Real Madrid

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (founded 1902) is one of Spain and Europe's most successful football clubs. Formed on March 1, 1902, it contests in the Spanish first division or Primera División, from which it has never been relegated in its history. The club was originally named Madrid Club de Fútbol, but were allowed to use the title 'Real' after Alfonso XIII of Spain gave the club an official blessing in June 1920.

The team play in all-white, from which derives the nickname Los merengues. Home stadium is the Santiago Bernabéu, which seats 85,000 spectators.

Since the middle of the twentieth century, Real Madrid has consistently been ranked as one of the top football clubs in Europe. It has won the European Cup more times than any other club, winning the first five European Cups. The rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is legendary, and draws as much from Spanish politics as it does from footballing matters.

Some Famous Players

• Gento
• Ferenc Puskas
• Alfredo di Stéfano[?]
• Butragueño
• Míchel
• Hugo Sánchez
• Fernando Hierro[?]
• Raúl[?]
• Zinedine Zidane
• Luis Figo
• Ronaldo
• Roberto Carlos[?]
• singer Julio Iglesias

Awards

• European Cup/Champions League: 9 (scoreline and finalists)
  • 1956 4-3 vs. Stade Reims
  • 1957 2-0 vs. A.C. Fiorentina
  • 1958 3-2 vs. A.C. Milan
  • 1959 2-0 vs. Stade Reims
  • 1960 7-3 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt[?]
  • 1966 2-1 vs. Partizan Belgrade
  • 1998 1-0 vs. Juventus
  • 2000 3-0 vs. Valencia, CF
  • 2002 2-1 vs. Bayer Leverkusen[?]
• UEFA Cup: 2
  • 1985 1986

• Spanish Cup: 6
  • 1974 1975 1980 1982 1989 1993
• Primera División champions: 29
  • 1932-33 1954-55 1957-58 1961-65 1967-69 1972 1975-76 1978-80 1986 1987-90 1995 1997 2001 2003

The other two main clubs from Madrid are Atlético de Madrid and (less famously) Rayo Vallecano[?].

See also:

http://www.realmadrid.com