Stories of stadiums: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu – the majestic home of Real Madrid

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu has been the home of Real Madrid since 1947. It is named after former player and club president, Santiago Bernabéu. Located in the Chamartín district of Madrid, its capacity of 81,044 makes it the second largest stadium in Spain and the third in Europe.

The majestic stadium is one of the most famous in the world. It has hosted four European Cup/Champions League finals in 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010.

In 2018, the Bernabéu also hosted the Copa Libertadores final, making it the only stadium to host the finals of two of the most important continental competitions (Champions League and Copa Libertadores). In 1964, the Santiago Bernabéu hosted the final of the European Championship and in 1982 the final of the World Cup.

The first match at this stadium was played on 14 December 1947. At that time it was still called Nuevo Estadio Chamartín and Real Madrid hosted the Portuguese team Belenenses. The match ended in a 3-1 win for Los Blancos.

In 1950, the stadium’s capacity grew to 125,000 spectators. During several subsequent renovations, the capacity was gradually reduced to 81,400, for safety reasons. The stadium was given its current name, Santiago Bernabéu, on 5 January 1955.

The stadium originally had no lighting. All Real Madrid matches were to be played during the day, so there was no need for it. Thus, the first night match was played at Santiago Bernabéu on 18 May 1955.

Memorable turnovers

Moreover, the Santiago Bernabéu carries the glories of a stadium that has seen incredible turnarounds. The creator of this reputation is Real Madrid legend Juanito. In fact, it has happened more than once in European Cups that the Merengues have lost their first match on the opponents’ soil.

However, it was the heartthrob and fighter Juanito who managed to excite his team so much that in the rematch in Madrid the White Ballet managed to erase the deficit and advance.

Clubs like Celtic, Anderlecht and Borussia Mönchengladbach succumbed to Bernabéo’s magic. The Germans even brought home a 5-1 win, but even that wasn’t enough. In the 1985/86 season, Inter won the UEFA Cup semi-final 2-0 at home. Juanito, however, uttered the legendary phrase: “90 minutes at the Bernabéu is a very long time.”

And he was right. Real won the rematch 3-0 and advanced to the final of Europe’s most prestigious competition. In 2016, it was as if the ghost of Juanito had reincarnated into Cristiano Ronaldo.

In 2016, Los Blancos lost the Champions League quarter-final at Wolfsburg 2: 0. But in the rematch at the Santiago Bernabéu, the Portuguese hero rose, blasting the German side with a hat-trick and sending Real Madrid to the semi-finals of the millionaire competition.

Magic at the Bernabéu

The spirit of Juanito was reincarnated at the Bernabéu again in 2021/22. Real Madrid lost 0-1 to PSG in the Champions League semi-final, but Mbappé added a second goal in the return leg at the Bernabéu and the Parisians were already 2-0 up. However, all hell broke loose in the stands and Real pulled off a thrilling turnaround, with Benzema’s hat-trick in 17 minutes knocking PSG out of the competition.

In the quarter-final, Real won 3-1 at Chelsea, but fell out of the rematch at home and were already 0-3 down. He would have been eliminated at that point. But Los Blancos managed to overcome this difficult situation, Rodrygo sent the match to extra time, where Benzema decided.

If those two games weren’t enough to prove to you that there is some kind of otherworldly magic at the Bernabéu, the semi-final certainly was. Real lost to Manchester City 3:4 at the Etihad Stadium, and in the rematch in Madrid, Mahrez sent the visitors into the lead, leaving Real two goals down.

Time was running out, the scoreboard lit up in the 90th minute. Some players and fans were losing faith, but not Rodrygo. After Benzema’s 90th minute tap-in he equalised at 1-1, after the Citizens kick-off the referee announced a set 6 minutes, which the agitated Bernabéu celebrated as a goal. For it was suspected that the magic would work on Bernabéu again.

And it did. Rodrygo didn’t even need six minutes, in just one minute he delivered a Carvajal centre into the net and Real Madrid rose from the dead once more at the Santiago Bernabéu. In extra time, Benzema decided the winner from the penalty spot.

The best stadium in the world

Real Madrid gifted Elche the biggest goal allocation at their stadium in the 1959/60 season. The match was won 11: 2. In 2012, the Santiago Bernabéu saw the White Ballet score goal number 4000. It was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in a 4: 2 win against Levante.

In 2007, on the occasion of the upcoming 60th anniversary, UEFA classified this stand as “Elite”. The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is one of Madrid’s pride and joy and is known in Spain as the “Temple of Football”.

The club’s museum, which is part of the Tour Bernabéu, is also widely visited. In 2018, for example, 1,300,000 people passed through the turnstiles, an average of 3,500 visitors per day. The Merengues earn roughly 17 million euros per year from these visits.

Although the stadium is already one of the best in the world, President Florentino Pérez wants to take it even further. That’s why, in 2014, he came up with a proposal to redevelop the stadium to make Santiago Bernabéu the best stadium in the world.

The new stand will be extremely modern, boasting a retractable roof and will not just be used for photo booth purposes. Inside, you will be able to find several restaurants, a hotel, a business centre and a casino. Real Madrid wants to make the most of the stadium’s potential, allowing people to access it outside of football matches.

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