Real Madrid CF

Real Madrid

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Full name	Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
Nickname(s)	Los Blancos Los Merengues Los Vikingos Los Galacticos
Founded	March 6, 1902 as Madrid Football Club
Ground	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Capacity	80,354
Chairman	Ramón Calderón
Head Coach	Fabio Capello
League	La Liga
2005-06	La Liga, 2nd
Home colours Away colours

Real Madrid C.F. is a Spanish sports club best known for its football team which was ranked as 'The 20th Century's Best Club' by FIFA. The club, which went in place of the Spanish FA, was also one of the founding members of FIFA. They play their home games at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Real Madrid have been European Champions a record 9 times and have also won a record 29 La Liga titles. The club also operates a reserve football team, Real Madrid Castilla, and a successful basketball team, Real Madrid Baloncesto. Real Madrid is unusual in that, unlike most football clubs, it has been owned and operated solely by its members (socios) since 1902.

During its history, the club has acquired a number of nicknames. Among the earliest were los merengues, after the white dessert meringue, and los blancos. Both simply referred to the club's legendary all-white strip and are the most common to this day. In the 1970s, the nickname los vikingos became popular, possibly due to the signings of several northern European players. More recently, some media dubbed the club los galácticos, referring to club decision to sign star players.

History

Early years

Football was introduced to Madrid by the professors and students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza. They included several Oxbridge graduates. In 1895 they founded the club Football Sky, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. In 1900 this club split into two different clubs New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Español de Madrid. The president of the latter club was Julián Palacios. In 1902 the latter club split again, resulting in the formation of Madrid FC on March 6 1902. The first president was Juan Padrós Rubió; the first secretary was Manuel Mendía; and the first treasurer was José de Gorostizaga. Juan Padrós Rubió would be later succeeded by his brother, Carlos. The Padrós brothers belonged to a Catalan family that had settled in Madrid. The club colours were derived from the English side Corinthians. The club's first manager was an Englishman, Arthur Johnson.

In 1902 Madrid FC members proposed a cup competition to celebrate the coronation of Alfonso XIII . This competition would evolve into the Copa del Rey. In 1904 the club merged with two other Madrid teams, Moderno Amicale and Moncloa. The club won its first Copa del Rey in 1905 and then completed a four in row sequence of wins by 1908. In 1920 the club became Real Madrid FC after receiving the royal patronage of Alfonso XIII. In 1928 they became founding members of La Liga and since then they have never been relegated from the Primera Division. During the Second Spanish Republic the Real was dropped from the clubs name. As Madrid FC, the club won their first La Liga titles in 1932 and 1933.

Santiago Bernabéu

Before becoming President in 1943, Santiago Bernabéu Yeste had already carried out the functions of player, first-team captain, club maintanence, first-team manager and director, in an association with the club that lasted nearly 70 years. He was responsible for reconstituting the club after the Spanish Civil War, and under his presidency, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the Ciudad Deportiva were built.

He also reorganized the club at all levels, in what would become the normal operating hierarchy of professional clubs in the future, giving every section and level of the club independent technical teams and recruiting staff such as Raimundo Saporta.

Finally, beginning in 1953 he embarked upon a strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, the most prominent of them being Alfredo Di Stéfano, and built the world's first truly multinational side. During Bernabéu's presidency many of Real Madrid's most legendary names played for the club, including the aforementioned Alfredo Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento, Luis Molowny, Miguel Muñoz, Raymond Kopa, Héctor Rial, Ferenc Puskas, Amancio, Santillana, Juanito, Uli Stielike, Vicente Del Bosque, José Antonio Camacho and others.

In 1955, acting upon the idea proposed by the L'Equipe journalist Gabriel Hanot and building upon the Copa Latina (a tournament involving clubs from France, Spain, Portugal and Italy), Bernabéu met in the Ambassador Hotel in Paris with Bedrignan and Gustav Sebes and created what today is known as the Champions' League. Under the administration of UEFA, it is the world's premier club tournament.

It was under Bernabéu's guidance that Real Madrid became established as a major force in both Spanish and European football. Before passing away in 1978, Bernabéu had been the club's president for 35 years, during which he won 1 Intercontinental Cup, 6 European Cups, 16 La Liga titles, and 6 Spanish Cups.

Domestic success

The mid-1950s saw Real Madrid put together a team that included, among others Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás, Francisco Gento, Hector Rial, Raymond Kopa, and José Santamaria. These players formed the nucleus of the Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the 1950s. They won La Liga for first time in over 20 years as Real Madrid in 1954 and retained it in 1955. They were winners again in 1957 and 1958, with only Athletic Bilbao interrupting their sequence. CF Barcelona won La Liga in 1959 and 1960 but between 1961 and 1980 Real Madrid dominated La Liga with the club winning the competition 14 times. This included a five-in-a-row sequence (1961-1965) and two three-in-a-row sequences (1967-69 and 1978-1980). It was during this era that legendary players such as Jose Antonio Camacho, Uli Stielke and Juan Gomez came into the side.

In the early 1980s Real Madrid lost its grip on La Liga but by 1986 they had resumed normal service with another five-in-a-row sequence (1986-90). This team included included Hugo Sánchez and the infamous 'Quinta del Buitre' - Emilio Butragueño, Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vazquéz, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.

Real Madrid has also won the Copa del Rey on 17 occasions, and are 7-time winners of the Supercopa de España.

International success

In addition to their domestic success, Real Madrid's reputation as a major club was established by their outstanding record in the European Cup. To date have they have been crowned champions of Europe a record nine times. Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás and other famous players helped the club win the European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the memorable 7-3 Hampden Park final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960. The club won for a sixth time in 1966, defeating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 in the final with a team composed entirely of nationally-born players, a first in the competition. They were also runners-up in 1962, 1964 and 1981. Winning the competition five consecutive times saw Real permanently awarded the original cup and earning the right to wear the UEFA badge of honour. They have also won the UEFA Cup twice and were twice runners-up in the European Cup Winners Cup.

In 1996 President Lorenzo Sanz appointed Fabio Capello as coach. Although his tenure lasted only one season, in which Real Madrid were proclaimed league champions, the team he built, which included Raúl, Predrag Mijatović, Fernando Redondo, Fernando Hierro, Davor Šuker, Clarence Seedorf, and Roberto Carlos, ended Real Madrid's 32-year wait for their seventh European Cup in 1998 under manager Jupp Heynckes, defeating Juventus 1-0 in the final. Real Madrid would go on to win again in 2000 and 2002 under manager Vicente Del Bosque, with sides including players such as Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman, Luís Figo and Zinedine Zidane.

Real Madrid are also three-time winners of the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Peñarol, Vasco da Gama, and Olimpia Asunción in 1960, 1998, and 2002 respectively.

The Florentino Pérez years

In July 2000 Florentino Pérez was elected club president with the promise to sign the world's best players including then-FC Barcelona star Luis Figo, end the club's debt, and modernize the club's facilities. After reaching an agreement to re-zone and sell the Ciudad Deportiva, Pérez went on to sign Zinedine Zidane (2001), Ronaldo (2002) and David Beckham (2003). The media began refering to the team as Los Galácticos. Initially the strategy, eventually dubbed Zidanes y Pavones and meant to combine world stars and youth team graduates, was successful and Real Madrid won La Liga in 2001 and 2003 and the UEFA Champions League in 2002, their centenary year. They also won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Super Cup and the Supercopa de España in both 2001 and 2003.

Off the field the Zidanes y Pavones policy resulted in increased financial success based on the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential around the world, especially in Asia; however, the team's on-field performance declined following several unsuccessful appointments as coach in an effort to replace Vicente Del Bosque, combined with a questionable transfer policy. Despite signing further high-profile players such as Walter Samuel, Sergio Ramos, Michael Owen, Robinho, and Julio Baptista, Real Madrid have failed to win a major trophy since 2003.

The Galácticos nickname, originally used by the media as means of emphasising the greatness of the team, became instead a term used to mock it, and has fallen into disuse. Although the success of the club's economic model led it to overtake Manchester United as the world's richest club, the high turnover in non-playing staff (four managers and four directors of football in the four years since the departure of Del Bosque in 2003) and the lack of success on the field caused Florentino Pérez to resign on February 27 2006.

Eventhough Florentino Perez did not achieve any titles during the last years of his mandate, many people still consider him as one of the greatest president in the history of the club. Many regard him as giving back Real Madrid the glory it had before the economic slup it had during Lorenzo Sanz presidency.

Recent events

On July 2 2006 Ramón Calderón who was elected as club president and he subsequently appointed Fabio Capello as the new coach and Predrag Mijatovic as the new sporting director. Real have recently signed Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson Ferreira da Rosa, both from Juventus F.C. for a total sum of €23m, and Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Manchester United for €15m.

Stadium information

Main article: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

Supporters & rivals

During most home matches the majority of the seats in the stadium are occupied by season ticket holders, of which there are approximately 65,000. In order to become a season ticket holder one must first be a socio, or club member. Not all members are able to get a season ticket. In addition to members, the club has over 1,800 peñas (official, club-affiliated supporters' groups) in Spain and around the world. It also has two hardcore, or ultra groups, Ultras Sur which is the larger of the two and known for its far-right affiliations, and Orgullo Vikingo, an apolitical group.

Rivalry with FC Barcelona

The rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is legendary. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of the two rival regions of Spain, Castile and Catalonia, as well as the two cities themselves. The rivalry reached a new level during the Franco years when Real Madrid's international success was capitalized upon by Franco and Real Madrid became viewed by some as the regime team, with FC Barcelona sometimes seen as the opposition team; however, during the Spanish Civil War itself, members of Real Madrid also suffered at the hands of Franco supporters. Real Madrid president Rafael Sánchez Guerra, a prominent Republican, was imprisoned and tortured. They also arrested and murdered a Real vice-president and club treasurer and an acting president disappeared.

The rivalry was given a significant boost by the 1943 Copa del Generalísimo semi-final between the two clubs. The first leg at Les Corts ended in a 3-0 loss for Real, but the return leg in Madrid saw them win 11-1. It has been alleged by some that the FC Barcelona players were pressured into losing the game. Controversies such as the dispute over the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano in the 1950s intensified the rivalry further.

As the two biggest, wealthiest, and most successful clubs in Spain, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The flashpoints of this rivalry are the twice-a-season superclásicos which draw vast audiences from around the world. Real Madrid's recent record against Barcelona is quite poor in the league, having only won once in the Camp Nou in the past 20 years; nevertheless Real Madrid eliminated Barcelona from the semifinals of the 2001-2002 Champions' League.

Rivalry with Atlético Madrid

As well as their rivalry with FC Barcelona Real also enjoy a local rivalry with Atlético de Madrid. Altough Atlético was originally founded by three Basque students in 1903, they were joined in 1904 by dissident members of Madrid FC. Further tensions came because initially Atlético supporters came from the working class while the Real supporters were drawn from the middle class. Today these distinctions are largely blurred. The rivalry first gained international attention in 1959 during the European Cup when the two clubs met in the semi-final. Real won the first leg 2-1 at the Bernabéu while Atlético won 1-0 at the Metropolitano. If away goals had counted double Atlético would have progressed to the final. However the tie went to a replay and Real won 2-1. Atlético, however, gained some revenge when, led by former Real coach José Villalonga, they defeated Real in two successive Copa del Generalísimo finals in 1960 and 1961.

Between 1961 and 1980 when Real dominated La Liga, only Atlético offered Real any serious challenge, winning La Liga titles in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. In 1965, when they finished as La Liga runners-up to Real after an intense battle for the title, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years. Real Madrid's record against Atlético in more recent times is very favourable. A high point coming in the 2002/03 season, when Real clinched the La Liga title after beating Atlético 4-0 at the Vicente Calderón stadium.

Major trophies

• Intercontinental Cup: 3

1960; 1998; 2002.

• European Cup/Champions League: 9

1955/56 4-3 vs. Stade de Reims-Champagne

1956/57 2-0 vs. A.C. Fiorentina

1957/58 3-2 vs. AC Milan

1958/59 2-0 vs. Stade de Reims-Champagne

1959/60 7-3 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

1965/66 2-1 vs. Partizan Belgrade

1997/98 1-0 vs. Juventus

1999/00 3-0 vs. Valencia

2001/02 2-1 vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Real Madrid in white v. Real Sociedad in black on January 5, 2005

• UEFA Cup: 2

1984/85; 1985/86.

• European Super Cup: 1

2002.

• Spanish Championship: 29

1931/32 1932/33 1953/54 1954/55 1956/57 1957/58 1960/61 1961/62 1962/63 1963/64 1964/65 1966/67 1967/68 1968/69 1971/72 1974/75 1975/76 1977/78 1978/79 1979/80 1985/86 1986/87 1987/88 1988/89 1989/90 1994/95 1996/97 2000/01 2002/03

• Copa del Rey: 17

1904/05; 1905/06; 1906/07; 1907/08; 1916/17; 1933/34; 1935/36; 1945/46; 1946/47; 1961/62; 1969/70; 1973/74; 1974/75; 1979/80; 1981/82; 1988/89; 1992/93.

• Copa de la Liga: 1

1984/85.

• Supercopa de España: 8

1947 1988 1989 1990 1993 1997 2001 2003

• Copa Latina: 2

1955 1957

• Regional Championship: 18

1903/04; 1904/05; 1905/06; 1906/07; 1907/08; 1912/13; 1915/16; 1916/17; 1917/18;

1919/20; 1921/22; 1922/23; 1923/24; 1925/26; 1926/27; 1928/29; 1929/30; 1930/31.

Current squad 2006/07

The numbers are established according to the official websites of Real Madrid, the Spanish league and UEFA. Spanish teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country. For example, the Brazilian Roberto Carlos also holds a Spanish passport.

As of February 1 2006

Casillas Ramos Mejía Carlos Salgado Baptista Zidane Guti Beckham Ronaldo Robinho

The 4-2-3-1 Lineup. Real Madrid's Most common Lineup During The 05/06 Season.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ESP	Iker Casillas
2	DF	ESP	Michel Salgado
3	DF	BRA	Roberto Carlos
4	DF	ESP	Sergio Ramos
5	DF	ITA	Fabio Cannavaro
6	DF	ESP	Iván Helguera
7	FW	ESP	Raúl (captain)
8	MF	BRA	Julio Baptista
9	FW	BRA	Ronaldo
10	FW	BRA	Robinho
11	DF	BRA	Cicinho
12	MF	URU	Pablo García
13	GK	ESP	Diego López
14	MF	ESP	Guti
15	DF	ESP	Raúl Bravo
16	MF	DEN	Thomas Gravesen

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	FW	NED	Ruud van Nistelrooy
18	FW	ITA	Antonio Cassano
19	DF	ENG	Jonathan Woodgate
20	MF	BRA	Emerson
21	DF	URU	Carlos Diogo
22	DF	ESP	Paco Pavón
23	MF	ENG	David Beckham
24	DF	ESP	Álvaro Mejía
25	GK	ESP	Antonio Adán
26	MF	ESP	Javi García
28	MF	ESP	De la Red
30	MF	ESP	Juanfran
31	MF	ESP	Javier Balboa
--	DF	ESP	Miñambres
--	MF	ESP	Borja

*Unofficial Numbers - Tour Numbers.

Squad Changes During Summer 2006

In:

• Fabio Cannavaro -Signed From Juventus F.C. (€5m)
• Emerson - Signed From Juventus F.C. (€18m)
• Ruud van Nistelrooy - Signed From Manchester United (€15m)
• Javier Portillo - Loan return From Club Brugge
• Borja - Loan return From RCD Mallorca

Out:

• Zinedine Zidane - Retired
• Roberto Soldado - On Loan To Osasuna
• Alvaro Arbeloa - Transferred To Deportivo de La Coruña
• Jurado - Transferred To Atletico Madrid (€3m)
• Javier Portillo Transferred To Gimnàstic de Tarragona (Free Transfer)

See also: Real Madrid Castilla

Summer 2006

Main article: Real Madrid Summer 2006

Player records

Main article: Real Madrid Football Player Statistics

Famous former players

Alfredo di Stefano Fernando Redondo Oscar Ruggeri Walter Samuel Santiago Hernán Solari Jorge Valdano Elvir Baljic Evaristo Ricardo Rocha Sávio Geremi Njitap Robert Jarni Robert Prosinečki Davor Šuker Iván Zamorano Freddy Rincón Michael Laudrup Laurie Cunningham Steve McManaman Michael Owen Nicolas Anelka Christian Karembeu

Raymond Kopa Claude Makélélé Zinedine Zidane Paul Breitner Uli Stielike Bodo Illgner Günter Netzer Bernd Schuster Ferenc Puskás Christian Panucci Hugo Sánchez Clarence Seedorf Luís Figo Gheorghe Hagi Predrag Mijatović Dejan Petković Perica Ognjenović Peter Dubovsky Rafael Alkorta Amancio Emilio Butragueño José Antonio Camacho

Iván Campo Santiago Cañizares Vicente Del Bosque Luis Enrique Mariano García Remón Gento Fernando Hierro Juanito Aitor Karanka Rafael Martín Vázquez Míchel Fernando Morientes Miguel Muñoz Miguel Pardeza José Samitier Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo Manuel Sanchís Martínez Ricardo Zamora José Santamaria

see also Category:Real Madrid footballers

Selected former managers

Arthur Johnson 1910 - 1920 Hertza 1930 - 1932 José Villalonga 1955 - 1957 Luis Carniglia 1957 - 1959 Miguel Muñoz 1960 - 1973 Luis Molowny 1974, 1977 - 1979, 1982, 1985 - 1986 Miljan Miljanić 1974 - 1977 Vujadin Boškov 1979 - 1982 Alfredo di Stefano 1982 - 1984, 1990 - 1991 Leo Beenhakker 1986 - 1989, 1992 John Toshack 1989 - 1990, 1999

Radomir Antić 1991 - 1992 Benito Floro 1992 - 1993 Vicente Del Bosque 1994, 1999 - 2003 Jorge Valdano 1994 - 1995 Jupp Heynckes 1997 - 1998 Guus Hiddink 1998 - 1999 Carlos Queiroz 2003 Jose Antonio Camacho 2004, 1998 Mariano García Remón 2004 Vanderlei Luxemburgo 2004 - 2005 Lopez Caro 2005 - 2006 Fabio Capello 1996 - 1997, 2006 - Present

see also Category:Real Madrid managers

Presidents

Julián Palacios 1900 -1902 Juan Padrós 1902 - 1904 Carlos Padrós 1904 - 1908 Adolfo Meléndez 1908 - 1916, 1939 - 1940 Pedro Parages 1916 - 1924, 1941 - 1943 Luis de Urquijo 1924 - 1929 Luis Usera 1929 - 1933 Antonio Santos Peralba 1933 - 1934

Rafael Sanchez Guerra 1934 - 1936 Santiago Bernabéu 1943 - 1978 Luis de Carlos 1978 - 1985 Ramón Mendoza 1985 - 1995 Lorenzo Sanz 1995 - 2000 Florentino Pérez 2000 - 2006 Fernando Martín 2006 - 2006 (55 Days) Luis Gómez-Montejano 2006 - 2006 (67 Days) Ramón Calderón Ramos 2006 - Present

see also Category:Real Madrid presidents

External links

• Real Madrid Official Website
• Real Madrid Worldwide Fans Portal
• Real Madrid Unofficial Israeli Website
• Real Madrid Fan Community in English
• Real Madrid French Unofficial Website
• Real Madrid Fansite
• Real Madrid Peña Madridista Website
• Real Madrid Unofficial French-speaking Website
• Real Madrid Unofficial Polish Website
• Real Madrid Unofficial Spanish-speaking Website
• Real Madrid Football School in Bam, Iran
• United Athletes Magazine Article on the lively atmosphere at a Real Madrid’s match.
• Real Madrid statistics
• The Hungarian Page of Real Madrid
• Blog dedicado al Real Madrid: Mejor Club del Siglo XX