur until the presidency of Pedro Parages in 1920. At that time, King Alfonso XIII granted the club his royal patronage which came in the form of the title "Real Madrid," meaning "Royal."[184] Thus, Alfonso's crown was added to the crest and the club styled itself Real Madrid Club de Fútbol.[183]

With the dissolution of the monarchy in 1931, all royal symbols (the crown on the crest and the title of Real) were eliminated. The crown was replaced by the dark mulberry band of the Region of Castile.[49] In 1941, two years after Nationalist victory in the Civil War, the Francoist regime restored the crest's "Real Corona", or "Royal Crown", while the mulberry stripe of Castile was retained as well.[185][57] In addition, the whole crest was made full color, with gold being the most prominent, and the club went back to its honorific name Real Madrid Club de Fútbol.[183] The most recent modification to the crest occurred in 2001 when the club wanted to better situate itself for the 21st century and further standardize its crest. One of the modifications made was changing the mulberry stripe to a more bluish shade.[183]

Colours

Real Madrid in 1964. Nicknamed Los Blancos (The Whites), the club has worn an all-white home kit except for one season in 1925.

Real Madrid has maintained the white shirt for its home kit throughout the history of the club. There was, however, one season that the shirt and shorts were not both white. It was an initiative undertaken by Juan Padrós in honour of an English team Corinthian, which he had met on one of his trips, one of the most famous teams at the time known for its elegance and sportsmanship.[44] It was decided that Real Madrid would wear black shorts in an attempt to replicate the English team, which had also inspired Madrid's original white kit, but the initiative lasted just one year. After being eliminated from the cup by Barcelona with a 1–5 defeat in Madrid and a 2–0 defeat in Catalonia, President Parages decided to return to an all-white kit, claiming that the other kit brought bad luck.[note 3] By the early 1940s, the manager changed the kit again by adding buttons to the shirt and the club's crest on the left breast, which has remained ever since. On 23 November 1947, in a game against Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium, Real Madrid became the first Spanish team to wear numbered shirts.[57] English club Leeds United permanently switched their blue shirt for a white one in the 1960s, to emulate the dominant Real Madrid of the era.[186]

Real's traditional away colours are all blue or all purple. Since the advent of the replica kit market, the club has also released various other one colour designs, including red, green, orange and black. The club's kit is manufactured by Adidas, whose contract extends from 1998.[187][188] Real Madrid's first shirt sponsor, Zanussi, agreed for the 1982–83, 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons. Following that, the club was sponsored by Parmalat and Otaysa before a long-term deal was signed with Teka in 1992.[189][190] In 2001, Real Madrid ended their contract with Teka and for one season and used the Realmadrid.com logo to promote the club's website. Then, in 2002, a deal was signed with Siemens and in 2006, the BenQ Siemens logo appeared on the club's shirt.[191] Real Madrid's shirt sponsor from 2007 until 2013 was bwin.com following the economic problems of BenQ Siemens.[192][193] Fly Emirates became their shirt sponsor in 2013, and in 2017 the club renewed the sponsorship with the airliner, signing a deal until 2022 worth €70 million per year.[194] In 2022, the agreement was again extended, until 2026.[195] In 2015, Madrid signed a new ten-year contract with Adidas, believed to be worth a total of £850 million (€1 billion), with the club earning £59 million (€64 million) per season. The contract includes a clause sanctioning penalty or agreement termination anytime, if Real Madrid fails to qualify for the European competitions or is relegated from La Liga.[196]

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Real Madrid's jersey (worn by Luka Modrić in 2015) is manufactured by Adidas, with Emirates the shirt sponsor.
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1981–1982 Adidas
1982–1985 Zanussi
1985–1989 Hummel Parmalat
1989–1991 Reny Picot
1991–1992 Otaysa
1992–1994 Teka
1994–1998 Kelme
1998–2001 Adidas
2001–2002 Realmadrid.com[note 4]
2002–2005 Siemens mobile
2005–2006 Siemens
2006–2007 BenQ-Siemens
2007–2013 bwin
2013–0000 Emirates

Kit deal

Kit supplier Period Contract
announcement
Contract
duration
Value Notes
1998–present
Undisclosed
2015–2020 (6 years) Total 1 billion[197]
8 May 2019
2020–2028 (8 years)[198] Total 1.1 billion[199]

Note: early termination clauses can be activated at any time depending on the team's performance.

Grounds

Santiago Bernabéu
Capacity85,000[8]
Field size107 m × 72 m (351 ft × 236 ft)[200]
Construction
Broke ground27 October 1944
Opened14 December 1947
ArchitectManuel Muñoz Monasterio, Luis Alemany Soler, Antonio Lamela

After moving between several grounds, the team relocated to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912, which remained its home stadium for 11 years.[46] After this period, the club moved for one year to the Campo de Ciudad Lineal, a small ground with a capacity of 8,000 spectators. After that, Real Madrid started playing its home matches at the Estadio Chamartín, which was inaugurated on 17 May 1923 with a match against Newcastle United.[201] In this stadium, which hosted 22,500 spectators, Real Madrid celebrated its first Spanish league title.[48] Following his election in 1943, president Santiago Bernabéu decided that the Chamartín was not big enough for the ambitions of the club, and thus a new stadium was built and inaugurated on 14 December 1947.[57][202] Initially knows as Nuevo Chamartín, the stadium was renamed in honour of Bernabéu in 1955 and continues to bear his name to this day.[58] The first match at the Bernabéu was played between Madrid and the Portuguese club Belenenses, with Los Blancos winning 3–1 and Sabino Barinaga scoring the first goal.[57]

The capacity has changed frequently, peaking at 120,000 after a 1953 expansion.[203] Since then, there have been a number of reductions due to modernizations (the last standing areas were removed in 1998–99 in response to UEFA regulations which had forbidden standing at matches in European competitions), countered to some extent by expansions.[203] The current capacity is 81,044 spectators. Real Madrid has the fourth-highest average attendance in Europe, behind Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Manchester United.[204][205][206][207]

The Bernabéu has hosted the 1964 UEFA European Championship final, the 1982 FIFA World Cup final, and the 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010 European Cup/Champions League finals.[208] The stadium has its own namesake Madrid Metro station along the 10 line.[209] On 14 November 2007, the Bernabéu was upgraded to Elite Football Stadium status by UEFA.[210]

On 9 May 2006, the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, named after club legend Alfredo Di Stéfano, was inaugurated in the Real Madrid City, where Real Madrid usually trains. The inaugural match was played between Real Madrid and Reims, a rematch of the 1956 European Cup final. Real Madrid 6–1, with goals from Sergio Ramos, Antonio Cassano (2), Roberto Soldado (2) and José Manuel Jurado. The venue is now part of the Ciudad Real Madrid, the club's training facility located outside Madrid, in Valdebebas. The stadium's capacity is 5,000 people, and it is Real Madrid Castilla's home ground.[211] For the latter part of the 2019–20 season and throughout the 2020–21 season, the stadium hosted the first team's home games due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic-triggered restrictions and an extensive renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu.[212][165]

The latest renovation of the Santiago Bernabéu is set to increase the capacity by approximately 4,000 with the addition of an extra tier, bringing it to nearly 85,000.[213][214] Furthermore, the height will also be increased by ten metres and a retractable roof, a retractable pitch and a 360-degree screen will be installed.[215][216] The works have started in 2019, and the renovated stadium was initially planned to be unveiled in 2022; however, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine caused significant disruption to supply chains, prompting the club to postpone the stadium's inauguration to 2023.[217][218]

Records and statistics

Raúl is Real Madrid's all-time leader in appearances.

Raúl holds the record for most Real Madrid appearances, having played 741 first-team matches from 1994 to 2010. Iker Casillas comes second with 725 appearances, followed by Manuel Sanchis Jr., having played 710 times.[219] The record for a goalkeeper is held by Iker Casillas, with 725 appearances. With 63 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo has most international goals while playing for the club. Meanwhile, Sergio Ramos has accumulated the most caps while playing for the club, with 176.

Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid's record goalscorer and the first player ever to score against every team in a single La Liga season.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2009–2018) is Real Madrid's all-time top goalscorer, with 450 goals in 438 matches.[220][221] Six other players have also scored over 200 goals for Real: Alfredo Di Stéfano (1953–1964), Santillana (1971–1988), Ferenc Puskás (1958–1966), Hugo Sánchez (1985–1992), Karim Benzema (2009–2023) and the previous goalscoring record-holder Raúl (1994–2010). Cristiano Ronaldo also holds the record for the most league goals scored in one season (48 in 2014–15), alongside being Real's top goalscorer of all time in La Liga history with 311 goals. Di Stéfano's 49 goals in 58 matches was for decades the all-time highest tally in the European Cup, until it was surpassed by Raúl in 2005, and is now held by Cristiano Ronaldo with 105 goals for Madrid and 140 overall. The fastest goal in the history of the club (13 seconds) was scored by the Chilean Iván Zamorano on 3 September 1994 during a league match against Sevilla.[222]

Officially, the highest home attendance figure for a Real Madrid match is 129,690, which was for a European Cup match in 1956 against Milan. The current official capacity of the Santiago Bernabéu is 80,000.[223] Real has also set records in Spanish football, most notably the most domestic titles (36 as of 2023–24) and the most seasons won in a row (five, during 1960–65 and 1985–90).[1] With 121 matches (from 17 February 1957 to 7 March 1965), the club holds the record for longest unbeaten run at home in La Liga.[224]

Gareth Bale is the club's joint record signing, costing €100 million in 2013.

The club also holds the record for winning the European Cup/UEFA Champions League fifteen times[225] and for the most semi-finals appearances (33). As of June 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, with 140 (141 including qualifiers) goals in total, 105 while playing for Real Madrid. The team has the record number of consecutive participations in the European Cup (before it became the Champions League) with 15, from 1955–56 to 1969–70.[226] Among the club's on-field records is a 22-game winning streak in all competitions during the 2014–15 season, a Spanish record. In September 2017, the club equalled the record of the Brazilian club Santos, starring Pelé, by scoring in their 73rd consecutive game, before Bayern Munich breaks the record in 2021.[227]

In June 2009, the club broke its own record for the highest transfer fee ever paid in the history of football after purchasing Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo for €94 million (£80 million).[228][229] The fee of €77.5 million (100 billion lire) for Zinedine Zidane's transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001 was the previous highest transfer fee ever paid. This record (in pounds sterling) had been broken previously in June 2009, for a few days, when Real Madrid agreed to buy Kaká from Milan for €67 million (£65 million). The transfer of Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale in 2013 was reportedly a new world record signing, with the transfer fee approximated at around €100 million.[111] In January 2016, documents pertaining to Bale's transfer were leaked which confirmed a world record transfer fee of €100,759,418.[230] Real Madrid equalled their record signing in 2019, when the club signed Eden Hazard from Chelsea for a reported €115 million.[231] The club's record sale occurred on 10 July 2018, when Juventus signed Cristiano Ronaldo for €117 million.[232]

Support

The number of season tickets at the Bernabéu is capped at 65,000, with the remaining seats made available to the general public.

During most home matches, the majority of the seats in the stadium are occupied by season-ticket holders, of which the figure is capped at 65,000.[233] To become a season ticket holder one must first be a socio, or club member. In addition to members, the club has more than 1,800 peñas (official, club-affiliated supporters' groups) in Spain and around the world. Real Madrid has the second highest average all-time attendance in Spanish football and regularly attracts over 74,000 fans to the Bernabéu. One of the best supported teams globally, Real Madrid was the first sports team (and first brand) to reach 100 million fans on Facebook in April 2017.[234][235]

Real Madrid's hardcore supporters are the so-called Ultras Sur supporters, or simply Ultras. They are known for their extreme right-wing politics, akin to Barcelona's hardcore supporters group Boixos Nois. The Ultras Surs have developed an alliance with other right wing groups, most notably Lazio Irriducibili fans, and have also developed an alliance with left-wing groups. On several occasions, they have racially abused opposing players, and have been investigated by UEFA for doing so.[236][237] Florentino Pérez took it upon himself to ban the Ultras from the Bernabéu and assign their seats to the general public. This decision was controversial with some of the Bernabéu faithful, however, as the lively atmosphere of games would suffer as a result.[238][239] The Ultras have since held protests outside the Bernabéu and have demanded to be reinstated and allowed to enter the grounds.[240]

Questioned over Pope Francis' adherence to 2014 FIFA Club World Cup Final opponents San Lorenzo, Madrid captain Sergio Ramos stated: "In the semi-finals we noticed the love from supporters in Marrakesh and it seemed like we were playing at home. That sums up the greatness of this team. Madrid is God's team and the team of the world".[241] Among the club's famous supporters is golfer Sergio García, who was invited to take the honorary kickoff for El Clásico at the Bernabeu wearing his green jacket from winning the 2017 Masters.[242]

Rivalries

El Clásico

Scene from a 2011 El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Real Madrid and Barcelona is known as "The Classic" (El Clásico). From the start of national competitions the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Castile and Catalonia, as well as of the two cities. The rivalry reflects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between the Castilians and Catalans, seen by one author as a re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War.[243] Over the years, the record for Real Madrid and Barcelona is 100 victories for Madrid, 97 victories for Barcelona, and 52 draws.[244]

Real Madrid fans displaying the white of their club before El Clásico. Real Madrid fans also often wave Spanish flags at El Clásico games.[245]

As early as the 1930s, Barcelona "had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid".[246][247] During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de Rivera and especially Francisco Franco, all regional languages and identities in Spain were frowned upon and restrained. As such, most citizens of Barcelona were in strong opposition to Franco's regime. In that period, Barcelona gained their motto Més que un club (English: More than a club) because of its alleged connection to Catalan nationalist as well as to progressive beliefs.[248]

There is an ongoing controversy as to what extent Franco's rule (1939–75) influenced the activities and on-pitch results of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Fans of both clubs tend to exaggerate the myths favouring their narratives. Most historians agree that Franco did not have a preferred football team, but his Spanish nationalist beliefs led him to associate himself with the establishment teams, such as Atlético Aviación and Madrid FC (that recovered its "royal" name after the fall of the Republic and again became Real Madrid). On the other hand, he also wanted the renamed Barcelona succeed as "Spanish team", rather than a Catalan one. During the early years of Franco's rule, Real Madrid were not particularly successful, winning two Copa del Generalísimo titles and a Copa Eva Duarte; Barcelona claimed three league titles, one Copa del Generalísimo and one Copa Eva Duarte. During that period, Atlético Aviación were believed to be the preferred team over Real Madrid. The most contested stories of the period include Real Madrid's 11–1 home win against Barcelona in the Copa del Generalísimo, where the Catalan team alleged intimidation, and the controversial transfer of Alfredo Di Stéfano to Real Madrid, despite his agreement with Barcelona. The latter transfer was part of Real Madrid chairman Santiago Bernabéu's "revolution" that ushered in the era of unprecedented dominance. Bernabéu, himself a veteran of the Civil War who fought for Franco's forces, saw Real Madrid on top, not only of Spanish, but also European football, helping create the European Cup, the first true competition for Europe's best club sides. His vision was fulfilled when Real Madrid not only started winning consecutive league titles, but also swept the first five editions of the European Cup in the 1950s.[249] These events had a profound impact on Spanish football and influenced Franco's attitude. According to historians, during this time he realized the importance of Real Madrid for his regime's international image, and the club became his preferred team until his death. Fernando Maria Castiella, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Franco from 1957 until 1969, noted that "[Real Madrid] is the best embassy we have ever had". Franco died in 1975, and the Spanish transition to democracy soon followed. Under his rule, Real Madrid had won 14 league titles, six Copa del Generalísimo titles, one Copa Eva Duarte, six European Cups, two Latin Cups and one Intercontinental Cup. In the same period, Barcelona had won eight league titles, nine Copa del Generalísimo titles, three Copa Eva Duarte titles, three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups and two Latin Cups.[250][185]

The rivalry was intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano. Di Stéfano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid while playing for Los Millonarios in Bogotá, Colombia, during a players' strike in his native Argentina. Soon after Millonarios' return to Colombia, Barcelona directors visited Buenos Aires and agreed with River Plate, the last FIFA-affiliated team to have held Di Stéfano's rights, for his transfer in 1954 for the equivalent of 150 million Italian lira (according to other sources 200,000 dollars). This started a battle between the two Spanish rivals for his rights. FIFA appointed Armando Muñoz Calero, former president of the Spanish Football Federation as mediator. Calero decided to let Di Stéfano play the 1953–54 and 1955–56 seasons in Madrid, and the 1954–55 and 1956–57 seasons in Barcelona. The agreement was approved by the Football Association and their respective clubs. Although the Catalans agreed, the decision created various discontent among the Blaugrana members and the president was forced to resign in September 1953. Barcelona sold Madrid their half-share, and Di Stéfano moved to Los Blancos, signing a four-year contract. Real paid 5.5 million Spanish pesetas for the transfer, plus a 1.3 million bonus for the purchase, an annual fee to be paid to the Millonarios, and a 16,000 salary for Di Stéfano with a bonus double that of his teammates, for a total of 40% of the annual revenue of the Madrid club.[251]

Di Stéfano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by Real Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup.[252] The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when Real Madrid and Barcelona met twice in the European Cup, with Madrid triumphing en route to their fifth consecutive title in 1959–60 and Barcelona prevailing en route to losing the final in 1960–61. Ahead of the 1973–74 season, Johan Cruyff arrived to Barcelona for a world record £920,000 from Ajax.[253] Already an established player with Ajax, Cruyff quickly won over the Barcelona fans when he told the European press that he chose Barcelona over Real Madrid because he could not play for a club associated with Francisco Franco. He further endeared himself when he named his son "Jordi", after the local Catalan Saint George.[254] In 2002, the European encounter between the clubs was dubbed the "Match of The Century" by Spanish media, and Madrid's win was watched by more than 500 million people around the world.[255] A fixture known for its intensity and indiscipline, it has also featured memorable goal celebrations from both teams, often involving mocking the opposition.[256] In October 1999, Real Madrid forward Raúl silenced 100,000 Barcelona fans at the Camp Nou when he scored before he celebrated by putting a finger to his lips as if telling the crowd to be quiet.[256][257] In 2009, Barcelona captain Carles Puyol kissed his Catalan armband in front of Madrid fans at the Bernabéu.[256] Cristiano Ronaldo twice gestured to the hostile crowd to "calm down" after scoring against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in 2012 and 2016.[256] In April 2017, Messi celebrated his 93rd-minute winner for Barcelona against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu by taking off his Barcelona shirt and holding it up to incensed Real Madrid fans – with his name and number facing them.[256] Later that year, in August, Ronaldo was subbed on in the first leg of the Supercopa de España, proceeded to score in the 80th minute and took his shirt off before holding it up to Barça's fans with his name and number facing them.[258]

El Derbi madrileño

Real Madrid supporters during the 2006 El Derbi madrileño match held at the Santiago Bernabéu

The club's nearest neighbour is Atlético Madrid, a rivalry being shared between fans of both football teams. Although Atlético was founded by three Basque students in 1903, it was joined in 1904 by dissident members of "Madrid FC". The two teams met for the first time on 2 December 1906 in the regional championship, with Real Madrid winning 2–1. Their first league meeting came on 21 February 1929 in matchday three of the first league championship at the former Chamartín. It was the first official derby of the new tournament, and Real won 2–1.[48] After the Civil War, during the early Francoist period, Atlético became associated with the military air force (and thus renamed Atlético Aviación), although the alleged preference of the regime for the club is subject to discussion. In any case, during this period Atlético became the most successful club in Spain, reducing the historical gap between the two clubs, until the regime preference shifted towards Real Madrid in the 1950s, as Franco sought to make political capital out of Real Madrid's multiple European Cup titles at a time when Spain was internationally isolated; one minister said, "Real Madrid are the best ambassadors we've ever had."[185] Thus, Atlético fans regularly chanted that Real were "El equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país" – "The team of the government, the shame of the country" – and allegedly adopted a more left-wing slant (tempered by the rise of ultras culture and Rayo Vallecano's presence as the "true" leftist club in Madrid).[259][260]

The rivalry first gained international attention in 1959 during the European Cup when the two clubs met in the semi-finals. Real won the first leg 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Atlético won 1–0 at the Metropolitano. The tie went to a replay, which Real won 2–1. Atlético, however, gained some revenge when, led by former Real Madrid coach José Villalonga, it defeated its city rivals in two successive Copa del Generalísimo finals in 1960 and 1961.[261] In the 1970s, Atlético again took the lead as the most successful Spanish club of the decade, which prompted the Real Madrid fanbase to look down on Atlético calling them and their supporters "Indios" (Indians, a reference to the Latin American players signed by the Red-and-whites).[262] By then, Real Madrid did not want to sign non-Caucasian players (president Santiago Bernabéu even stated, when he decided not to sign Portuguese star Eusebio at the end of the 1960s, "Mientras yo viva, aquí no jugará ningún negro ni un blanco con bigote" ("As long as I live, no black or white with a mustache will play here").[263] Atlético's supporters accepted the new "Indian" nickname joyfully and have been using it until today. The Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid's stadium, is alongside banks and businesses on the upper class Paseo de la Castellana street, while the Vicente Calderón (the stadium that Atlético Madrid used until the 2016–17 season) could be found near a brewery, alongside the Manzanares River and a motorway. Real draw greater support all across the region because of their historically greater resources and success, while Atlético have a relatively working class fan base mainly from the south of the city, with some fans also scattered throughout the city.[264][265] In fact, the Atlético crest includes the Coat of arms of Madrid, whereas Real crest has no such a reference to the city (instead, it includes a reference to the broader Castile region).

Between 1961 and 1989, when Real dominated La Liga, only Atlético offered it any serious challenge, winning league titles in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. In 1965, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years. Real Madrid's record against Atlético in more recent times is very favourable.[266] A high point came in the 2002–03 season, when Real clinched the La Liga title after a 4–0 victory at the Vicente Calderón. Atlético's first win over its city rivals since 1999 came in the Copa del Rey final in May 2013. In 2013–14, Real and Atlético were finalists of the UEFA Champions League, the first final which hosted two clubs from the same city. Real Madrid triumphed with a 4–1 comeback victory in extra time.[267] On 7 February 2015, Real suffered their first defeat in 14 years at the Vicente Calderón, a 4–0 loss.[268] On 28 May 2016, Real and Atlético again met for the Champions League title, which resulted in a win for Real after a penalty shootout at San Siro.[269]

El Viejo Clásico

Real Madrid's Guti (left) and Athletic Bilbao's Javi Martínez (centre) and Amorebieta (right) during a match at the Bernabéu, 2010

A further minor rivalry exists between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. This is known as El Viejo Clásico (the old classic),[270] so named as the two clubs were dominant in the first half of the 20th century, meeting in nine Copa del Rey finals including the first in 1903.[271][272] Until 10 December 2011, this fixture was the most played in the history of Spanish football, when it was surpassed by El Clásico.[273]

Athletic Bilbao, who operate a policy of only using local players,[274] have long since ceased to be a competitive rival to clubs such as Real Madrid who scour the globe for the best talent; the Lions won only two of the 26 matches between the teams from 2005–06 to 2016–17.[270][275][276] However, the matches remain keenly fought due to their historical and cultural significance, with some parallels to the political aspect of the Barcelona/Catalonia rivalry as Athletic are the largest club in the Basque region.[277][260][278]

European rivalries

Bayern Munich

Real Madrid players celebrating a goal against Bayern Munich in 2007

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are two of the most successful clubs in the UEFA Champions League/European Cup competition, with Real winning 15 times and Bayern winning six times.[279][280] Although they have never met in a final, Real Madrid versus Bayern is the match that has historically been played most often in the Champions League/European Cup with 26 matches (twelve wins for Madrid, eleven wins for Bayern, with three draws),[281] with several controversial incidents occurring due to the great importance of most of their meetings.[282][283][284] Real Madrid supporters often refer to Bayern as the "Bestia negra" ("Black Beast").

During the 2010s, the two teams met in the 2011–12 Champions League semi-finals, which ended 3–3 on aggregate (Bayern won 3–1 on penalties after extra time, but lost the final at their own stadium by the same method), then at the same stage in the 2013–14 edition with Real Madrid winning 5–0 on aggregate,[285] and again in 2017–18 with the Spanish club progressing 4–3;[286] both times they went on to win the competition.

Juventus

Another match that is often played in the European Cup/Champions League is Real Madrid vs Juventus, the most decorated Italian club. They have played each other in 21 matches and have an almost perfectly balanced record (nine wins for Juventus, ten wins for Real Madrid and two draws), as well as nearly the same goal difference (Madrid ahead 26 to 25).[287][288][289]

Pre-match display at the 2017 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Juventus

Their first meeting was in the quarter-finals of the 1961–62 European Cup, which Real Madrid won 3–1 in a replay held in Paris.[288] At the quarter-final stage in 1995–96, Juventus prevailed 2–1 over the two legs and went on to lift the trophy.[288] In the 1998 UEFA Champions League Final between the teams in Amsterdam, Real Madrid won 1–0.[288][290] They met again in the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, when both clubs were in their respective 'golden eras'; Juventus won 4–3 on aggregate.[288] By that time, star midfielder Zinedine Zidane, who played for the Bianconeri in the 1998 final, had moved from Turin to Madrid in a world record €77 million deal.[291]

The teams met again in the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League group stage, with Madrid winning 2–1 at home and drawing 2–2 away en route to their tenth title. In the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, former Real Madrid player Álvaro Morata scored one goal in each leg to take Juventus to the final, winning 3–2 on aggregate, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals for Madrid.[288] They faced off again in the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final in Cardiff, with Ronaldo scoring twice as Real Madrid won 4–1.[288][292][293]

The latest Champions League meeting was in the 2017–18 quarter-finals, which Real Madrid won 4–3 on aggregate; the tie ended in dramatic and controversial fashion, with a debatable penalty awarded to Real Madrid in the last minute of the second leg after Juventus built a 3–0 lead at the Bernabeu to pull level in the tie following a defeat at the Allianz Stadium by the same scoreline.[294][295] Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals over the two matches including the decisive penalty and a spectacular overhead kick,[296] and having won the Champions League with Madrid for a fourth time,[297] he transferred to Juventus a few months later for a €117 million fee.[298]

Finances and ownership

It was under Florentino Pérez's first presidency (2000–2006) that Real Madrid started its ambition of becoming the world's richest professional football club.[299] The club ceded part of its training grounds to the city of Madrid in 2001, and sold the rest to four corporations: Repsol YPF, Mutua Automovilística de Madrid, Sacyr Vallehermoso and OHL. The sale eradicated the club's debts, paving the way for it to buy the world's most expensive players, such as Zinedine Zidane, Luís Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham. The city had previously rezoned the training grounds for development, a move which in turn increased their value, and then bought the site.[79] The European Commission started an investigation into whether the city overpaid for the property, to be considered a form of state subsidy.[300]

The sale of the training ground for office buildings cleared Real Madrid's debts of €270 million and enabled the club to embark upon an unprecedented spending spree which brought big-name players to the club. In addition, profit from the sale was spent on a state-of-the-art training complex on the city's outskirts.[301] Although Pérez's policy resulted in increased financial success from the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential around the world, especially in Asia, it came under increasing criticism for being too focused on marketing the Real Madrid brand and not enough on the performances of the team.[82]

By September 2007, Real Madrid was considered the most valuable football brand in Europe by BBDO. In 2008, it was ranked the second-most valuable club in world football, at €951 million (£640 million / $1.285 billion),[302] only beaten by Manchester United, which was valued at €1.333 billion (£900 million).[303] In 2010, Real Madrid had the highest turnover in football worldwide.[304] In September 2009, Real Madrid's management announced plans to open the club's own dedicated theme park by 2013.[305]

A study at Harvard University concluded that Real Madrid "is one of the 20 most important brand names and the only one in which its executives, the players, are well-known. We have some spectacular figures in regard to worldwide support of the club. There are an estimated 287 million people worldwide who follow Real Madrid."[306] In 2010, Forbes evaluated Real Madrid's worth to be around €992 million (US$1.323 billion), ranking them second only to Manchester United, based on figures from the 2008–09 season.[307][308] According to Deloitte, Real Madrid had a recorded revenue of €401 million in the same period, ranking first.[309]

Along with Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna, Real Madrid is organised as a registered association. This means that the club is owned by its supporters, who elect the president. The president cannot invest his own money,[310] and the club can only spend what it earns, which is mainly derived through sponsorships, commercial partnerships, merchandise sales, television rights, prize money and ticket sales. Unlike a limited company, it is not possible to purchase shares in the club, but only a membership.[311] The members of Real Madrid, called "socios", form an assembly of delegates which is the highest governing body of the club.[312] As of 2010, the club had 60,000 socios.[313] At the end of the 2009–10 season, the club's board of directors stated that Real Madrid had a net debt of €244.6 million, €82.1 million lower than the previous fiscal year. Real Madrid announced that it had a net debt of €170 million after the 2010–11 season. From 2007 to 2011, the club made a net profit of €190 million.[314][315]

During the 2009–10 season, Real Madrid made €150 million through ticket sales, the most of any club in top-flight football.[314] Real Madrid has the highest number of shirt sales per season, around 1.5 million.[314] For the 2010–11 season, Madrid's wage bill totalled €169 million, which was second-highest in Europe behind Barcelona;[316] furthermore, its wage bill to turnover ratio was the best in Europe at 43 percent, ahead of Manchester United and Arsenal at 46 percent and 50 percent, respectively. In 2013, Forbes listed the club as the world's most valuable sports team, worth $3.3 billion.[317] Real Madrid was valued at €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.[318] In November 2018, the average first-team pay at Madrid was £8.1m ($10.6m) per year, making it the second-highest paid sports team in the world after Barcelona.[319][320] In 2022, Forbes listed Real Madrid as the most valuable football club in the world, at $5.1 billion.[321]

Real Madrid was the featured club in the second installment of the Goal! football movie trilogy, Goal! 2: Living the Dream... (2007). The film follows former Newcastle United star Santiago Muñez as he is first scouted and then signed by Real Madrid for the 2005–06 season. The film's creators wanted to put emphasis on the changes in Muñez's life after his move to Madrid. Production was done with the full support of UEFA, allowing the film crew to use many real life players in cameo roles. Real Madrid squad members featured in the film included Iker Casillas, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl, Sergio Ramos, Robinho, Michael Owen, Míchel Salgado, Júlio Baptista, Steve McManaman and Iván Helguera. Non-Real Madrid players to make cameo appearances included Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Andrés Iniesta, Pablo Aimar, Freddie Ljungberg, Cesc Fàbregas and Santiago Cañizares. In the film, both Florentino Pérez and Alfredo Di Stéfano presented the fictional player Muñez to the club after his signing.[322]

Real, The Movie is a 2005 part feature, part documentary film that showcases the worldwide passion for Real Madrid. Produced by the club and directed by Borja Manso, it follows five sub-stories of fans from around the world and their love for the club. Along with the fictional portion of the film, it also contains real footage of the squad, during training at Ciudad Real Madrid, matches, and interviews. Although the film mentions all of the squad, it mainly focuses on galácticos such as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Raúl, Luís Figo, Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Roberto Carlos, among others. The film was originally produced in Spanish, but has been dubbed for their worldwide fanbase.

The book White Storm: 100 years of Real Madrid by Phil Ball was the first English-language history of Real Madrid. Published in 2002, it talks about the most successful moments of the club during its first centenary, having been translated into various languages. In late 2011, Real Madrid released a digital music album, entitled Legends, and a remix of the club's anthem, "Himno del Real Madrid," was released as the first single from the album.[323]

Real Madrid TV

Real Madrid TV is an encrypted digital television channel, operated by Real Madrid and specialising in the club. The channel is available in Spanish and English. It is located at Ciudad Real Madrid in Valdebebas (Madrid), Real Madrid's training centre.

Hala Madrid

Hala Madrid is a magazine published quarterly for the Real Madrid club members and the Madridistas Fan Club card holders.[324] The phrase Hala Madrid, meaning "Forward Madrid" or "Go Madrid", is also the title of the club's official anthem, which is often sung by the Madridistas (the club's fans).[325] The magazine includes reports on the club's matches in the previous month, as well as information about the reserve and youth teams. Features often include interviews with players, both past and present, and the club's historic matches.[324]

Video games

Real Madrid has appeared in many football-based video games, namely in the FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer series. A Real Madrid player has appeared on the cover of both titles a combined seven times.

In 2007, Spanish game publisher Virgin Play signed a deal with the club to make officially licensed Real Madrid video games. The only one released under the deal (due to Virgin Play's liquidation in September 2009) would end up being Real Madrid: The Game, which was developed by Atomic Planet Entertainment and was published under Virgin Play's publishing division V.2 Play in May 2009 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Windows, Wii and Nintendo DS exclusively in European territories Virgin Play released their products in. The game featured a career mode with a mixture of role-playing and simulation as well as arcade-styled Football gameplay.

Honours

Real Madrid CF honours[326]
Type Competition Titles Seasons
Domestic La Liga[327] 36 1931–32, 1932–33, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2023–24
Copa del Rey[327][328] 20 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1961–62, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2022–23
Copa de la Liga[327] 1 1985
Supercopa de España[327][329] 13 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2024
Copa Eva Duarte 1 1947
Continental European Cup/UEFA Champions League[327] 15 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1965–66, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22, 2023–24
UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League[327][330] 2 1984–85, 1985–86
UEFA Super Cup[327] 6 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024
Latin Cup[327][331] 2s 1955, 1957
Worldwide FIFA Club World Cup[327] 5 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022
Intercontinental Cup[327][332] 3s 1960, 1998, 2002
Ibero-American Cup[16][17] 1 1994
Regional Campeonato de Madrid/Campeonato Regional Centro[327] 23 1903, 1904–05, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1912–13, 1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1919–20, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36
Copa Federación Centro 4s 1923, 1928, 1943, 1945
  •   record
  • s shared record

Players

Spanish teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country. Also, players from the ACP countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement are not counted against non-EU quotas due to the Kolpak ruling.

Current squad

As of 1 September 2024[333]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Belgium BEL Thibaut Courtois
2 DF Spain ESP Dani Carvajal (vice-captain)
3 DF Brazil BRA Éder Militão
4 DF Austria AUT David Alaba
5 MF England ENG Jude Bellingham
6 MF France FRA Eduardo Camavinga
7 FW Brazil BRA Vinícius Júnior
8 MF Uruguay URU Federico Valverde
9 FW France FRA Kylian Mbappé
10 MF Croatia CRO Luka Modrić (captain)
11 FW Brazil BRA Rodrygo
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK Ukraine UKR Andriy Lunin
14 MF France FRA Aurélien Tchouaméni
15 MF Turkey TUR Arda Güler
16 FW Brazil BRA Endrick
17 DF Spain ESP Lucas Vázquez
18 DF Spain ESP Jesús Vallejo
19 MF Spain ESP Dani Ceballos
20 DF Spain ESP Fran García
21 FW Morocco MAR Brahim Díaz
22 DF Germany GER Antonio Rüdiger
23 DF France FRA Ferland Mendy


Reserve and Academy team

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF Spain ESP Rafa Obrador (at Deportivo La Coruña until 30 June 2025)
DF Spain ESP Marvel (at Córdoba until 30 June 2025)
MF Brazil BRA Reinier (at Granada until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Spain ESP Mario Martín (at Valladolid until 30 June 2025)
FW Uruguay URU Álvaro Rodríguez (at Getafe until 30 June 2025)

Personnel

Current technical staff

Carlo Ancelotti is the current head coach of the club.
Position Staff
Head coach Italy Carlo Ancelotti
Assistant coach Italy Davide Ancelotti
Technical assistant coach Italy Francesco Mauri
Head fitness coach Italy Antonio Pintus
Assistant technical & fitness coach Italy Beniamino Fulco
Goalkeeping coach Spain Luis Llopis
Technical analyst Italy Simone Montanaro
Recovery specialist Spain José Carlos Parrales
  • Last updated: 21 August 2021
  • Source:[334]
Spanish businessman Florentino Pérez is the current president of the club

Management

Position Staff
President Florentino Pérez
Vice-presidents Fernando Fernández Tapias
Eduardo Fernández de Blas
Pedro López Jiménez
Honorary President José Martínez Sánchez - Pirri[335]
Secretary of the Board Enrique Sánchez González
Members Ángel Luis Heras Aguado
Santiago Aguadi García
Jerónimo Farré Muncharaz
Enrique Pérez Rodriguez
Manuel Cerezo Velázquez
José Sánchez Bernal
Gumersindo Santamaría Gil
Raúl Ronda Ortiz
José Manuel Otero Lastre
Nicolás Martín-Sanz García
Catalina Miñarro Brugarolas
Manuel Torres Gómez
  • Last updated: 4 June 2024
  • Source:[336]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Real Madrid have won five FIFA Club World Cup and three Intercontinental Cup titles for a total of eight.[15] Additionally, Real Madrid won a one-off Ibero-American Cup (contested by Copa de Oro and Copa del Rey winners) in 1994.[16][17]
  2. ^ The Copa del Rey, as it was known for the most part of its history, was renamed to Copa del Presidente de la República by the Second Spanish Republic in 1932 and then to Copa del Generalísimo by the Francoist government in 1939.
  3. ^ Real Madrid home kit in 1905 was all-white, so the supporters began referring to the players as Los Blancos.
  4. ^ Realmadrid.com appeared as shirt sponsor to promote the club's new website.

References

  1. ^ a b "Real Madrid Club de Fútbol" (in Spanish). Liga de Fútbol Profesional. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  2. ^ "Los vikingos arrasan Europa". Ligadecampeones.com. 23 November 1960. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  3. ^ The White House:
  4. ^ "Real Madrid remind the world they are, and always will be, the Kings of Europe". goal.com. 28 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Kings of Europe more than ever". marca.com. 27 May 2018. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  6. ^ "From Handel to Hala Madrid: music of champions". UEFA.com. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b Luís Miguel González. "Pre-history and first official title (1900–1910)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Mundial 2030: España. Santiago Bernabeu (85.000 espectadores)" (in Spanish). Diario MARCA. 5 October 2023. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  9. ^ Hala Madrid...y nada más (feat. RedOne), 27 May 2014, archived from the original on 25 March 2023, retrieved 23 June 2023
  10. ^ Dongfeng Liu, Girish Ramchandani (2012). "The Global Economics of Sport", p. 65, Routledge.
  11. ^ "Social media: Real ahead of Barcelona - CIES Football Observatory". football-observatory.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  12. ^ Ozanian, Mike; Tietelbaum, Justin (23 May 2024). "The World's Most Valuable Soccer Teams 2024". Forbes. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  13. ^ News, A. B. C. "Real Madrid first club in world to report €1bn in revenue". ABC News. Retrieved 24 July 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ "World Football: The 11 Most Successful European Clubs in History". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  15. ^ Press Association Sport (27 October 2017). "Man United retrospectively declared 1999 world club champions by FIFA". ESPN FC. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  16. ^ a b "The Official Competitions of CONMEBOL". conmebol.com (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Ibero-American Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  18. ^ "Former Results". IFFHS (in German). 18 July 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  19. ^ a b "UEFA Champions League statistics 2022–23 handbook – All-time records 1955–2022" (PDF). UEFA. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  20. ^ "Member associations – UEFA rankings – Club coefficients". UEFA. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Real Madrid 1960 – the greatest club side of all time". BBC. 23 May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  22. ^ "The great European Cup teams: Real Madrid 1955–60". The Guardian. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  23. ^ Rai, Guillermo. "How to manage Los Galacticos. By Vicente del Bosque". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  24. ^ Townsend, Jon (2 April 2020). "Steve McManaman at Real Madrid: The most successful English player to head overseas". These Football Times. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  25. ^ X, Mr. "The Cristiano Ronaldo £80m Transfer from Man United to Madrid Analysed". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  26. ^ Bhargav (8 December 2021). "Ranking the 10 greatest Real Madrid players of all time". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  27. ^ Ayamga, Emmanuel (8 January 2019). "3 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is easily the greatest footballer of all time". sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  28. ^ "Karim Benzema betters Raul record but still 81 behind Cristiano Ronaldo on Real Madrid goal chart | Goal.com". goal.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  29. ^ Babalola, Oluwatomiwa (6 July 2021). "Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, Messi Top List of Greatest Goal Scorers in International Football". SportsBrief – Sport news. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Jude Bellingham: Why Real Madrid move makes 'perfect sense'". BBC Sport. 14 June 2023. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  31. ^ "Official Announcement: Mbappé". Real Madrid CF. 3 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Mbappé signs for Real Madrid". Real Madrid CF. 3 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  33. ^ "The FIFA Club of the Century" (PDF). FIFA. 1 December 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  34. ^ "FIFA Centennial Orders of Merit". FIFA. 20 May 2004. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  35. ^ UEFA.com. "All-time stats & rankings | UEFA Champions League". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  36. ^ "Most wins of the football (soccer) European Cup / Champions League (team)". Guinness World Records. 28 May 2022. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  37. ^ "Centurions! Real Madrid won their 100th trophy with FIFA Club World Cup triumph". ESPN. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  38. ^ "UEFA rankings for club competitions". UEFA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  39. ^ UEFA.com (July 2018). "Ten-year club coefficients | UEFA Coefficients". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  40. ^ "Real Madrid | History & Notable Players | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  41. ^ "In what century was Real Madrid founded?" (in Spanish). CIHEFE. 16 November 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  42. ^ Rowley, Christopher (2015). The Shared Origins of Football, Rugby, and Soccer. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-4618-8.
  43. ^ Ball, Phil p. 117.
  44. ^ a b Sàpiens Editions (ed.). "The Catalan founders of Real Madrid". Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  45. ^ Tomás Guasch (27 December 1992). "A Catalan founded Real Madrid". Mundo Deportivo. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  46. ^ a b "History — Chapter 1 – From the Estrada Lot to the nice, little O'Donnel pitch". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  47. ^ Luís Miguel González. "Bernabéu's debut to the title of Real (1911–1920)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  48. ^ a b c Luís Miguel González (28 February 2007). "A spectacular leap towards the future (1921–1930)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  49. ^ a b González, Luís Miguel. "First leagues titles and Civil War (1931–1940)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  50. ^ "Real Madrid v Barcelona: six of the best 'El Clásicos'". The Daily Telegraph. London. 9 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  51. ^ a b "Sid Lowe: Fear and loathing in La Liga.. Barcelona vs Real Madrid" p. 67. Random House. 26 September 2013
  52. ^ Phil Ball (2001). Morbo: the story of Spanish football. Reading: WSC Books. p. 25.
  53. ^ "Sid Lowe: Fear and loathing in La Liga.. Barcelona vs Real Madrid" p. 70. Random House. 26 September 2013
  54. ^ Lowe, Sid. p. 73, 74
  55. ^ Spaaij, Ramn (2006). Understanding football hooliganism: a comparison of six Western European football clubs. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-5629-445-8. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  56. ^ "Sid Lowe: Fear and loathing in La Liga.. Barcelona vs Real Madrid" p. 77. Random House. 26 September 2013
  57. ^ a b c d e Luís Miguel González. "Bernabéu begins his office as President building the new Chamartín Stadium (1941–1950)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  58. ^ a b c Luís Miguel González. "An exceptional decade (1951–1960)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  59. ^ "Jacques Ferran: 'Launching the European Cup was a gamble'" (PDF). UEFA Direct. May 2016. pp. 19–22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2024.
  60. ^ Matthew Spiro (12 May 2006). "Hats off to Hanot". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2006. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  61. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA Champions League" (PDF). UEFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2008.; Page 4, §2.01 "Cup" & Page 26, §16.10 "Title-holder logo"
  62. ^ Lorenzo Lara (22 May 2017). "The Real Madrid domination of the 1960s and 70s". Marca. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  63. ^ a b Luís Miguel González. "The generational reshuffle was successful (1961–1970)". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  64. ^ "Real Madrid History: 1961–1970" Archived 22 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine. RealMadrid.com. Retrieved 1 October 2015
  65. ^ Video highlights Archived 14 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine from official Pathé News archive
  66. ^ "Trophy Room". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  67. ^ "European Competitions 1971". RSSS. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  68. ^ "Santiago Bernabéu". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  69. ^ "Santiago Bernabéu 1943·1978". Real Madrid CF. realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  70. ^ a b c "The "Quinta del Buitre" era begins". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  71. ^ a b c "The Real Madrid of La Quinta". Marca. 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  72. ^ Marcotti, Gabriele (2008). Capello: The Man Behind England's World Cup Dream. Bantam Books. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-553-82566-4.
  73. ^ "1991–2000 – From Raúl González to the turn of the new millennium". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  74. ^ "UEFA Champions League 1999/00 – History". UEFA. 24 May 2000. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  75. ^ "The unluckiest manager ever sacked?". BBC Sport. 24 June 2003. Archived from the original on 23 February 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  76. ^ "Florentino Pérez era" (in Spanish). Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  77. ^ "Figo's the Real deal". BBC Sport. 24 July 2000. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  78. ^ "2001 – present — Real Madrid surpasses the century mark". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  79. ^ a b "2001 – present — Real Madrid surpasses the century mark". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  80. ^ "Real ditch Del Bosque". BBC Sport. 24 June 2003. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  81. ^ "Chelsea sign Makelele". BBC Sport. 1 September 2003. Archived from the original on 2 September 2003. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  82. ^ a b c Lowe, Sid (2013). "Fear and Loathing in La Liga: The True Story of Barcelona and Real Madrid". p. 356-357. Random House,
  83. ^ "Alberto Moreno angling for Real Madrid move" Archived 24 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Marca. Retrieved 23 August 2014
  84. ^ "Real Madrid 0–3 Barcelona". BBC Sport. 19 November 2005. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  85. ^ "Real Madrid sack coach Luxemburgo". BBC Sport. 4 December 2005. Archived from the original on 21 January 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  86. ^ "Real Madrid concede six in defeat". BBC Sport. 8 February 2006. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  87. ^ "Perez resigns as Madrid president". BBC Sport. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  88. ^ "Beckham's farewell cut short but he still departs a winner". theguardian.com. 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  89. ^ "Beckham bows out with La Liga title" Archived 17 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2014
  90. ^ Sid Lowe (10 March 2009). "Trophies tell story of Madrid's decline". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  91. ^ Lucas Brown (1 June 2009). "Florentino Perez Vows To Lead Real Madrid To Future Glory". goal.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  92. ^ "Perez to return as Real president". BBC Sport. 1 June 2009. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
  93. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (7 June 2009). "Real Madrid to confirm world record £56m signing of Kaka". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  94. ^ "Ronaldo completes £80m Real move" Archived 12 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 16 August 2014
  95. ^ Paul Maidment (11 June 2009). "Galacticos 2.0". Forbes. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  96. ^ "Ronaldo forced out of Milan meetings". UEFA. 11 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  97. ^ Bandini, Nicky (10 April 2014). "Manchester United, Real Madrid and European Football's Greatest-Ever Runners-Up". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  98. ^ a b Gouyet, Stefan. "92 Points Not Good Enough for Real Madrid to Win La Liga". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  99. ^ Tynan, Gordon (28 May 2010). "Mourinho to be unveiled at Madrid on Monday after £7m compensation deal". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  100. ^ "Real Madrid unveil José Mourinho as their new coach". BBC Sport. 31 May 2010. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  101. ^ "Uefa reject Real Madrid's complaint against Barcelona". goal.com. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  102. ^ "Champions League 2010-11: 5 Most Controversial Barcelona Moments". Bleacher Report. 6 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  103. ^ "Barcelona 1 – 1 Real Madrid (agg 3 – 1)" Archived 11 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2014
  104. ^ 2011–12 La Liga
  105. ^ "UEFA Champions League 2011/12 season matchweek stats pack Matchweek 1 13/09/2011 – 14/09/2011" (PDF). UEFA. 9 September 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  106. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo is fastest La Liga player to 100 goals". BBC Sport. 24 March 2012. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  107. ^ "Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid earn vindication after La Liga conquest". Msn.foxsports.com. 13 May 2012. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  108. ^ "Real Madrid: Highs and Lows of Their 2012-13 Season". Samuel Marsden. Bleacher Report. 31 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  109. ^ "Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid boss to leave next month". BBC. 20 May 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  110. ^ "Carlo Ancelotti named Real Madrid boss, Laurent Blanc joins PSG". BBC Sport. 25 June 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  111. ^ a b "Gareth Bale transfer". Daily Mirror. London. 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  112. ^ "Real Madrid Claims 'La Decima' with Champions League Win over Atletico Madrid". Bleacher Report. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022. The four goals for Real Madrid—who led La Liga with 104 goals this season—were the most in a Champions League final since AC Milan defeated FC Barcelona 4-0 in 1994.
  113. ^ Lowe, Sid (16 April 2014). "Real Madrid's Gareth Bale gallops past Barcelona to land Copa del Rey". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  114. ^ "Bayern Munich 0–4 Real Madrid". BBC Sport. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  115. ^ "Real Madrid make history with La Decima". euronews.com. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  116. ^ "200 goals for the BBC". Real Madrid CF. 24 October 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  117. ^ "Real Madrid to unleash new signings Rodriguez and Kroos in Super Cup". First Post. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  118. ^ "Real Madrid ties with Barcelona in trophies". Marca. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  119. ^ "Ancelotti: Madrid must start again from scratch". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  120. ^ "Real Madrid stretch winning run as Ronaldo and Gareth Bale score" Archived 6 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 20 December 2014
  121. ^ "2–0: World champions!". Real Madrid C.F. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  122. ^ "Valencia 2 – 1 Real Madrid" Archived 6 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2015
  123. ^ 2014–15 La Liga, 2014–15 UEFA Champions League
  124. ^ "Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo's 2014/15 Stats to His 2013/14 Numbers". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  125. ^ "James and Bale, La Liga's top scoring midfielders". Real Madrid CF. 8 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022. Fourteen Madrid players have chipped in to score a record 118 goals with which the team closed out the La Liga campaign.
  126. ^ "Florentino Pérez holds a press conference". Realmadrid.com. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  127. ^ a b "Real Madrid 2015/16 Season Review: Real Madrid 2015/16 Season Review". Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  128. ^ "Rafa Benitez named new coach of Real Madrid". Sky Sports. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2015..
  129. ^ Díaz, José Félix (2 December 2015). "Alineación indebida de Cheryshev" [Unlawful Cheryshev appearance]. Marca (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  130. ^ "Real Madrid not told Cheryshev was ineligible, says president". BBC Sport. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  131. ^ "Acuerdos y resolución del Juez de Competición acerca de los 1/16 de final de Copa de SM El Rey" (PDF). rfef.es. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  132. ^ "Zidane: a club legend in the Real Madrid dugout". realmadrid.com. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  133. ^ "Zidane replaces Benítez at Real Madrid". UEFA.com. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  134. ^ "2015–16 La Liga Table". Sky Sports. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  135. ^ "1–1: La Undécima is ours". Real Madrid. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  136. ^ "Spot-on Real Madrid defeat Atlético in final again". UEFA.com. 28 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  137. ^ "Carvajal wonder goal wins Super Cup for Madrid". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  138. ^ "Real Madrid 3–2 Deportivo de La Coruña". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  139. ^ "Madrid see off spirited Kashima in electric extra time final". FIFA. 18 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  140. ^ "Real Madrid break Barcelona's Spanish record as unbeaten run reaches 40". ESPN. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  141. ^ West, Aaron (15 January 2017). "Sevilla just snapped Real Madrid's unbeaten streak one match after they set the record". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  142. ^ "Malaga 0–2 Real Madrid". BBC.com. 21 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018. Real Madrid won their first La Liga title since 2012 thanks to a final-day victory at Malaga.
  143. ^ Daniel Taylor (3 June 2017). "Real Madrid win Champions League as Cristiano Ronaldo double defeats Juve". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  144. ^ Andrew Haslam (3 June 2017). "Majestic Real Madrid win Champions League in Cardiff". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  145. ^ Das, Andrew; Smith, Rory (3 June 2017). "Champions League Final: Real Madrid Confirms Its Spot as World's Best". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  146. ^ Leal, Antonio M. (8 June 2017). "The best season in history". Realmadrid.com. Madrid, Spain: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017. Real Madrid won four titles for the first time in their 115-year history.
  147. ^ "Real Madrid v Manchester United: Super Cup – as it happened". The Guardian. 8 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  148. ^ Bull, J. J. (17 August 2017). "Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 0 (5–1 on aggregate): Woeful Barca dismissed as Zinedine Zidane's unstoppable side win Super Cup". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  149. ^ "Ramos and Real make history in the Emirates". FIFA. 17 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018.
  150. ^ "Zinedine Zidane Announces His Resignation From Real Madrid". Esquire. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  151. ^ "Zinedine Zidane: Real Madrid boss stands down five days after Champions League win". BBC Sport. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  152. ^ "The 21 greatest sides in history have been ranked by football fans". givemesport.com. 28 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  153. ^ "For Real Madrid, Galacticos 2.0 has proven to be more successful than its predecessor". Vyasa Shastry. scroll.in. 3 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  154. ^ "Julen Lopetegui: Real Madrid name Spain manager as new head coach". BBC Sport. 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  155. ^ Lowe, Sid (13 June 2018). "Julen Lopetegui sacked by Spain as Fernando Hierro takes over". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  156. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus sign Real Madrid forward for £99.2m". BBC Sport. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  157. ^ "Solari se sentará en el banquillo del Real Madrid tras la destitución de Lopetegui". ABC (in Spanish). Vocento. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  158. ^ "Real Madrid win third successive global crown". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 December 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  159. ^ "Official Announcement". Real Madrid C.F. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  160. ^ "Real Madrid's 2018–2019 Season Overview". Managing Madrid. 23 May 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  161. ^ "Real Madrid's strange summer: 16 departures and no new signings". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  162. ^ "Spanish Super Cup: Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid on penalties". BBC Sport. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  163. ^ "Real Madrid win the longest LaLiga Santander season". marca.com. 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  164. ^ Navarro, Alberto (14 June 2020). "Real Madrid-Éibar: LaLiga is back | Real Madrid CF". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  165. ^ a b "Why are Real Madrid playing at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano and not Santiago Bernabeu?". Evening Standard. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  166. ^ "Zinedine Zidane leaves Real Madrid for second time as manager". bbc.com. 27 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  167. ^ "Official Announcement: Ancelotti". realmadrid.com. 1 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  168. ^ "Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Real Madrid: Luka Modric scores in Super Cup final win". BBC Sport. 16 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  169. ^ Mctear, Euan (16 January 2022). "Modric and Benzema fire Real Madrid to the Supercopa title". Marca. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  170. ^ "Real Madrid 4–0 Espanyol". BBC. 30 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  171. ^ "Ancelotti completes 'Grand Slam' as Real win title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  172. ^ Paul Macdonald (26 May 2022). "Champions League final: Real Madrid as plucky underdogs shows how broken football is". footballtransfers.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  173. ^ Simon Borg (14 September 2021). "UEFA Champions League odds, betting favorites & futures picks for 2021-22 tournament". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  174. ^ Alfredo Relaño (9 March 2022). "Champions League: PSG favourites but history favours Real Madrid". Diario AS. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  175. ^ CBS Sports Staff (6 April 2022). "Chelsea vs. Real Madrid odds, picks, how to watch, live stream: UEFA Champions League bets for April 6, 2022". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  176. ^ Associated Press (25 April 2022). "Ancelotti fine with underdog role against Manchester City". thescore.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  177. ^ "A look back at the road to Paris". Real Madrid CF. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  178. ^ Kyle Bonn (16 May 2022). "Who will win the Champions League final 2022? Liverpool vs. Real Madrid betting odds". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  179. ^ Javier García. "Madrid clinch the Decimocuarta!". realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  180. ^ Summerscales, Robert (28 May 2022). "Carlo Ancelotti Becomes Most Successful Manager In Champions League History". Futbol on FanNation. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  181. ^ Associated Press. "Real Madrid beats Liverpool 1-0 for 14th European Cup title". CNBC. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  182. ^ "Real Madrid CF | Web Oficial del Real Madrid CF". Real Madrid CF | Web Oficial del Real Madrid CF (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  183. ^ a b c d "Escudo Real Madrid" (in Spanish). santiagobernabeu.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
  184. ^ "Presidents — Pedro Parages". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  185. ^ a b c "General Franco, Real Madrid & the king: The history behind club's link to Spain's establishment". Ryan Kelly. goal.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  186. ^ "Don Revie statue unveiled 40 years after FA Cup victory". BBC Sport. 5 May 2012. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  187. ^ "Adidas renews with Real Madrid until 2020". sportspromedia.com. 1 December 2006. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  188. ^ "Our Sponsors — Adidas". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  189. ^ "Evolución Del Uniforme del Real Madrid (1902–1989)" (in Spanish). Leyendablanca.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  190. ^ "Evolución Del Uniforme del Real Madrid (1991–2008)" (in Spanish). Leyendablanca.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  191. ^ "BenQ to sponsor giant Real Madrid". taipeitimes.com. 8 November 2005. Archived from the original on 30 December 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  192. ^ Juan José López Soto (11 June 2008). "Real Madrid and Bwin sign sponsorship agreement". bwinparty.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  193. ^ "Our Sponsors — bwin.com". bwin.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
  194. ^ "Real Madrid agree record-breaking sponsorship deal with Emirates". As. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  195. ^ "Real Madrid and Emirates renew sponsorship deal until 2026". Real Madrid CF. 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  196. ^ “Eine Milliarde von Adidas für Real Madrid” Archived 16 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Der Spiegel. Retrieved 13 October 2020
  197. ^ "Football Leaks – All Details of Real Madrid's €1 Billion Adidas Deal Leaked". FOOTY HEADLINES. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  198. ^ "Real Madrid and adidas extend their successful alliance with a deal that is unprecedented in the sporting industry". Real Madrid.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  199. ^ "Real Madrid sign reported €1.1 billion new Adidas deal". GOAL.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  200. ^ "Estadio Santiago Bernabéu". stadiumguide.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  201. ^ Ball, Phil p. 118.
  202. ^ "History — Chapter 3 – The New Chamartin, an exemplary stadium". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  203. ^ a b "60th Anniversary". xtratime.org. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  204. ^ "German Bundesliga Stats: Team Attendance – 2010–11". ESPNsoccernet. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  205. ^ "Camp Nou: Average attendance 79,390". Arxiu.fcbarcelona.cat. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  206. ^ "Barclays Premier League Stats: Team Attendance – 2010–11". ESPNsoccernet. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  207. ^ "Spanish La Liga Stats: Team Attendance – 2010–11". ESPNsoccernet. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  208. ^ "Madrid and Hamburg awarded 2010 finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  209. ^ "Santiago Bernabéu station" (in Spanish). Metromadrid.es. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2007.
  210. ^ Javier Palomino (14 November 2007). "The Bernabéu is now Elite". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  211. ^ "This one's for you, Alfredo!". Realmadrid.com. 10 May 2006. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  212. ^ Roncero, Tomás (22 April 2020). "The changes Real Madrid must make to play their games at the Di Stéfano". Diario AS. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  213. ^ "Real Madrid hope €525m Bernabeu renovation gives them 'best stadium in world'". espn.com. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  214. ^ "Five things you didn't know about the new Bernabeu - MARCA in English". MARCA. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  215. ^ Sport, Telegraph (2 April 2019). "Real Madrid unveil plans for new Bernabeu with 360-degree screen and retractable roof". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  216. ^ "Real Madrid's new Bernabeu to grow over 10 metres in height - MARCA in English". MARCA. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  217. ^ "Real Madrid present the new Santiago Bernabéu". AS.com. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  218. ^ Ruairidh Barlow (18 June 2022). "Santiago Bernabeu full opening delayed until 2023". football-espana.net. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  219. ^ "Legends — Manolo Sanchís Hontiyuela". realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  220. ^ "Ronaldo's 501 goals: The numbers behind his amazing scoring record". Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  221. ^ "Conor Brown Equals Di Stéfano's Real Madrid Record". Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  222. ^ "Quickfire Ronaldo proves Real hero". CNN.com. 3 December 2003. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  223. ^ "Carmena da luz verde a la cubierta del Santiago Bernabéu". as.com (in Spanish). 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  224. ^ "Unbeaten at Home in the League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  225. ^ "History". Uefa.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  226. ^ "History". Uefa.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
  227. ^ "Real Madrid equal Santos' run of 73 consecutive games scoring". Marca. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  228. ^ "History of the world transfer record". BBC News. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  229. ^ "Man Utd accept £80m Ronaldo bid". BBC Sport. 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  230. ^ "Gareth Bale contract leak sparks panic at Real Madrid – and agent's fury". The Telegraph. No. 21 January 2016. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022.
  231. ^ "Hazard: 100 million euros plus variables". Marca. 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  232. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Juventus!". juventus.com (Press release). 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  233. ^ "Real Madrid v Barcelona: Saturday's El Clasico in numbers" Archived 7 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2017
  234. ^ "Real Madrid C.F. Reaches The 100 Million Likes Mark on Facebook". PR Newswire. 3 April 2017. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  235. ^ "Real Madrid eclipse 100 million likes on Facebook". Realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  236. ^ "Real supporters reported to Spanish FA". BBC Sport. 19 April 2005. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  237. ^ "UEFA investigate Real Madrid supporters". BBC Sport. 25 November 2004. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  238. ^ Kassam, Ashifa (9 December 2013). "Real Madrid moves to send off Ultras Sur fans". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  239. ^ "A Bernabéu without 'Ultras'". Marca. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  240. ^ "Ultras Sur protest outside Bernabeu". Football Espana. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  241. ^ Navarrete, Lucas (19 December 2014). "Sergio Ramos: "Real Madrid is God's team"". Managing Madrid. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2017. I believe in God and I respect the Pope. But this is football, after all. Real Madrid is God and the world's team.
  242. ^ El Clásico – Sergio García does the honour kickoff Archived 7 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. La Liga on YouTube
  243. ^ Ghemawat, Pankaj. p. 2.
  244. ^ "Victory Tracker". Ceroacero.es. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  245. ^ Fitzpatrick, Richard (2012). El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry. Bloomsbury. p. 146.
  246. ^ Burns, Jimmy, 'Don Patricio O'Connell: An Irishman and the Politics of Spanish Football' in "Irish Migration Studies in Latin America Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine" 6:1 (March 2008), p. 44. Available online pg. 3 Archived 18 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine,pg. 4 Archived 18 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  247. ^ Ham, Anthony p. 221
  248. ^ Ball, Phil p. 88
  249. ^ "SANTIAGO BERNABÉU 1943·1978". Real Madrid C.F. realmadrid.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  250. ^ "THE STORY OF REAL MADRID AND THE FRANCO REGIME". Nick Fitzgerald. thesefootballtimes.co. 27 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  251. ^ "BBC SPORT | Football | Alfredo Di Stefano: Did General Franco halt Barcelona transfer?". BBC News. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  252. ^ "Alfredo di Stéfano was one of football's greatest trailblazers". The Guardian. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  253. ^ MacWilliam, Rab; MacDonald, Tom. p. 180
  254. ^ Ball, Phil. pp. 83–85
  255. ^ "Real win Champions League showdown". BBC News. 11 December 2008. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  256. ^ a b c d e "Real Madrid-Barcelona: Celebrations in enemy territory". Marca. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  257. ^ "When Raul ended Madrid's humiliation, silenced Nou Camp". Egypt Today. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  258. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo scores and is sent off in win over Barcelona". The Guardian. Reuters. 14 August 2017. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  259. ^ Ballout, Richard (7 January 2015). "Why everything you know about the Madrid derby might be wrong". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  260. ^ a b FITZPATRICK, Richard (7 October 2012). "Franco, Real Madrid and Spanish football's eternal power struggle". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  261. ^ Real have won El Derbi madrileño 75 times.
  262. ^ ¿Por qué a los jugadores del Atlético se les llama 'colchoneros'? Archived 30 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine (Why are Atlético players called 'colchoneros'?), La Liga
  263. ^ El Bernabéu Archived 1 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine, La Razón
  264. ^ Rivalries: No love lost in Madrid, FIFA (archive version), 2009
  265. ^ More Than A Game: Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Archived 3 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine, FourFourTwo, 2006
  266. ^ Álvaro Velasco (17 January 2008). "H2H statistics". espn.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  267. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (24 May 2014). "Real Madrid win Champions League, seal tenth title after dramatic comeback". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  268. ^ Sid Lowe (7 February 2015). "Atlético Madrid overwhelm Real to show they will battle to keep title". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  269. ^ Azzoni, Tales. "Madrid Rivals Return to Champions League Final". AP. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  270. ^ a b "El viejo Clásico español, Athletic–Madrid, se despide de San Mamés" [The 'old classic' of Spain, Athletic–Madrid, says goodbye to San Mamés] (in Spanish). RTVE. 14 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  271. ^ "Athletic-Real Madrid Final 1903 Cup". Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  272. ^ "Los Athletic-Real Madrid están a punto de cumplir 97 años" [Athletic v Real Madrid is reaching the point of 97 years]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  273. ^ "El Clásico de los Clásicos: 216 partidos oficiales" [The classic of all classics: 216 official matches]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 10 December 2011. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  274. ^ Pete Jenson (26 August 2014). "Pete Jenson: Athletic Bilbao's locals-only transfer policy shows success does not need to be bought". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  275. ^ "Past seasons (filter: versus Real Madrid, League Championship)". Athletic Bilbao. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  276. ^ "Real Madrid matches (filter: versus Athletic Club)". Bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  277. ^ Lowe, Sid (26 March 2001). "Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football by Phil Ball (London: WSC Books, 2001)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  278. ^ "Real Madrid repelled as Gorka Iraizoz emulates the Squid". The Guardian. 18 January 2010. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  279. ^ Miguel Delaney (11 April 2017). "Bayern Munich and Real Madrid form one of the Champions League's richest and most intense historical rivalries". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  280. ^ "Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid: A Champions League classic". Bundesliga. 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  281. ^ "Real Madrid – Record against Bayern München". worldfootball.net. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  282. ^ Real Madrid v Bayern: the night Juanito kicked Matthäus in the face Archived 11 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Scott Murray, The Guardian, 23 April 2014
  283. ^ Bayern Munich v Real Madrid is the European Clásico – let the Champions League battle commence Archived 11 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Graham Hunter, Daily Record, 11 April 2017
  284. ^ "El loco del Bernabéu escenificó la guerra: contigo empezó todo" [The madman at the Bernabéu staged the war: everything started with you] (in Spanish). ABC. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  285. ^ "Bayern Munich 0–4 Real Madrid" Archived 1 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. BBC. Retrieved 23 August 2014
  286. ^ "Real Madrid 2 Bayern Munich 2: Karim Benzema brace sends Champions League holders into third straight final after Bernabeu thriller". Evening Standard. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  287. ^ "Juventus v Real Madrid: one of Europe's grandest rivalries". UEFA. 2 April 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  288. ^ a b c d e f g "Real Madrid matches: v Juventus". BDFutbol. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  289. ^ "Real Madrid-Juventus, the second most played match in the European Cup". Real Madrid CF. 3 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  290. ^ "Alves: Real Madrid beat Juventus in 1998 with an offside goal". Marca. 2 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  291. ^ Ley, John (9 July 2001). "Zidane in £48m Real deal". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  292. ^ Daniel Taylor (3 June 2017). "Real Madrid win Champions League as Cristiano Ronaldo double defeats Juve". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  293. ^ Andrew Haslam (3 June 2017). "Majestic Real Madrid win Champions League in Cardiff". UEFA. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  294. ^ "CL: Juve heartbreak at the Bernabeu". Football Italia. 11 April 2018. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  295. ^ "Buffon: Referee 'has a trashcan in place of a heart'". thescore.com. 11 April 2018. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  296. ^ NDTVSports.com. "Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo's Goal Leaves Sporting World in Awe – NDTV Sports". NDTVSports.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  297. ^ Saffer, Paul (26 May 2018). "Three in a row: Real Madrid make more history". UEFA. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  298. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Juventus!". juventus.com (Press release). 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  299. ^ "Perez resigns as Real Madrid president". BBC. 27 February 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  300. ^ Nash, Elizabeth (4 March 2004). "EU investigates Real Madrid property deal". independent.co.uk. London. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  301. ^ "Mistakes are forbidden". CNN/Sports Illustrated. 8 May 2001. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  302. ^ "The Most Valuable Soccer Teams". Forbes. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  303. ^ "The Most Valuable Soccer Teams – Manchester United". Forbes. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  304. ^ "Deloitte Football Money League" (PDF). Deloitte. 20 October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  305. ^ "Real Madrid plan to open their own theme park". TheSpoiler.co.uk. 4 September 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
  306. ^ "Noticias". upcomillas.es. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  307. ^ "The Business of Soccer". Forbes. 21 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  308. ^ "Soccer Team Valuations". Forbes. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  309. ^ "Real Madrid becomes the first sports team in the world to generate €400m in revenues as it tops Deloitte Football Money League". Deloitte. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  310. ^ "How Real Madrid can afford their transfer spending splurge? – ESPN Soccernet". ESPN. 12 June 2009. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  311. ^ Peterson, Marc p. 25
  312. ^ Andreff, Wladimir; Szymański, Stefan (2006). Handbook on the economics of sport. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 299. ISBN 1-84376-608-6.
  313. ^ "Real Madrid drama. The oldest supporter died" (in Romanian). ziare.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  314. ^ a b c The Swiss Rambler (21 June 2011). "The Swiss Ramble: Real Madrid And Financial Fair Play". Swissramble.blogspot.ie. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  315. ^ "Real Madrid CF – Official Web Site – Real Madrid's annual turnover amounts to €480.2 million, showing an 8.6% increase over the previous financial year". goal.com. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  316. ^ "Football clubs dominate the world ranking of highest-paying sports clubs". The Guardian. 3 May 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  317. ^ "Real Madrid Tops The World's Most Valuable Sports Teams". Forbes. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 16 July 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  318. ^ "Deloitte Football Money League 2022". Deloitte. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  319. ^ "Barcelona become first sports team to average £10m a year in wages". The Guardian. 25 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  320. ^ "Barcelona tops the 2018 list of the highest-paid sports teams in the world with $13.8 million average annual salary". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  321. ^ Ozanian, Mike; Tietelbaum, Justin (23 May 2024). "The World's Most Valuable Soccer Teams 2024". Forbes. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  322. ^ "Goal! 2: Living the Dream... (2007)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  323. ^ "Real Madrid launches Legends music album". Real Madrid CF. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011.
  324. ^ a b "Hala Madrid quarterly magazine". Real Madrid. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  325. ^ "From Handel to Hala Madrid: music of champions". UEFA.com. 8 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  326. ^ "Palmarés de Fútbol". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  327. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Football honours". Realmadrid.com. Madrid, Spain: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  328. ^ "Copa del Rey – Palmarés". MARCA.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  329. ^ Carnicero, José; Torre, Raúl; Ferrer, Carles Lozano (25 August 2016). "Spain – List of Super Cup Finals". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  330. ^ "From Fairs Cup via UEFA Cup to UEFA Europa League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017. The UEFA Europa League evolved from the UEFA Cup, which itself was conceived by Switzerland's Ernst Thommen, along with Italy's Ottorino Barrasi and England's Sir Stanley Rous.
  331. ^ "Latin Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  332. ^ Magnani, Loris; Stokkermans, Karel (30 April 2005). "Intercontinental Club Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  333. ^ "Real Madrid squad". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  334. ^ "Squad". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  335. ^ "Official Announcement | Real Madrid CF". Real Madrid CF. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  336. ^ "Board members". Real Madrid CF. Retrieved 4 June 2024.

Further reading