The Santiago Bernabéu is celebrating its 71st anniversary
The
Santiago Bernabéu stadium is celebrating its 71st anniversary. The legend surrounding one of the greatest arenas in sporting history began back on the 14th of December 1947. On that very date,
Real Madrid took on Portuguese side Os Belenenses in a friendly, coming out on top 3-1 with goals from Baringa (who opened the goal-scoring tally at the stadium) and Chus Alonso (2).
The
Santiago Bernabéu is currently gearing up for a comprehensive remodel to ensure it maintains its status as the international benchmark. The
21st-Century Stadium will undergo a change of look, becoming an avant-guard venue built to meet the demands of the club's members and increase revenues. In the words of
Florentino Pérez: “The new stadium will continue to be the setting that inspires the emotions to leave their mark on
Real Madrid's future. It'll be the best stadium in the world, which will see us recognised, at the end of the century, as the best club of the 21st century. A new stadium, heritage and a further source of pride for members and fans alike”.
Following 71 years of history and with the new version of the stadium on the horizon, the
Santiago Bernabéu crowd continues to enjoy some of the greatest players in world football.
Di Stéfano, Gento,
Amancio,
Butragueño,
Raúl,
Cristiano Ronaldo and
Ramos are just a few of the names who have created magic moments for the madridista fanbase. Indeed, since 1955, the name of the stadium itself is a tribute to one of the most influential individuals in the club's history: Santiago Bernabéu.
A footballing temple
Over the course of all this time, the
Santiago Bernabéu has become one of football's most prestigious venues, hosting many of the sport's greatest games and conjuring up countless unforgettable emotions for fans. By way of example are the four European Cup finals, the 1982 World Cup final and the European Championship final in 1964, or, more recently, the showpiece event of the
Copa Libertadores 2018.
Tourist appeal
As a legendary site in the world of sport, fans from around the world come in their droves to visit the stadium on a daily basis, making it a tourist hotspot in the Spanish capital. It also houses the
Tour Bernabéu, which takes in the numerous trophies and looks back at the madridistas' history.
