Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, [esˈtaðjo sanˈtjaɣo βeɾnaˈβew] (listen)) is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044,[5] it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947.[3] It is the second-largest stadium in Spain and largest in the Community of Madrid.

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

El Bernabéu
UEFA
Full name	Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Former names	Estadio Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (1947–1955)[1]
Location	Chamartín, Madrid, Spain
Coordinates	40.45306°N 3.68835°W
Public transit	at Santiago Bernabéu
Executive suites	245[2]
Capacity	81,044 List 100,000 (1947–1952) 125,000 (1952–1982) 98,000 (1982–1994) 110,000 (1994–1999) 85,000 (1999–2011) 81,044 (2011–)[3]
Record attendance	129,690 (Real Madrid v. Milan, 19 April 1956)[4]
Field size	105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
Surface	Mixto Hybrid Grass
Construction
Built	October 1944 – December 1947
Opened	14 December 1947
Renovated	1982, 2001, 2020–present
Expanded	1953, 1992, 1994, 2011
Construction cost	288,342,653 Ptas (€1,732,943)
Architect	Manuel Muñoz Monasterio Luis Alemany Soler Antonio Lamela (Expansion)
Tenants
Real Madrid CF (1947–present) Spain national football team (selected matches)
Website
www.realmadrid.com

The Santiago Bernabéu is one of the world's most famous football venues. It has hosted the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on four occasions: in 1957, 1969, 1980, 2010.[6] The stadium also hosted the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals, making Santiago Bernabéu the first (and only) stadium to host the two most important premier continental cup finals (UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores).

The final matches for the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1982 FIFA World Cup, were also held at the Bernabéu, making it the first stadium in Europe to host both a UEFA Euro final and a FIFA World Cup final.

History

The stadium in 1955

Castellana northwest external view of the stadium

Castellana southwest external view of the stadium

Panoramic view of the stadium

View of the stadium from the southwest stand corner, March 2016

View of the stadium during the 2006–07 La Liga, Madrid derby

2010 UEFA Champions League Final opening ceremony

On 22 June 1944, the Banco Mercantil e Industrial bank granted credit to Santiago Bernabéu and Rafael Salgado for the purchase of the land adjacent to the old Chamartín Stadium. On 5 September 1944, architects Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler were hired and the structure on the site began to give way to the new stadium. On 27 October 1944, construction work on the stadium began.

The Nuevo Estadio Chamartín (English: New Chamartín Stadium) was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 with a match between Real Madrid and the Portuguese side Os Belenenses, which resulted in a 3–1 victory for Los Blancos.[7] The stadium had an initial capacity of 75,145 spectators, 27,645 of which had seats (7,125 covered) and 47,500 for standing fans. Sabino Barinaga was the first player to score in the new stadium.

The 1950s

The first major renovation occurred in 1955. On 19 June of that year, the stadium expanded to accommodate 125,000 spectators. Thus, the Madrid coliseum became the biggest stadium of all the participants of the newly established European Cup.

On 4 January 1955, after the General Assembly of Members Compromisaros, it was decided that the stadium adopt its present name in honour of club President Santiago Bernabéu.[8]

In May 1957, Real Madrid used electric stadium lighting in a game against Sport Recife of Brazil.

The 1980s

The next big changes did not occur until the early 1980s with the hosting of the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. The stadium had to adapt to the changing times and with this, architects Rafael Luis Alemany and Manuel Salinas were hired for the stadium's renovation project. The brothers were sons of Luis Alemany Soler, who carried out the original construction project next to Muñoz Monasterio. The work lasted 16 months and had a cost of 704 million pesetas (US $4.7 million), of which 530 million was paid by the City of Madrid.

The improvements included a number of points. First, FIFA forced two-thirds of the seating area to be covered. For this reason, Real Madrid installed a roof covering the perimeter of the first and second tiers of seating, except the east side. The stadium's capacity was reduced from 120,000 to 98,000 spectators, 24,550 of which were covered by the new roof. The project also involved remodeling the façade, the installation of new electronic signs in the north and south ends, as well as the renovation of the press areas, lockers rooms, access, and ancillary areas.

The stadium hosted four matches in the World Cup: three second-round Group Two matches (West Germany vs. England, West Germany vs. Spain, and Spain vs. England) and the prestigious final match (Italy vs. West Germany).

The 1990s

Following a series of spectator fatalities in the 1980s (most notably the Heysel Stadium in Belgium and the Hillsborough Stadium in England), English authorities released the Taylor Report on how to improve football spectator safety in English venues. UEFA followed suit across Europe. The stadium was forced to create separate shortcuts to different stadium sections and seats for all spectators. In the 1990s, the Santiago Bernabéu went through a large expansion and remodeling. The board of Ramón Mendoza awarded the project to Gines Navarro Construcciones, S.A. The work started on 7 February 1992 and concluded on 7 May 1994 with a final cost of more than 5 billion pesetas, substantially raising the debt of the club, having no institutional support.

The work concluded with the creation of an amphitheater on the west side and in the foundations, coupled with the existing building by using hydraulic jacks.

In total, 20,200 upgraded seats were installed, with each seat having a tilt of 87 degrees, ensuring a perfect view and proximity to the pitch. In addition, to access the new ring, four entrance towers were erected on the outside, each with two staircases and a central spiral ramp.

With the new structure, the height of the stadium was increased from 22 m to 45 m. This caused problems during the winter, leaving two-thirds of the field of play in the shade. This lack of sunlight led to grass deterioration on the pitch. For this reason, a polypropylene pipe network was installed at a 20 cm depth under the pitch. At over 30 km long the pipe system circulates hot water, keeping the turf from freezing in cold temperatures.

Also, due to the height of the stand, it was necessary to improve and increase the lighting capability. A retractable protective roof was also installed to protect the fans from the elements. After the renovation, the stadium's capacity was 110,000 spectators.

Already in the summer of 1998, and chaired by Lorenzo Sanz, the Santiago Bernabéu adopted an all-seating arrangement, bringing its capacity down to 75,328 spectators.

2000s

As the club kept growing in all regards,[9] thoughts for further changes to the stadium appeared. When Florentino Pérez became the president of the club, he launched a "master plan" with one goal: to improve the comfort of the Santiago Bernabéu and the quality of its facilities, and maximise revenue for the stadium.

Pérez invested €127 million in five years (2001–2006) by adding an expansion to the east side of the stadium, as well adding a new façade on Father Damien street, new costumes, new boxes and VIP areas, a new stage in honour of the east side, a new press area (also located on the east side), a new audio system, new bars, integration of heating in the stands, panoramic lifts, new restaurants, escalators in the tower access, and implementation of the multipurpose building in Father Damien street. Following the enlargement of the lateral east side and the creation of new galleries, the capacity of the Santiago Bernabéu was 80,354, all seated.

In 2007, the 1,000th match was played at the Santiago Bernabéu. In addition, the latest revision of UEFA on 27, on the occasion of Champions League match against Olympiacos, served as a final step to give the Santiago Bernabéu elite stadium status on 14 November 2007, a month before the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the stadium. UEFA announced that it would receive elite stadium status.

Pérez proposed construction of a retractable roof before he resigned in 2005. In 2009, following the re-election of Pérez as the club president, it was announced that the roof construction was looking unlikely due to the financial situation of the club. According to Spanish sports newspaper Marca, however, Pérez wants to restructure Santiago Bernabéu. According to the newspaper, the architect in charge will be chosen from among a shortlist of Spanish architects Santiago Calatrava and Pritzker Prize-winner Rafael Moneo, and Chinese-American Ieoh Ming Pei, also a Pritzker winner.[10]

2010s

According to the official website of the club, the current capacity is 81,044.[3]

On 16 October 2013, Pérez announced that Real Madrid was seeking to sell the naming rights for its stadium and looking for a sponsor for the €400 million renovation project.[11] The proposed design of the stadium renovation, produced by German architects GMP, was unveiled on 31 January 2014. The bold design includes a retractable roof, with the overall cost of around €400 million likely to be met half via the sale of naming rights and half via a bond issue to Real members according to Spanish media reports. Pérez said, "We want to make the Santiago Bernabéu the best stadium in the world."[12][13] Real Madrid then announced a sponsorship agreement with IPIC to assist the club in the redevelopment of the stadium.[14][15][16] Pérez then said that in compliance to the agreement the name of the stadium would be renamed "IPIC Bernabeu" or "CEPSA Bernabeu".[17][18][19] The surface has been replaced with Mixto hybrid grass.

Real Madrid and Microsoft launched the first interactive audioguide for the Bernabéu Tour on 3 April 2017. Over 200,000 people toured the stadium in 2016, of whom over 60% were foreigners.[20]

Renovation plans

A €525-million renovation project was initially set to begin in summer 2017, but began in 2019. The capacity will remain at 81,000 seats, but the height will be increased by ten metres and a roof will be added. The club is expected to sell the naming rights to the renovated stadium.[21][22]

The work is expected to last three and a half years (2019–2022).[23][24]

To not get in the way of playing matches, the team will use Roman techniques with raising the top, which will make it easier for the works to continue while the season is underway and there are matches once or twice a week. "The project is complex because it will not stop the football and therefore complicates the works and design, which has a roof that encloses the whole stadium. They are going to lift the roof like the Romans did, but with modern technology. They will raise the inner ring by string-pulling with hydraulic jacks, bridge technology and ski lifts in a short period of time in the summer to respect the sporting calendar," said Tristán López Chicheri, the individual in charge of renovation.

Chicheri believes the renovation will bring tourists to the stadium all year round, with many attractions planned. The stadium is supposed to have more restaurants, a shopping centre and a hotel, with some rooms having a view of the pitch. The "digital stadium of the future"[25] will be equipped with a 360-degree screen and retractable roof.[26] "It is not only on matchdays that it will be used – there are venues like the Bernabéu that are in the middle of the city and it is a shame that they have no life beyond 35–40 matches a year," said Chicheri.[27]

The areas around the Bernabéu will be rearranged: the Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones will be replaced by 6,000 square metres of gardens.

Panorama of the stadium

Location

The stadium is located in the district of Chamartín of Madrid. It occupies the block bounded by the Paseo de la Castellana and the streets of Concha Espina, Padre Damián, and Rafael Salgado. Nearest subway station is Santiago Bernabéu on the Line 10.

Transportation

The stadium is served by its own metro station along the Line 10 called Santiago Bernabéu. It is also served by bus routes 14, 27, 40, 43, 120, 147 and 150. The stadium is 8.2 miles (13.2 km) away from Barajas International Airport.

Major international tournaments

EURO 1964

Santiago Bernabéu hosted three matches of the 1964 European Nations' Cup, a tournament which Spain hosted: one qualifying match and two in the main tournament, including the final. All of the matches involved Spain.

Qualifying rounds

The stadium hosted one qualifying round match against Romania, which resulted in a 6–0 win.

1 November 1962	Spain	6–0	Romania	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
20:45 CEST	Guillot  7', 20', 70' Veloso  9' Collar  17' Dumitru Macri  81' (o.g.)			Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Kevin Howley (England)

Main tournament

The stadium hosted two matches of the tournament, including the final.

17 June 1964	Spain	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Hungary	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
20:00 CEST	Pereda  35' Amaro  115'	Report	Bene  84'	Attendance: 34,713 Referee: Arthur Blavier (Belgium)

Final

The match was contested by the 1960 winners, the Soviet Union, and the hosts, Spain, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Spain won the match 2–1, with goals coming from Jesús María Pereda and Marcelino. Galimzyan Khusainov scored for the Soviet Union.[28]

21 June 1964	Spain	2–1	Soviet Union	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
18:30 CEST	Pereda  6' Marcelino  84'	Report	Khusainov  8'	Attendance: 79,115 Referee: Arthur Holland (England)

1982 FIFA World Cup

In the 1982 World Cup held in Spain, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium hosted four matches: three in the second round (West Germany–England, West Germany–Spain and Spain–England) as well as the final between West Germany and Italy.

Second round

The stadium hosted three second round matches.

29 June 1982	West Germany	0–0	England	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
21:00 CEST		Report		Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Arnaldo Cézar Coelho (Brazil)

2 July 1982	West Germany	2–1	Spain	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
21:00 CEST	Littbarski  50' Fischer  75'	Report	Zamora  82'	Attendance: 90,089 Referee: Paolo Casarin (Italy)

5 July 1982	Spain	0–0	England	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
21:00 CEST		Report		Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Alexis Ponnet (Belgium)

Final

The 1982 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match contested between Italy and West Germany. It was played on 11 July 1982.
After a scoreless first half during which Antonio Cabrini fired a penalty low and wide to the right of goal, Paolo Rossi scored first, heading home a bouncing Claudio Gentile cross from the right from close range. Marco Tardelli then scored from the edge of the area with a low left footed shot before Alessandro Altobelli, at the end of a counterattack by winger Bruno Conti, made it 3–0 with another low left footed shot. Italy's lead appeared secure, encouraging Italian president Sandro Pertini to wag his finger at the cameras in a playful 'not going to catch us now' gesture from the stands. Paul Breitner scored for Germany in the 83rd minute, firing low past the goalkeeper from the right, but Italy held on to claim their first World Cup title in 44 years, and their third in total with a 3–1 victory.[29]

11 July 1982	Italy	3–1	West Germany	Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
20:00 CEST	Rossi  57' Tardelli  69' Altobelli  81'	Report	Breitner  83'	Attendance: 90,000 Referee: Arnaldo Cézar Coelho (Brazil)

Major games

The front of the stadium.

1957 European Cup Final

This match was contested between Real Madrid, champions of Spain, and Fiorentina, champions of Italy. In this season, 16 teams played for the trophy. Real Madrid won 2–0 in the final after goals from Alfredo Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento in the second half. This was the second consecutive European Cup for Real Madrid after having won his first trophy one year before, in the Parc des Princes against Stade de Reims.

1969 European Cup Final

This year Milan, champions of Italy, played Ajax, champions of the Netherlands, to determine who would be the champions of Europe. Milan defeated Ajax 4–1 to win their second European championship. Ajax made history by being the first Dutch team to reach a final.

1980 European Cup Final

In this final, defending champions Nottingham Forest of England faced Hamburger SV, champions of Germany. The match ended with a victory for the English team with a 1–0 result. The new champions of Europe retained the trophy and achieved a historic second consecutive European Cup.

2010 UEFA Champions League Final

A game played between two best teams in the Champions League which consists of group stage and knock-out stage. The final is played at a different stadium each year. In 2010, Bayern Munich, who eliminated Lyon in the semi-finals, faced Internazionale, who defeated Barcelona in the semi-finals. Inter won 2–0 after two goals from Diego Milito.

2018 Copa Libertadores Final

The two-legged 2018 CONMEBOL Libertadores final pitted Argentine archrivals of Buenos Aires in Boca Juniors and River Plate against each other in the final for the first time. The first leg was held at Boca Juniors' home pitch, La Bombonera, on 11 November 2018, ending in a 2–2 draw with no away goal rule applied.[30]

During the planned second leg on 24 November 2018, scheduled for El Monumental, the home pitch of River Plate, numerous River Plate fans threw glass bottles and stones at the Boca Juniors team bus headed to the stadium, injuring numerous players as a result. CONMEBOL postponed the match and moved the second leg to Europe for 9 December 2018 in Madrid, a neutral site, for security and travel reasons. Both sets of fans attended the match as River Plate won 3–1 after extra time (5–3 on aggregate) to lift the trophy outside of South America for the first time.

References

1. Acuerdos de la Junta del Real Madrid (Real Madrid's Board Agreements), www.abc.es, 5 January 1955 (in Spanish). Retrieved on 11 February 2020
2. "Estadio". Real Madrid. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
3. "Santiago Bernabéu Stadium | Real Madrid CF". Real Madrid C.F. - Web Oficial. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
4. "The Bernabeu: Back to the future". CNN.
5. "Florentino Perez wants to organise a Nadal-Federer match at the Santiago Bernabeu". MARCA in English. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
6. "Madrid and Hamburg awarded 2010 finals". UEFA. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 31 March 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
7. "Real Madrid to play 1,500th official clash at the Santiago Bernabéu". Real Madrid.com. Retrieved 22 November 2011
8. Mandis, Steven G. (11 October 2016). The Real Madrid Way: How Values Created the Most Successful Sports Team on the Planet. BenBella Books, Inc. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-942952-55-8.
9. FourFourTwo's 100 Best Football Stadiums in the World. No.8: Santiago Bernabéu. FourFourTwo.com. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2016
10. (in Spanish) Un nuevo Bernabeú galáctico. Yahoo! EuroSport, 11 September 2009.
11. "Real Madrid "working on" Bernabeu naming rights partner – Perez". goal.com. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
12. "Real Madrid reveal £330m design for new Bernabeu stadium". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
13. Edwards, Piers (28 October 2014). "Estadio Santiago Bernabeu: The $500m stadium wrapped in a glowing 'skin'". CNN. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
14. "Real Madrid and IPIC sign agreement to renovate Bernabeu stadium". La Prensa. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
15. Duff, Alex (28 October 2014). "Real Madrid Gets Stadium Financing From Abu Dhabi's IPIC". Bloomberg. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
16. Díaz, José Félix (25 October 2014). "Bernabéu sheikh-up: Abu Dhabi coming on board". Marca. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
17. Martin, Sean (19 November 2014). "Real Madrid's Stadium to be Renamed 'IPIC Bernabeu or CEPSA Bernabeu'". International Business Times (UK). Retrieved 7 March 2015.
18. Hall, Joe (28 January 2015). "Real Madrid stadium could be renamed "Abu Dhabi Bernabeu" due to UAE investment". CITY A.M. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
19. "Real Madrid president caught revealing IPIC stadium name". Zee News. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
20. "Real Madrid C.F. and Microsoft Launch the First Interactive Audioguide for the Bernabéu Tour". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
21. "Real Madrid's new Bernabeu to grow over 10 metres in height - MARCA in English". MARCA. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
22. "Real Madrid hope €525m Bernabeu renovation gives them 'best stadium in world'". espn.com. 24 September 2018.
23. "Real Madrid unveil plans for 'digital stadium of the future'". euronews.com. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
24. "Real Madrid present the new Santiago Bernabéu". AS.com. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
25. "Football: Real Madrid unveil plans for 'digital stadium of the future' | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
26. Sport, Telegraph (2 April 2019). "Real Madrid unveil plans for new Bernabeu with 360-degree screen and retractable roof". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
27. "Santiago Bernabeu revamp set to begin this summer - MARCA in English". MARCA. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
28. Brewin, John (1 May 2008). "European Nations Cup 1964". ESPNSoccernet.com. ESPN. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
29. "Sparkling Italy spring ultimate upset". Glasgow Herald. 12 July 1982. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
30. "Reglamento CONMEBOL Libertadores 2018" (PDF). conmebol. Retrieved 4 December 2018.

External links

• Official Website
• Bernabéu Tour
• Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Facebook
• Santiago Bernabéu Stadium at Google Maps
• Profile at Estadios de España (in English)