Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, founded in 1902. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football, and plays their home matches at the 78,297-capacity Santiago Bernabéu stadium since 1947. Real Madrid is one of the most successful football clubs in the world, having won a record 36 La Liga titles and a record 15 European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles. The club was estimated to be worth $6.6 billion in 2024, making it the world's most valuable football club, and became the first football club to make €1 billion in revenue that same year.
History
Overview
General information about the club
Real Madrid was founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club and has traditionally worn a white home kit throughout its history. The honorific title 'Real' is Spanish for "Royal" and was bestowed by Alfonso XIII in 1920. Unlike most European sporting clubs, Real Madrid's members have owned and operated the club throughout its history as a registered association. The club is one of the most widely supported teams in the world and the most followed sports club across social media. The Madrid anthem is the "Hala Madrid y nada más".
Most recent season and achievements
As of September 2025, Real Madrid are ranked 1st in UEFA club rankings. In 2024, they won a record-extending 15th Champions League title, recognized by Guinness World Records. However, the 2024-25 season proved disappointing as Madrid finished as runners-up in all three domestic competitions to FC Barcelona, including a 5-2 defeat in the Supercopa de España final and a 3-2 loss in the Copa del Rey final after extra time. They also suffered a humbling Champions League quarter-final exit, eliminated by Arsenal 5-1 on aggregate.
History
Early years
Real Madrid's origins trace back to 1897 when football was introduced to Madrid by academics and students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, who founded Sky Football. After conflicts in 1900, some members left to create Nueva Sociedad de Football, which was renamed Madrid Football Club in 1901. On 6 March 1902, after a new board presided by Juan Padrós was elected, Madrid Football Club was officially founded in the back room of Al Capricho, the family business. The white shirt color was chosen in honour of the famous English team Corinthian.
In 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in 1909. In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real (Royal) to the club. Real Madrid won its first league title in the 1931-32 season and retained it the following year.
Successful period
Santiago Bernabéu became president of Real Madrid in 1943 and oversaw the construction of the club's current stadium and training facilities. Beginning in 1953, he embarked upon a strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, most prominently Alfredo Di Stéfano. Under Bernabéu's guidance, Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football.
The club won the European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, including the famous 7-3 Hampden Park final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960. Real Madrid's achievements in Europe were built upon unprecedented domestic dominance, winning twelve league titles out of sixteen possible from 1953-54 to 1968-69. The club won the European Cup for a sixth time in 1966, defeating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 with a team composed entirely of same nationality players, known as the Yé-yé generation.
Crisis and recovery
In the early 1980s, Real Madrid had lost its grasp on the La Liga title until a new cohort of home-grown stars brought domestic success back. This generation was called La Quinta del Buitre, derived from Emilio Butragueño's nickname. The five members were Butragueño, Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel, and Miguel Pardeza. With this group and players like Hugo Sánchez, Real Madrid won two UEFA Cups, five Spanish championships in a row, one Spanish Cup, and three Spanish Super Cups during the second half of the 1980s.
In 1996, President Lorenzo Sanz appointed Fabio Capello as coach, and Real Madrid finally ended its 32-year wait for its seventh European Cup in 1998 under manager Jupp Heynckes, defeating Juventus 1-0 in the final. In 2000, under Vicente del Bosque, Real won the Champions League for the eighth time with a 3-0 victory over Valencia.
Current period
Florentino Pérez was elected club president in July 2000 and began assembling the Galácticos team by signing global stars including Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luís Figo, and David Beckham. After Pérez's return in 2009, he continued the Galácticos policy, purchasing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80 million.
Under Carlo Ancelotti in 2014, Real Madrid achieved "La Décima" - their tenth European Cup. Zinedine Zidane later led the team to unprecedented success, winning three consecutive Champions League titles from 2016-2018. Following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure in 2018, the club experienced a transitional period before achieving "La Decimocuarta" in 2022 and "La Decimoquinta" in 2024 under Ancelotti's return.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
Real Madrid has won 71 domestic trophies, including a record 36 La Liga titles, 20 Copa del Rey, 13 Supercopa de España, one Copa Eva Duarte, and one Copa de la Liga. The club is one of the three founding members of La Liga never relegated from the top division. Real Madrid holds the record for the most domestic titles and the most seasons won in a row (five, during 1960-65 and 1985-90).
Continental and global competitions
In international football, Real Madrid have won a record 35 trophies: a record 15 European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, a record six UEFA Super Cups, two UEFA Cups, a joint record two Latin Cups, a record one Iberoamerican Cup, and a record nine World champions titles. The club holds numerous Champions League records, including most wins, draws, goals scored, and participations (55). Real Madrid is the only club to have won three consecutive titles twice in the Champions League era (1956-58 and 2016-18) and is the first club across all Europe's top-five leagues to win 100 trophies in all competitions.
Symbols and Colors
Current logo and logo history
The first crest had a simple design of the three initials "MCF" for Madrid Club de Fútbol in dark blue on a white shirt. In 1908, the letters adopted a more streamlined form inside a circle. The major change occurred in 1920 when King Alfonso XIII granted royal patronage, adding Alfonso's crown to the crest. With the dissolution of the monarchy in 1931, royal symbols were eliminated and replaced by the dark mulberry band of the Region of Castile. In 1941, the Francoist regime restored the "Real Corona" while retaining the mulberry stripe. The most recent modification occurred in 2001 when the mulberry stripe was changed to a more bluish shade.
Traditional home and away kits colors
Real Madrid has maintained the white shirt for its home kit throughout the club's history, chosen in honour of the English team Corinthian. There was one exception in 1926 when black shorts were worn, but this lasted only one year after poor results. Real's traditional away colours are all blue or all purple. The club's kit is manufactured by Adidas, whose contract extends from 1998, and the current shirt sponsor is Fly Emirates since 2013.
Traditional club anthem
The Madrid anthem is "Hala Madrid y nada más," which means "Forward Madrid and nothing more." The phrase "Hala Madrid" is often sung by the Madridistas (the club's fans) and serves as the club's rallying cry.
Traditional Rivals
El Clásico
The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is known as "El Clásico" and represents one of the fiercest rivalries in world football. The clubs are seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Castile and Catalonia. The rivalry reflects political and cultural tensions, often viewed as a re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War. Over the years, the record shows 105 victories for Madrid, 104 victories for Barcelona, and 52 draws as of June 2025.
During Franco's dictatorship (1939-75), the rivalry intensified with political undertones. Barcelona developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity opposed to Madrid's centralizing tendencies. The rivalry was further intensified during the 1950s when both clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano, who ultimately joined Real Madrid and became integral to their subsequent European success.
El Derbi Madrileño
The rivalry with Atlético Madrid is known as "El Derbi Madrileño." Although Atlético was founded in 1903, it was joined in 1904 by dissident members of Madrid FC. The two teams first met on 2 December 1906, with Real Madrid winning 2-1. During the early Francoist period, Atlético became associated with the military air force and was renamed Atlético Aviación.
The rivalry gained international attention in 1959 during the European Cup semi-finals. Atlético fans regularly chanted that Real were "El equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país" (The team of the government, the shame of the country). The clubs have met in two Champions League finals, with Real Madrid winning both in 2014 and 2016.
El Viejo Clásico
A minor rivalry exists between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, known as "El Viejo Clásico" (the old classic). The two clubs were dominant in the first half of the 20th century, meeting in nine Copa del Rey finals including the first in 1903. Until 2011, this fixture was the most played in Spanish football history before being surpassed by El Clásico.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Sponsors
Real Madrid's first shirt sponsor was Zanussi for the 1982-85 seasons, followed by Parmalat and Otaysa before a long-term deal with Teka in 1992. After using Realmadrid.com logo for one season, deals followed with Siemens (2002), BenQ Siemens (2006), and bwin.com (2007-2013). Fly Emirates became their shirt sponsor in 2013, with the agreement extended until 2026, worth €70 million per year.
Nicknames
Real Madrid is commonly known as "Los Blancos" (The Whites) due to their traditional white kit. The club is also referred to as "Los Merengues" (The Meringues), another reference to their white colors. The fans are called "Madridistas."
Ownership and finances
Real Madrid is organized as a registered association, meaning the club is owned by its supporters who elect the president. The president cannot invest his own money, and the club can only spend what it earns through sponsorships, commercial partnerships, merchandise sales, television rights, prize money, and ticket sales. As of 2010, the club had 60,000 socios (members). In 2022, Forbes listed Real Madrid as the most valuable football club in the world at $5.1 billion.
Traditions and culture
The club has a policy known as "Galácticos," involving signing the world's best players to create a superstar team. Real Madrid develops homegrown talent through its academy, La Fábrica, which has produced notable graduates such as Raúl, Iker Casillas, and Dani Carvajal. The club has the highest number of participations in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and holds the record for most wins in the competition.
Stadium
The Santiago Bernabéu stadium, inaugurated on 14 December 1947, is Real Madrid's home ground with a current capacity of 81,044. Initially known as Nuevo Chamartín, it was renamed in honor of Santiago Bernabéu in 1955. The stadium has hosted major finals including the 1982 FIFA World Cup final and multiple European Cup/Champions League finals. The latest renovation is set to increase capacity to nearly 85,000 with the addition of a retractable roof, retractable pitch, and 360-degree screen.