Real Madrid Overview
Real Madrid is the club that has won the most European Cups, and one of the most winning football clubs in the entire world.
Real Madrid was founded in 1902, and it is the pride of all Los Madridistas. A Harvard University study on football determined that Madrid is also the most popular team in the world, with more than 228 million supporters. The second most popular team Manchester United with 116 millions fans.
Reaching that number of fans is not so easy, but with the world's best players, a history written with gold letters, and the compromise of the club with social causes, Real Madrid have proven they are a world class team without equal.
Real Madrid History
In 1902 a group of soccer fans officially founded the Madrid Football Club and created the first Directory Committee which Enrique Varela as president and Manuel Mendía as Vice president. They agreed on the team uniform imitating that of the Corinthians from London.
Three years later Madrid won its first Spanish Championship by beating Bilbao’s Athletic team by 1 to 0. The only goal was made by Prast who received a pass from Pedro Parages.
Later, in 1931 Real Madrid won the first League. Having included Ciriaco, Quincoces, Luis Regueiro, Hilario, Bestit, Olivares y Ateca to the team, they didn´t lose a match.
Then in 1943 the first big comeback took place. Madrid defeated Barcelona by 11 to 1 after having lost by 0 to 3 the previous match. Neither team will ever forget that match.
Only 4 years after this, in 1947, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was opened. International press said it was the best stadium in Europe. Barinaga was the first one to score in this stadium.
In 1954, 21 years later, Madrid wins the league again against Valencia. It was Alfredo Di Stefano´s first year in Spain and he was awarded top striker with 27 goals in the League. Merely two years after this, the first European Cup was achieved. 1957 was also a big year for Real Madrid. The conquered their second European Cup. The third one arrived in 1958 with goals scored by Di Stefano, Rial and Gento in Brussels against Milan. Two years passed and the fourth European Cup came along.
Not too far ahead the fifth European Cup was awarded to Real Madrid. But the main attraction was not it being the fifth, but the way it was obtained. An amazing Real Madrid beat Eintracht de Frankfurt by 7 to 3 in what is remembered as the best European final.
The moment when Real Madrid was really crowned the King of the world was when they won their first Intercontinental Cup against Peñarol from Montevideo. The first encounter in Montevideo ended in 0 to 0, but the next time they met was in Santiago Bernabéu with 120.000 fans to impress ad they did winning 5 to 1.
In 1961 Madrid achieved the highest records being the team with the most Leagues. Out of the 30 games that were played Madrid won 24 and got the Cup of the Spanish League.
Throughout the 80s, with Emilio Butrageño won 5 Leagues in a row which is something never done by any team.
Of course Real Madrid’s main opponent is FC Barcelona. In 1995 took place a match no Madrid fan will forget. Real Madrid scored 5 to 0 being led by Johan Cruyff. 3 of the 5 goals were marked by Ivan Zamorano.
The seventh UEFA EURO (European Cup) arrived in 1998 in Amsterdam with an only goal by Pedja Mijatovic against Juventus. Then the second Intercontinental Cup was brought to Madrid from Japan. The victory was due to two scores made by Roberto Carlos and Raul. The third one was gained with goals from Ronaldo and Guti against Olimpia de Asunción a few years later.
The year 2000 was a big year since FIFA named Real Madrid the best team of the XX century. The award was handed to Alfredo Di Stefano and Florentino Perez.
Later on the eighth European Cup was obtained by defeating Valencia in Paris. Later on, in 2002, the ninth one came along with goals from Zidane and Raul against the German club Bayer Leverkusen.
The last league played (2006/2007) was the 30th league for Real Madrid. This incredible event was celebrated with an honor to the history of the best club of the century.
Club Rivalries
The two main rivals are FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid. The rivalry with Barcelona is also influenced by political and cultural aspects. In spite of this, these are the two main teams in Spain which obviously creates natural competition. All this is magnified when a player decides to change sides by going from one team to the other. For example, in the 50s both clubs disputed over Alfredo Di Stefano who finally signed with Real Madrid. This was not the last chapter if this story given that in the year 2000 Luis Figo, Barcelona’s star player, was transferred to Real Madrid.
Atletico de Madrid is Real Madrid’s rival in their city. Their different positions reflect the society’s struggle between the working class and the middle class.
Stars of the Current Real Madrid Squad
Goalkeepers
- 1 Iker Casillas - best goalkeeper in the world. Champions Leagues, Leagues, Supercups and a lot of many trophies were won thanks to Iker´s hands, and he is only 26.
- 25 Jerzy Dudek
- 13 Jordi Codina
Defenders
- 2 Michel Salgado
- 3 Pepe
- 4 Sergio Ramos - The next captain? From Sevilla, Sergio was sold by his first club for 21 millions of Euros. The best buy of Real Madrid in the last five years.
Midfielders
- 6 Mahamadou Diarra
- 8 Fernando Gago
- 11 Arjen Robben - Dubbed as "the flying wing" Arjen Robben is Real Madrid's current superstar. His pace and dribbling skills are what makes him the most effective winger in La Liga.
- 14 Guti
- 19 Van Der Vaart
- 23 Sneijder
- 24 Drenthe
Strikers
- 7 Raúl - The Captain. All fans are devoted to him. His goals and strength has helped Real Madrid to reach the top of the world. He has scored 307 goals in the White Shirt tying Di Stefano's record and one goal away from becoming the club's all time top-goal-scorer.
- 17- Van Nistelrooy - is one of the best European strikers. Real Madrid bought him from Manchester United.
- 20 Gonzalo Higuain - Higuain dubbed as"EL Pipita" has become a hero at Real Madrid. His crucial goals against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid helped Real Madrid win their first title in four years. He is now the team's top-goal-scorer for the current season.
Club Legends
GASPAR RUBIO
From 1928 to 1932. Striker. 4 caps. He won 1 League and 1 Cup.
RICARDO ZAMORA
From 1930 to 1936. The best Spanish goalkeeper of the history. He won 2 Leagues and 2 Cups.
JACINTO QUINCOCES
From 1931 to 1942. The best WC Italy 1934 player. He won 2 Leagues and 2 Cups.
LUIS MOLOWNY
From 1946 to 1957. Midfielder. 7 caps. He won 3 leagues, 2 copas, 1 European cup.
RAYMOND KOPA
From 1956 to 1959. Striker. He was from France. He won 2 Leagues, 3 European cups and 1 Ballon d'Or.
HÉCTOR RIAL
From 1954 to 1961. Left Winger. 5 caps. He won 4 Leagues, 5 European cups, 1 Intercontinental cup, 1 Pequeña Copa del Mundo and 2 Latin Cups.
ALFREDO DI STEFANO
From 1953 to 1964. Striker. 31 caps. He won 8 leagues, 1 Spanish Cup, 5 European cups, 1 Intercontinental cup, 1 Pequeña Copa del Mundo, 2 Latin Cups, 5 times Pichichi, 2 Ballon D´or.
For a lot of people he was the best football player of all times. For others, he was just the best European player. Di Stéfano was the key to make the Real Madrid one of the biggest clubs in the world. Striker, winger, or midfielder, he was a star. Now he is President of Honor of the Club and an example for young talents.
JOSÉ EMILIO SANTAMARÍA
From 1957 to 1966. Defender. 16 caps. He won 6 leagues, 1 Spanish Cup, 4 European Cups, 1 intercontinental cup.
FERENC PUSKAS
From 1958 to 1967. Striker. 4 caps. He won 5 leagues, 1 Spanish Cup, 3 European Cups, 1 intercontinental cup.
FRANCISCO GENTO
From 1953 to 1972. Striker. 43 caps. He won 12 leagues, 2 Spanish Cups, 6 European Cup, 1 intercontinental cup.
AMANCIO AMARO
From 1962 to 1976. Striker. 42 caps. He won 9 leagues, 3 Spanish Cups, 1 European Cup.
JOSÉ MARTÍNEZ "PIRRI
From 1964 to 1980. Midfielder. 41 caps. He won 10 leagues, 4 Spanish cups, 1 European Cup.
MARIANO GARCÍA REMON
From 1971 to 1984. Goalkeeper. 2 caps. He won 6 leagues and 4 Spanish Cup.
JUAN GÓMEZ "JUANITO
From 1977 to 1987. Striker. 34 caps. He won 4 leagues, 2 Spanish Cups, 2 UEFA Cups and 1 Pichichi.
JOSÉ A. CAMACHO
From 1973 to 1989. Defender. 81 caps. He won 9 leagues, 5 Spanish Cups, 2 UEFA cups, 1 League Cup.
HUGO SÁNCHEZ
From 1985 to 1992. Striker. 76 caps with Mexico. He won 5 leagues, 1 Spanish Cup, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 Supercups, 5 Pichichis and the Golden Foot.
EMILIO BUTRAGUEÑO
From 1984 to 1995. Striker. 69 caps. He won 6 leagues, 2 Spanish Cups, 2 UEFA Cups, 3 Supercups.
FRANCISCO BUYO
From 1986 to 1995. Goalkeeper. 6 caps. He won 6 leagues, 2 Spanish Cups, 3 Supercups.
FERNANDO HIERRO
From 1989 to 2003. Defender. 89 caps. He won 6 Leagues, 1 Copa del Rey, 5 Supercups, 3 Champions Leagues, 2 Intercontinental cups.
LUIS FIGO
Luis Figo was with Madrid from 2000 to 2005. Right Winger. 65 caps with Portugal. He won 2 Leagues, 1 Champions League, 1 European Supercup, 1 intercontinental Cup. Ballon D´Or 2000
ZINEDINE ZIDANE
From 2001 to 2006. Midfielder. 75 caps with France. He won 1 League, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 Champions League, 1 Spanish Supercup and 1 European Supercup.
RONALDO
Ronaldo was a striker from 2002 to 2007. He won 1 Intercontinental Cup, 1 Spanish Supercup, 1 League and 1 Pichichi.
TOP 5 LEGENDS
- Di Stéfano
- Puskas
- Gento
- Zamora
- Zidane
Most Club Appearances
| Rank | Player | Career Dates | # Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchís | 712 | ||
| Santillana | 643 | ||
| Raúl | 605 | ||
| Gento | 605 | ||
| Hierro | 598 | ||
| Camacho | 577 |
Most Goals
Top European Scorers
| Rank | Player | Career Dates | # Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raúl | 56 | ||
| Di Stefano | 49 | ||
| Santillana | 47 | ||
| Puskas | 35 | ||
| Gento | 31 | ||
| Butragueño | 27 | ||
| Pirri | 23 | ||
| Hugo Sánchez | 23 | ||
| Amancio | 22 | ||
| Míchel | 20 | ||
| Morientes | 19 |
Top League Scorers
| Rank | Player | Career Dates | # Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Di Stefano | 216 | ||
| Raúl | 187 | ||
| Santillana | 186 | ||
| Hugo Sánchez | 164 | ||
| Puskas | 156 | ||
| Gento | 126 | ||
| Butragueño | 123 | ||
| Pirri | 123 | ||
| Amancio | 119 | ||
| Pahiño | 108 |
Player Recognition & Awards
Ballon d'Or
- Alfredo Di Stéfano 1957, 1959
- Raymond Kopa 1958
- Luís Figo 2000
- Michael Owen 2001
- Ronaldo 2002
- Fabio Cannavaro 2006
Silver
- Raymond Kopa 1959
- Ferenc Puskás 1960
- Predrag Mijatović 1997
- Davor Šuker 1998
- Raúl 2001
- Roberto Carlos 2002
Bronze
- Raymond Kopa 1956, 1957
- Amancio 1964
- Emilio Butragueño 1986, 1987
FIFA World Player
- Luís Figo 2001
- Ronaldo 2002
- Zinedine Zidane 2003
- Fabio Cannavaro 2006
Golden Boot
- Hugo Sánchez 1990 (38 goles)
Pichichis
- Manuel Olivares: 16 (1932-33)
- Pahiño: 28 (1951-52)
- Alfredo Di Stéfano: 27 (1953-54), 24 (1955-56), 31 (1956-57), 19 (1957-58) and 23 (1958-59)
- Ferenc Puskás: 26 (1959-60), 27 (1960-61), 26 (1962-63) and 20 (1963-64)
- Amancio: 14 (1968-69) and 16 (1969-70)
- Juanito: 17 (1983-84)
- Hugo Sánchez: 22 (1985-86), 34 (1986-87), 29 (1987-88) and 38 (1989-90)
- Emilio Butragueño: 19 (1990-91)
- Iván Zamorano: 28 (1994-95)
- Raúl: 25 (1998-99) y 24 (2000-01)
- Ronaldo: 24 (2003-2004)
- Ruud Van Nistelrooy: 25 (2006-2007)
Zamoras
- Ricardo Zamora 1931-32, 1932-33
- José Bañón 1945-46
- José Adelarpe Alonso 1954-55
- Vicente Train 1960-61, 62-63, 63-64
- Araquistain 1961-62
- Betancort 1964-65, 66-67
- Junquera 1967-68
- Miguel Ángel 1975-76
- Agustín 1982-83
- Francisco Buyo 1987-88, 91-92
Onze de Oro
- Zinedine Zidane 2001
- Ronaldo 2002
World Soccer
- Luís Figo 2001
- Ronaldo 2002
- Zinedine Zidane 2003
- Fabio Cannavaro 2006
Trofeo Bravo
- Emilio Butragueño 1985, 1986
- Iker Casillas 2000
Real Madrid Team Honours
- 30 "Ligas": 1931-32, 32-33, 53-54, 54-55, 56-57, 57-58, 60-61, 61-62, 62-63, 63-64, 64-65, 66-67, 67-68, 68-69, 71-72, 74-75, 75-76, 77-78, 78-79, 79-80, 85-86, 86-87, 87-88, 88-89, 89-90, 94-95, 96-97, 2000-01, 2002-03 2006-07
- 17 Copa del Rey: 1904-05, 05-06, 06-07, 07-08, 16-17, 33-34, 35-36, 45-46, 46-47, 61-62, 69-70, 73-74, 74-75, 79-80, 81-82, 88-89 y 92-93
- 7 Spanish Supercup: 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2003
- 2 Latin Cup: 1955 and 1957
- 9 European Cup (Euro): 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002
- 3 Intercontinental Cup: 1960, 1998 and 2002
- 2 UEFA Cup: 1985 and 1986
- 1 European Supercup: 2002
- 2 Pequeñas Copa del Mundo: 1952, 1956
- 1 Copa de la Liga: 1985
- 12 Regional Championship between 1904 and 1929: 1903-04, 1904-05, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1912-13, 1921-22, 1922-23, 1923-24, 1925-26, 1926-27, 1928-29
- 14 Santiago Bernabéu Trophy: 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007
- 8 Trofeos Teresa Herrera: 1949, 1953, 1966, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1994
- 6 Trofeos Ramón de Carranza: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1970 and 1982
- 4 Trofeos Ciudad de La Línea: 1981, 1982, 1986 and 2000
- 4 Trofeos Ciutat de Palma: 1975, 1980, 1983 and 1990
- 3 Trofeos Ciudad de Barcelona: 1983, 1985 and 1988
- 3 Trofeos Euskadi Asegarce: 1994, 1995 and 1996
- 3 Trofeos Colombino: 1970, 1984 and 1989
- 3 Trofeos Festa d'Elx: 1984, 1985 and 1999
- 2 Trofeos Ciudad de Vigo: 1981 and 1982
- 2 Trofeos Naranja: 1990 and 2003
Real Madrid's UEFA Matches Records
- Biggest win
9-0: Real Madrid CF v Odense BK 25.10.1961, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round second leg
- Biggest home win
9-0: Real Madrid CF v Odense BK (see above for details)
- Biggest away win
0-8: Olympiakos Nicosia FC v Real Madrid CF 24.09.1969, European Champion Clubs' Cup first round first leg
"bold"UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only) "bold"
- Biggest win
6-0: Real Madrid CF v KRC Genk 25.09.2002, UEFA Champions League first group stage
- Biggest home win
6-0: Real Madrid CF v KRC Genk (see above for details)
- Biggest away win
1-5: SK Sturm Graz v Real Madrid CF 05.11.1998, UEFA Champions League group stage
Historic Goals
- 1st goal: Artur Jhonson (05/13/1902), Madrid 1 - Barcelona 3
- 1st League goal: Jaime Lazcano (02/10/1929), Real Madrid 5 - Europa 0
- Goal #1000: Manuel Fernández Pahiño (11/5/1950)
- Goal #2000: Francisco Gento (9/11/63)
- Goal #3000: Juan Gómez "Juanito" (1/20/82)
- Goal #4000: Iván Zamorano (12/22/94)
- Best score achieved: Real Madrid 11 - Elche 2 (1959-60)
- Worst score achieved: Espanyol 8 - Real Madrid 1 (1929-30)
- Best position: First (30 times)
- Worst position: 10th (1947-48)
- Most amount of undefeated home games: 121
Club Management
Real Madrid is one of the few clubs in Spain in which the members are its owners. Real Madrid fans and players think highly of this and wouldn’t accept any offer on selling the club.
Vicente Boluda is the temporary president until elections are due. He was appointed this position, after Ramon Calderon stepped down as he rigged the club's General Assembly voting.
Real Madrid's ex-president, Florentino Pérez, is reportedly intending to nominate himself for the position. He has lined up Ribery and Benzema as players he will sign if he gets elected.
Staff
- Coach: Juande Ramos
- Second Coach: Manuel Ruiz
Uniforms
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The Real Madrid uniform has been white since the beginning. In the earlier years some modification were made regarding their shorts and socks. But after losing many games to Barcelona, the blame was put on these changes, and the all white uniform was established.
No big changes to the soccer kits were made up to 1980 the year which Real Madrid signed a contract with Adidas, and the three stripes first appeared on the sides of the shirt sleeves. In 1982 the first sponsorship arrived, implanting a brand on players' chests. It was Zanussi.
The last change was recently made in 2006/2007, when the uniform added the FIFA Best Twentieth Century Team badge.
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
After the foundation and playing in small fields, in 1912 Real Madrid built their first stadium called Campo de O’Donnel.
In 1921 the club moved to the field in Ciudad Lineal which had capacity for 8,000 fans. Then two years later in 1923, Real Madrid inaugurated a new stadium with capacity for 22,500 spectators against Newcastle United.
In 1943, with many achievements obtained and Santiago Bernabéu as President, they decided to build an even bigger stadium. Its big opening was the 14th of December, 1947 and it is now known as Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The first match that took place there was against Belenences and the final score was 3 to 1 for Real Madrid.
This stadium’s capacity changed along the years. In 1953 120,000 spectators could fit into it, but after UEFA regulation in 2003 the capacity was 80,400. UEFA considered it as one of the few 5 star stadiums in Europe.
The Santiago Bernabéu has hosted the 1957, 1969 and 1980 European Cup finals, the 1964 European Championship final, and the 1982 FIFA World Cup final. In 2006 Real Madrid inaugurated in its Ciudad Deportiva de Valdebebas the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium. Here is where Real Madrid Castilla plays its matches and its got a capacity for 6,000 fans.
Sponsors
- Bet and Win (BWIN)
Important Links
- Official team site: http://www.realmadrid.com
- Official league site: http://www.lfp.es
- Official ticket site: http://www.lacaixa.es
- City home page: http://www.esmadrid.com
- Real Madrid Talk
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