Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world
The temple of football. Like its arch-enemy Barcelona, Real Madrid is more than just a soccer club - it's a veritable institution. Real is also a prestigious basketball club, a private television channel and a listed company. And when you step into the stands of the Estadio Santiago-Bernabéu (81,044 seats), you don't just see the plethora of football stars bought at a premium running around on the pitch, you get the feeling you're discovering a part of the history of the game, a mythical cathedral where the greatest players in history have played, a special audience that tolerates nothing but excellence. Thrills and chills guaranteed! Particularly on Champions League nights, the clasico against Barça or the derby against Atlético, when the stands are decked out in white and the socios sing along to the club's powerful anthem: Hala Madrid y Nada Más (" Go Madrid and nothing else "). White, the color of royalty, is of course also the color of the club, dubbed "The White House". Considered the team of the city's wealthy classes, its Bernabéu stadium is located in the north of Madrid, right in the heart of Chamartín, a chic district of the capital. And while the generalization of the sociology of its audience is obviously not entirely true, executives in suits and ties who have just come out of meetings can often be seen milling around the stadium a few minutes before kick-off. The socios also have real power within the club, since they are... shareholders and vote to elect their president. A leader who has to wage a veritable election campaign, promising some big names to add to the squad if possible. This unique public owns a small part of the club, and has been subscribing from father to son for over 120 years.
A century-long history. The club has a rich history dating back to its foundation in 1902, although it did not truly become Real until 1920, when the Spanish throne (King Alfonso XII) "appropriated" the club by awarding it the title Real. Eleven years later, the merengue ("meringue" in Spanish for the color white) won their first league title - and without losing a match!
On September 15, 1943, Santiago Bernabéu, a former player of the club, was unanimously elected president. He immediately set about building a new stadium in the Chamartín district, which would bear his name and be inaugurated in December 1947. President Bernabéu was ambitious: he wanted to make Real the best club in Europe. To this end, he brought in Alfredo Di Stéfano, a brilliant Argentine-born playmaker and goalscorer. Success was not long in coming: Real won the first European Cup in history in 1956 (against Stade de Reims) and the following four editions. Puskas, Gento and Kopa became real stars, and the club's popularity soared. By the 1950s, Real was already the biggest club in the world. Di Stéfano left Real in 1967, after fourteen years of loyal service. In 1978, the legendary Bernabéu president died; he was succeeded by Luis de Carlos (1978-1985), then Ramón Mendoza (1985-1995). Although this period was less prosperous, Real continued to add to the stadium's trophy cabinet: 5 championships and 2 UEFA Cups. This was the era of Emilio Butragueno, known as El Buitre ("the vulture") and his famous Quinta, made up of club-trained players such as Hector Camacho, Manuel Sanchis, Fernando Hierro, Pardeza and Martín Vázquez. The reign of Lorenzo Sanz (president from 1995 to 2000) was more turbulent: despite winning new trophies, Real went into debt and sank into crisis. Sanz was forced to call early elections, which he lost to Florentino Pérez, a wealthy entrepreneur and native Madridian.
Long live the Galacticos! In 1997, Real Madrid was voted the best soccer club in history by FIFA on the strength of its outstanding record of success. In 2001, he made the biggest transfer in the history of the game, bringing in Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for the princely sum of 75 million euros... The team, nicknamed the Galacticos, was then made up of Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Raul and Ronaldo. Together, they won Madrid's 9th Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 (2-1) and two Spanish league titles (2001 and 2003). Criticized for favoring the marketing aspect of the team, sometimes to the detriment of the game, Pérez tendered his resignation in 2006, and was succeeded by Ramón Calderón in 2009. Despite winning two further league titles, Real were nowhere to be seen on the European stage, and their second-place finish behind arch-rivals Barcelona in 2009 proved fatal. Pérez returned to the helm of the club and wasted no time in attracting new superstars to the capital. The time has come for Galacticos II. After the transfer of Brazilian Kaka (€65m), he lured Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo to the club for the staggering sum of €94m in 2009, then Welshman Gareth Bale in 2013 for €101m. During this period, notably under the charismatic José Mourinho, Real faced stiff competition from Barcelona and their Argentinian genius Lionel Messi. Despite winning the league title, Carlo Ancelotti took over from Mourinho. And if3rd place in the league in his first season was rather mediocre (especially as the champions were... Atlético Madrid), the conquest of the famous "decima", the Merengue club's 10th Champions League triumph in May 2014, made all the socios drool with happiness. The aperitif before the feast offered by legend Zinedine Zidane's first spell as coach. Between winter 2015 and summer 2018, the French star's record was exceptional, including three Champions Leagues and one league title. However, this did not prevent the Marseille native from packing his bags with a sense of duty accomplished. His departure was quickly followed by that of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus Turin. The end of a dream. Despite a comeback between March 2019 and May 2021, marked by a new league title in 2020, Zidane finally made way for another returnee: Carlo Ancelotti, who set about rebuilding around Karim Benzema and secured a 14th Champions League in 2022 at the Stade de France. The French striker finally left the club in the summer of 2023 to settle in Saudi Arabia, leaving the keys to the team to Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and new recruit Jude Bellingham.
Atlético de Madrid, from eternal second to European great
The bourgeoisie of Madrid's northern neighborhoods is contrasted with the working-class neighborhoods of southern Madrid. Here, along the Manzanares river, population density is much higher and average per capita income much lower. And while the club moved to the brand-new Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano in 2017, it built its legend in the dilapidated Vicente Calderon on the banks of the river. Here, we were far from the chic, bourgeois atmosphere of the Bernabéu, thanks to a very South American fury. Smoke bombs, rolls of toilet paper tumbling from the stands and throaty chants accompanied the Colchoneros on every outing. Colchoneros? In Spanish, "matelassiers" is the nickname given to Atlético players since the club's earliest days. Although the colors were initially chosen by the founders as a tribute to those of Bilbao, the legend comes from the local craftsmen. At the beginning of the 20th century, mattress makers in Madrid used red and white fabrics to make their mattresses. And in the neighborhood, scraps of this fabric were easy to find as they left the workshops. The red and white jerseys that made the club's history. A history that began in 1903 and has long been overshadowed by its bulky neighbor. For while Real collected trophies, Atlético struggled for decades to exist in the shadows. Despite a few titles and name changes along the way, it wasn't until the 1950s that the club from the south of the capital began to make its mark on Spanish soccer. Already champions in 1940 and 1941 under the name Athletic Aviación (it was renamed Club Atlético de Madrid in 1946), Atléti did it again in 1950 and 1951 (led by Frenchman Larbi Benbarek), and it was in 1958 that the Colchoneros battled in the European Cup for the first time. But they were no match for their neighbors to the north of the capital, until in the late 1980s, the whimsical Jesús Gil y Gil, a real estate businessman and mayor of Marbella, arrived to preside over the fortunes of the quilting club. A Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1993 and, above all, a Spanish Champion-Spanish Cup double in 1996, thanks in no small part to the hard-working midfielder Diego Simeone, sounded like the prelude to a brighter future. After a descent into the second division, the arrival of Quique Sánchez Flores on the bench in 2009 marked the beginning of the rojiblancos' rise to prominence. Winners of the Europa League in 2010 (after seeing off Liverpool in the semi-finals), the capital's second club is preparing for the revolution of its former Argentine midfielder Diego Simeone. When he took charge of the club in 2011, he brought a South American touch to the team. After another Europa League triumph thanks to a brace from Colombian Radamel Falcao (2012), the Colchoneros reached the final of the most prestigious club competition, the Champions League, in 2014 against... Real Madrid. A legendary final in which the underdogs from the south of the capital led 1-0 until... the 93rd minute. Unfortunately, an equaliser from Real captain Sergio Ramos and extra time later, the Colchoneros bent the knee against their eternal rivals (4-1). The disappointment was later forgotten, thanks to a league title won at the expense of Real and Barça, and the transfer of French playmaker Antoine Griezmann. But Atlético were to lose again in the Champions League final in 2016 to... Real Madrid. A curse and a rivalry unprecedented in the history of modern soccer. One year on, the Colchoneros are about to undergo a transformation. From eternal runners-up in the shadow of the city's northern giant, Simeone's stainless steel club had to digest their new status as one of Europe's greats and leave their noisy old Vicente Calderón stadium behind to lay down their shirts in the brand-new Wanda Metropolitano, rebuilt on the rubble of the Olympic Stadium. With their spikes firmly planted in the soccer business, the team will have to reinvent itself. A transformation that will obviously take place under the guidance of Simeone, and which will lead them to the league title in 2021.
