Estadio Santiago Bernabéu – historical stadium description

What is the history of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in a nutshell until the reconstruction that began in 2019?

Real Madrid's stadium was built between 1944 and 1947 and was inaugurated on December 14, 1947. The facility was built right next to Real's previous stadium, the Estadio de Chamartín, which had been in existence since 1924. As such, the new stadium was initially known simply as Nuevo Estadio Chamartín, and it wasn't until 1955 that it was named after Real's then incumbent president, Santiago Bernabéu, who led the construction of the new venue.

The stadium has undergone many upgrades over the years, including four major expansions:

1. between 1953 and 1954, the east stand was expanded
2. prior to the 1982 World Cup, all stands except the east stand were roofed over and video screens were installed
3. between 1992 and 1994, all stands (except the eastern one) were expanded by a third tier, and the roof over them was raised to the top; spiral towers were also built behind the corners, and a shopping center was built next to the stadium
4. between 2001 and 2006, the main (east) stand was expanded and roofed over

In addition to the aforementioned works, there were also smaller upgrades, such as the first installation of floodlights (1957) and the gradual elimination of standing areas and their replacement with seats. After an additional row of seats was added in 2011, the facility's capacity settled at 81,044 spectators.

The facility has hosted many notable events over the years. In addition to games of Real Madrid, it has hosted matches (including finals) of the 1964 European Championship and 1982 World Cup, finals of European club competitions, Copa del Rey finals and matches of the Spanish national team, as well as non-sporting events, including concerts by world-renowned artists.

The stadium is one of the most important and recognizable sports venues in the world, and its host, Real Madrid, ranks among the world's most successful, most popular and wealthiest football clubs.

In 2019, another major expansion of the Bernabéu began, with the goal of making it a 21st century stadium that meets Real Madrid's grandeur and ambitions. As part of the upgrade, the venue was significantly upgraded and expanded in size, receiving a new futuristic façade and roof (with a closeable section above the field of play), a panoramic video screen, and a retractable pitch.

“New Bernabéu” in the form it took after the reconstruction initiated in 2019 is presented on a separate subpage

What facilities did Real Madrid initially play on?

Real Madrid (initially under the name Madrid Foot-Ball Club) was officially established on March 6, 1902, although the team informally existed since 1900. The team played its first matches on the Moncloa fields, and later on the grounds known as Campo de la Estrada and Campo del Retiro. Later, the club used the field next to the now defunct bullring (in its place is now the Palacio de Deportes), also making occasional appearances on the field inside Madrid's horse racing track.

In the fall of 1912, the Campo de O'Donnell was opened. It was the club's first proper stadium, although it could hold a maximum of a few thousand spectators. It was also located near the bullring. Not far away was another stadium of the same name, which served the Atlético club. In 1920, King Alfonso XIII gave the club the title “Royal” (“Real”) and it has since been known as Real Madrid. The club's growing popularity and membership led Real to think about moving to a larger facility.

In April 1923, the team moved to a pitch inside a cycling track in the Ciudad Lineal district. However, it soon became apparent that the move to a neighborhood far from the city center had a negative impact on attendance. As a result, the club began with the construction of a new stadium, which opened as early as May 17, 1924 and took its name from the neighborhood in which it was built (Estadio de Chamartín). The new stadium could hold 15,000 spectators.

In 1932 and 1933, Real Madrid won its first Spanish championship titles. In the late 1930s, during the Spanish Civil War, the club's stadium was severely damaged, but after the war the facility was rebuilt at a cost of 300,000 pesetas, and its capacity increased to 22,000 spectators.

How was the current Real Madrid stadium built?

In 1943, Santiago Bernabéu, a former striker of Real Madrid with which he won the Copa del Rey in 1917, became president of the club. As a teenager, Bernabéu helped to build the Campo de O'Donnell for free. After retiring from football, he earned a degree in law, and worked as the club's secretary before becoming Real's president. One of the first actions taken as the new president was the purchase of 5 hectares of land adjacent to the plot where Real's then existing stadium stood. The purchase cost the club 3 million pesetas.

On October 27, 1944, construction of Real's new stadium began on the purchased site, with the cornerstone laid by Santiago Bernabéu himself. The design of the new venue was drawn up by Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler. Real played at the Estadio de Chamartín until May 1946, after which it moved temporarily to the then Atlético facility, the former Estadio Metropolitano. One of the conditions of the stadium's loan was that members of Atlético were allowed free admission to Real's matches.

Estadio de Chamartín was then demolished to make way for a new stadium. The new facility was built right next to its predecessor, and its eastern stand was created partially on the site of one corner of the old stadium.

When did Real Madrid's stadium open?

The inauguration of the new stadium took place on December 14, 1947, and for the opening the hosts defeated Portugal's Os Belenenses 3–1 in a friendly. The new facility was much larger than its predecessor. On the north, west and south sides, the stands had a second tier. The stand on the eastern side was lower, one-story high, and in the center of the stand, just behind the spectator seats, was a neoclassical marathon tower.

The cost of building the facility was 38 million pesetas, a huge sum for the time. At the time, the stadium could accommodate about 80,000 spectators.

When was Real's stadium first expanded?

Although immediately after the opening of the new stadium Real was not spectacularly successful, president Santiago Bernabéu continued his vision of creating a great club and a stadium worthy of a team with high ambitions.

Between 1953 and 1954, the previously lowest and single-story east stand was expanded. The marathon tower located on it was thus eliminated. After the expansion, the stand gained a second tier, which merged with the second tier of stands on the other sides, but it received more rows and was henceforth the highest in the entire stadium. The section protruding above the other stands was topped by two new towers on the sides.

The inauguration of the expanded east stand took place on June 19, 1954, two months after Real won its third league title (and the first while playing in the new facility). With the expansion, the stadium's capacity increased to 120,000 spectators.

After whom was Real Madrid's stadium named?

The stadium was originally known as Nuevo Estadio Chamartín. On January 4, 1955, in tribute to Real's incumbent president, Santiago Bernabéu, the new facility was named after him. The stadium, especially in its early days, hosted competitions in many sports, including boxing, cycling, baseball, handball and American football.

When did floodlights and electronic scoreboards appear at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu?

Since 1957, the facility was equipped with floodlights. In 1963, Real's first training center, the so-called Ciudad Deportiva, was opened near the Madrid Chamartín train station. On December 14, 1972, on the 25th anniversary of the stadium's opening, the electronic scoreboards were inaugurated, and Real played a friendly match against Os Belenenses (2–1), just as they did on opening day.

Could Real have had another stadium?

In 1973, plans were made to build a brand-new stadium for Real Madrid in the northern part of the city, but they ultimately did not materialize. The construction of a new venue in another location was also considered in the early 21st century, but in the end it was decided to go ahead with a major expansion of the Bernabéu.

How did the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu change before the 1982 World Cup?

The second major modernization of the Bernabéu took place prior to the 1982 World Cup. The stadium received significantly more seats, which at the same time meant a decrease in capacity to about 90,000 spectators. A major change was also the roofing of all the stands except the eastern one. Two video screens (among the first in the world to be installed in a stadium) were also embedded in the roof, behind the goals, and inaugurated in February 1982 during Real's friendly match against the Soviet national team.

In addition, a temporary, above-ground passageway was built, leading from the stadium to the Palacio de Congresos, located on the opposite side of Castellano Avenue, where the international press center was housed.

Architects Rafael Luis Alemany and Manuel Salinas were responsible for the reconstruction project. The work cost more than 700 million pesetas. On June 10, 1982, a subway station opened next to the stadium.

How was the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu expanded between 1992 and 1994?

The next expansion was carried out between 1992 and 1994. At that time, a third tier was added to the stands on the north, west and south sides, divided, like the second tier, into two sections. The extended sections of the stands received a slightly higher height than the eastern stand.

A very interesting procedure was carried out with the canopy, which it was decided to keep, but in order to make this possible, an operation had to be carried out to raise it up to be above the new third floor of the stands. Due to the increase in its perimeter, it was also necessary to add new missing sections.

While maintaining the existing width, the roof no longer covered the lower parts of the stands. To partially remedy this, a special structure was built on the roof on the west side, with movable sections that increased the roofing area when needed, also covering the lower sectors of the west stand.

Outside, behind the corners, four spiral towers with staircases were built, similar to those at the San Siro in Milan. The stadium also added a turf heating system. Completion of the reconstruction took place on May 7, 1994, at a cost of 5 billion pesetas. The capacity of the stadium after the expansion increased to 106,500 spectators. The reconstruction project was created by Estudio Lamela. In 1994, the La Esquina del Bernabéu shopping center also opened next to the stadium.

When was the club museum and Real Madrid's new training center built?

At the end of the 20th century, all standing room was eliminated and the capacity dropped to 75,328 spectators. In 1999, the club museum began operations at the stadium. In 2005, the club's new training center, known as Ciudad Real Madrid, opened, replacing the old 1963 training complex. The center was built in Valdebebas, near Madrid-Barajas airport.

On May 9, 2006, Real Madrid's second stadium (which on a daily basis serves the club's reserves, among others), Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano, which can hold 6,000 spectators, was opened within the new training complex.

When was the east stand at Real Madrid's stadium covered?

Between 2001 and 2006, the stand on the eastern side was expanded and roofed, with new boxes and press seats, among other things. On the outside, the stand was covered with a façade. The work cost 127 million euros, and the project, as with the previous reconstruction, was prepared by Estudio Lamela. The upgrade increased the stadium's capacity to 80,354 spectators. On November 14, 2007, the venue received UEFA's highest category. In 2011, an additional row of seats was added to the stands, bringing the venue's capacity to 81,044 spectators.

Who is the host of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu?

The stadium's host, Real Madrid, is one of the most successful football clubs in the world. The team has a record number of victories in domestic league competitions, the European Cup/Champions League and the Club World Cup, among others. The vast majority of trophies have been won during the period of play at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (since December 1947).

In the first two decades of the 21st century, average attendance at the stadium oscillated from more than 60,000 to more than 70,000 spectators per game. The club is one of the most popular, with a large fan base around the world, and is also among the world's highest-earning clubs.

What events have been hosted at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu?

In 1964, Spain hosted the final tournament of the second edition of the European Nations' Cup (later the European Championship). The matches of the tournament (in the “final four” format) were played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Madrid hosted one of the semifinals and the final, both matches featuring the Spanish national team, which claimed its first European championship title in the tournament. The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, by the way, is the stadium where the Spanish national team played the greatest number of matches of all venues, and where it achieved the biggest number of victories.

The stadium was also one of the venues of the 1982 World Cup. During the World Cup it hosted three matches of the second group stage and the final of the tournament, in which the Italian national team defeated West Germany 3–1.

The stadium hosted the finals of the European Cup in 1957, 1969 and 1980, as well as the Champions League final in 2010. The venue also hosted the matches of the final two-leg fixtures of the UEFA Cup (1985, 1986) or the Intercontinental Cup (1960, 1964, 1966). In 2018, the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu hosted the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors (due to the tense situation and incidents that occurred before the match, it was decided to play it on neutral ground). The stadium has also been the venue for the most Copa del Rey finals.

The stadium has also hosted various non-sporting events. U2, Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones, among others, had their concerts here. On November 3, 1982, Pope John Paul II celebrated a mass for the more than 130,000 worshipers present at the Bernabéu.

What did the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu look like at the beginning of the 21st century?

With a capacity of more than 80,000 spectators, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu was the second largest stadium in Spain (after Camp Nou), and one of the largest in Europe. The stadium's stands are gently contoured and very steep.

The main stand, located on the eastern side, differed from the other stands: it was slightly lower, lacked a third floor, and had two towers on its sides. The stands on the other sides had three stories, which partially overlapped.

The stands were equipped with blue seats, and protective barriers were placed on the third floor for safety reasons. The upper parts of the stands were covered. On the west side, an additional structure with sliding segments was placed on the roof, which also covered the lower sections of the stands.

In the exterior appearance, the attention was drawn to the four spiral towers that were built behind the corners. The building is located in the midst of dense urban development, although outside the strict center of Madrid (a few kilometers to the north), in the Chamartín district.

It is interesting to note that a 1967 rail tunnel runs under the pitch at the Bernabéu, the top edge of which at its shallowest part is about a meter below the field.

When was the “new Bernabéu” built?

During Florentino Pérez's tenure as president of Real Madrid, especially after he took office again in 2009, a major upgrade of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu became a priority.

The architectural concept was selected in January 2014, but construction work did not begin until May 2019. The reconstruction was supposed to last until December 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, design changes and other factors caused significant delays and the modernization will most likely not be completed until 2025, although the most spectacular effects of the reconstruction can be seen from 2023.

The main objectives of the modernization were to expand the stadium's backstage area and cover it with a new futuristic facade, create a new canopy with an retractable section over the field, a panoramic video screen suspended under the roof, add an additional floor to the east stand, replace the seats, and create a system for folding the pitch into segments and keeping them hidden in underground storage.

The reconstruction cost €1.17 billion, making the project one of the most expensive stadium upgrades in history. As a result of it, the Bernabéu has undergone a massive transformation, making it a 21st-century stadium befitting Real Madrid's grandeur and ambitions.

The design of the “new Bernabéu” and coverage of Real Madrid's stadium redevelopment are presented on separate subpages