The galactic building, the gem of the los blancos president, is entering the final phase of redevelopment. The gigantic renovation has not even been halted by rising costs, which have forced the club to take out a third loan of €370 million.

Real's stadium construction getting closer to completion

At the Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders, Florentino Perez announced: The new Santiago Bernabeu will change the history of Real Madrid. His words persuaded the shareholders, who agreed to take on another third loan, which raises the total cost of the project to over €1 billion. You can see the expected results in our video on our YouTube channel, where we publish a monthly report on stadium constructions around the world:

Although the works have been delayed on a number of occasions, including disruption of the supply chains by the war in Ukraine or the pandemic, and the planned opening date has been postponed, the club boasts of further progress. Recently, the museum has been enlarged, the hospitality area rebuilt, a retractable roof installed and a new car park opened.

The VIP area, a commercial area with a huge Real Madrid shop and an entertainment area remain to be completed. A decision has also been made to change the size of the 360-degree scoreboard weighing 330 tonnes from 7 to 11 metres, and to increase the 'brain' of the stadium, the Operational Control Unit. The last chairs are already being replaced and the planned opening is set for spring 2024.

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Despite the problems, expectations are high

The only major problems known to exist concern the Santiago Bernabeu's façade, made up of 14,000 iron plates. Their alignment leaves much to be desired, according to the club, which has led to a conflict with the architects. Real insisted on improving them, not only because of aesthetics, but also because of allowing too much light through.

The idea of redeveloping the stadium appealed to the Madrid Autonomous Community Authority, which issued a tender for the extension of the Santiago Bernabeu metro station. The project, worth €68 million includes the tripling of the station's area and the design of interiors related to Los blancos’ history. Work is expected to start as early as 2024.

Florentino Perez has already pumped more than €1 billion into the impressive idea, but all indications are that, against all logic, the investment will pay off in no time. If the returns are as predicted, the club will recoup the money earmarked for the project in just a few years and Santiago Bernabeu will become the most modern stadium in Europe.

© RealMadrid.com