Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Madrid)

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is a sports venue owned by FC Real Madrid, located on Paseo de la Castellana, in the Chamartín district of Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain.

It was opened on 14 December 1947 and currently has a capacity of 78,297 spectators1 The stadium is classified by UEFA with the highest distinction, “elite stadium”.

Named after footballer and legendary Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste (1895–1978), the stadium 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.

History

Origins and construction

In the early 1940s, the old Campo de Chamartín had become too small for the growing population of Madrid and the increasing popularity of football. Despite successive renovations that had expanded its capacity to 25,000 seats, the stadium was still insufficient for the club’s needs.

The stadium was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 with a match between Real Madrid and the Portuguese side Os Belenenses.

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 14 December 1972, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Santiago Bernabéu’s inauguration, the first electronic scoreboard was installed inside the stadium and later utilized for the first time in a friendly match against the same rival that Madrid faced in 1947, the Portuguese Belenenses.

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 90,000 spectators, starting downsizing in 1978. 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.

In the summer of 2011, expansion work was carried out in the first amphitheater, adding an additional row to the overhang of the grandstand, which increased the capacity by 900 seats, reaching a total capacity of 81,044 spectators.

2019–2024

On 31 May 2017, the Madrid City Council approved the renovation by approving the “Special Plan for the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium”. After approving the replotting project, the sustainable mobility plan, and the urbanization project, the club awarded the renovation works to the construction company FCC Construcciones (FCC Group), which finally began in June 2019.

For the financing of the works, the Real Madrid Board of Directors approved a loan of 575 million euros on 12 April 2019, for 30 years with a fixed interest rate of 2.5%, including a 3-year grace period, resulting in an annual payment of 29.5 million euros starting from 30 July 2023. Additionally, on 7 December 2021, the financing was extended with an additional loan of 225 million euros for 27 years with a fixed interest rate of 1.53% and a grace period until 30 July 2024, with an annual payment of 10.5 million euros starting from that date.

How to get to?

The stadium is served by its own Madrid Metro station along the Line 10 called Santiago Bernabéu. It is also served by Madrid Buses routes 14, 27, 40, 43, 120, 147 and 150.