The Santiago Bernabeu is a famous soccer stadium located in the north of Madrid, built just after World War II and listed as the home stadium for Real Madrid soccer team.
Stadium maps
The current capacity of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium is just over 80,000 spectators. It constantly hosts games in the UEFA Cup, the former European Cup, the Libertadores Cup and just friendlies of different teams.
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on a map of Madrid
Diagram of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
Construction history
Don Santiago Bernabeu is a famous Spanish soccer player, later president of Real Madrid soccer club for many years, a well-known personality in Spain. It is in his honor that this stadium is named.
First of all, Don Bernabeu went to great lengths to lease the land for the future stadium in Madrid. At the time, a gigantic sum of 2,000,000 pesetas was required. The banks did not dare to give such a loan, it was 1944.
In the end, under the entreaties of Don Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid’s Trade and Industry Bank surrendered. Soon the construction of the future Bernabeu stadium began on a large scale, although in central and eastern Europe the world war was still raging.
But first there was an architectural design competition for the stadium and models were put on public display. In the end they chose the project of Spanish architects Monasterio and Soler.
In the fall, a Catholic priest consecrated the leased land and gave his blessing for the construction of the stadium, after which Don Santiago Bernabéu solemnly laid the first stone in the foundation of this enormous structure.
The construction of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid lasted more than three years. The result was a gigantic sports palace that originally held 75,000 spectators in seating and standing places.
Opening of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
At the end of 1947, in the middle of a cold December, the stadium opened to thunderous applause from the spectators. Despite the sub-zero weather, there was a full house at the opening of the new stadium in Madrid. On the field: Real Madrid and Belenenses (Porto).
On a brand new, bright green lawn, the hosts of the match, Real Madrid simply defeated their guests from Portugal 3-1. The first player to score at the new stadium was the Spaniard Barinaga, and he did it with his head.
So the inauguration took place and the fantastic soccer life began at the Santiago Bernabeu, a great contribution to the development of the stadium was made by Don Barnabéu himself, every time watching the matches from the vip-box with a cigar in his mouth.
The stadium improved with each new match, getting more and more comfortable.
Don Bernabeu wanted his stadium to be the most spacious in the world. The limit of his dreams is 125,000 spectators. And his favorite call is, “Get to work, comrades!”
In the 1950s, two more stands were erected at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, where you could watch a soccer match while standing. The president of Real achieved his dream. And again a full house – 125 thousand fans at the stadium.
In the post-war years, Europe was in ruins, in a state of poverty and unemployment. Soccer was one of the main entertainments in those years, and the Santiago Bernabeu stadium became the most fashionable in Europe.
New name
It should be noted that the stadium will receive its first name, “Chamartin,” upon completion and commissioning. After its renewal in the mid-20th century, all the shareholders of the Real Club were summoned to a general meeting.
Club president Santiago Bernabeu offered shareholders the choice of several beautiful names. However, they took the easiest way: they named the stadium after the president – Santiago Bernabeu, who enjoyed boundless prestige.
Updating the stadium for the Olympics
The next time this stadium was renovated on the eve of the Olympics in the early 1980s. This time all the spaces under the stands were reconstructed, the facade of the stadium was renewed, the roof was built, etc.
In keeping with modern trends, the Santiago Bernabeu has separate seats for the media, a parking lot, and electronic scoreboards. It was decided to reduce the capacity of the stadium to 100,000 fans.
A decade later, it was again decided to expand the stadium, for which several additional tiers and VIP boxes for particularly important guests were built. The number of fans at each match continued to increase steadily.
But at the end of the 20th century, the UEFA leadership decided that a soccer stadium could not have standing bleachers. The Bernabeu Stadium was immediately converted, reducing its capacity to 75,000 fans or spectators.
Already at the beginning of the 21st century, this stadium in Madrid received the five-star level after the reconstruction of the eastern stand, the placement of office space, and the renovation of the press room. Today it is one of the best in Europe.
