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106-443: The sale of Ciudad Deportiva, under the auspices of Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez , led to Real earning approximately €480 million. The complex has been nicknamed, and is known to the players, trainers and club staff as 'Valdebebas' (Bal-de-beh-bahs), and is named after the district of the city where the complex is located. Inaugurated in 2005, the training centre consists of academy offices, equipment rooms, audio-visuals rooms,

212-540: A cuestión preliminar (English: preliminary question) to the CJEU on whether UEFA and FIFA have violated articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU , to both governing bodies, ruling them to not execute sanctions against clubs still active in the project, including Real Madrid. On 15 June, it was officially confirmed Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus were admitted to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League . On January 31, 2014, Pérez announced

318-463: A hat-trick by Alfredo Di Stéfano. This was Real Madrid's fifth consecutive title, a record that still stands today. Real Madrid's reign ended in the 1960–61 season when bitter rivals Barcelona dethroned them in the first round. Barcelona were defeated in the final by Portuguese side Benfica 3–2 at the Wankdorf Stadium . Reinforced by Eusébio , Benfica defeated Real Madrid 5–3 at

424-600: A round robin league phase to qualify for the double-legged knockout rounds, and a single-leg final. It is the most-watched club competition in the world and the third most-watched football competition overall, behind only the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup . It is one of the most prestigious football tournaments in the world and the most prestigious club competition in European football, played by

530-546: A 3–3 draw between Sporting CP and Partizan. The first goal in European Cup history was scored by João Baptista Martins of Sporting CP. The inaugural final took place at the Parc des Princes between Stade de Reims and Real Madrid on 13 June 1956. The Spanish squad came back from behind to win 4–3 thanks to goals from Alfredo Di Stéfano and Marquitos , as well as two goals from Héctor Rial . Real Madrid successfully defended

636-488: A balcony and private bathroom, a common dining room, common rest areas, and classrooms for the academic education pertaining to the respective age groups that occurs in the afternoons. Players aged between 10 and 18 years reside in the youth team residential building. In the middle of the 2015–16 season, the Real Madrid basketball division was also provided with their own sports facilities at Valdebebas. A new training pavilion

742-416: A deal to ensure tournament sponsors were given priority on television advertisements during matches, ensured that each of the tournament's main sponsors was given maximum exposure. From the 2012–13 knockout phase , UEFA used LED advertising hoardings installed in knockout participant stadiums, including the final. From the 2015–16 season onwards, UEFA has used such hoardings from the play-off round until

848-503: A decisive role in the elections. Pérez was later re-elected in 2004 with 94.2% of the total votes. Figo also marked the start of Pérez's policy to bring one of the best football players in the world to Real Madrid each season. The strategy was initially known as that of Zidanes y Pavones in which superstars would play alongside the Canteranos , but the players were soon popularly referred to as Galácticos . In 2001, Zinedine Zidane

954-554: A heart attack. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain , Pérez tested positive on 2 February 2021, but had no symptoms. UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL ) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs . The competition begins with

1060-454: A logo, and the "starball". The starball was created by Design Bridge, a London-based firm selected by TEAM after a competition. TEAM gives particular attention to detail in how the colours and starball are depicted at matches. According to TEAM, "Irrespective of whether you are a spectator in Moscow or Milan, you will always see the same stadium dressing materials, the same opening ceremony featuring

1166-515: A result, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals being played as single match knockout ties at neutral venues in Lisbon, Portugal in the summer with the final taking place on 23 August 2020. The following is the default access list. Changes will be made to the access list above if the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues. Each year,

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1272-399: A strength and rehab centre, and medical (which consist of examination rooms, treatment rooms, additional rehab facilities and equipment, and a hydrotherapy center that includes hot and cool pools, a cold plunge, and a long but narrow resistance wave pool) and training facilities, as well as 12 and one third fields - three full-size synthetic turf fields and four full-size natural grass field for

1378-481: A value of US$ 6.07 billion. In the 2023–24 season , Real Madrid clinched their 36th La Liga title in total and seventh Champions League title during his presidency, surpassing Santiago Bernabéu's Champions League record. In April 2021, Pérez was named the first chairman of the Super League , a breakaway league involving some of Europe's largest football clubs. According to The New York Times , Pérez "had been

1484-499: A version of the official trophy : Real Madrid, Ajax, Bayern Munich, Milan and Liverpool. Since 2008, the official trophy has remained with UEFA and the clubs are awarded a replica. The current trophy is 74 cm (29 in) tall and made of silver, weighing 11 kg (24 lb). It was designed by Jürg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern , Switzerland, after the original was given to Real Madrid in 1966 in recognition of their six titles to date, and cost 10,000 Swiss francs . As of

1590-693: Is a Spanish businessman and the president of football club Real Madrid , as well as chairman and CEO of Grupo ACS , a civil engineering company. He began his professional career in the private sector in 1971 and was a member of the Spanish Union of the Democratic Center and the secretary-general of the Spanish Democratic Reformist Party, from 1979 to 1986. He has been president of Real Madrid from 2000 to 2006 and from 2009 onwards. During his first six years as president, he implemented

1696-407: Is also planned to include commercial, leisure, and restaurant areas as well as hotel parking and subway parking; the works are designed to allow construction to take place without disrupting the sporting calendar. In July 2021, the media El Confidencial published audio of Pérez in which he included a series of remarks towards some players. However, Real Madrid had issued a statement claiming that

1802-461: Is played from September to January, while the knockout phase begins in February, with matches predominantly played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. After the league phase, a two-legged knockout play-off round is played between teams finishing 9–16 (seeded) and 17–24 (unseeded) in the league phase. Teams finishing in the top eight of the league phase receive a bye to the round of 16 as seeded teams, while

1908-399: Is set to the exclamations 'Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes! The Champions!'. The anthem's chorus is played before each UEFA Champions League game as the two teams are lined up, as well as at the beginning and end of television broadcasts of the matches. In addition to the anthem, there is also entrance music, which contains parts of the anthem itself, which is played as teams enter

2014-467: Is the current European champion, having beaten Borussia Dortmund 2–0 in the 2024 final for their fifteenth title. The first time the champions of two European leagues met was in what was nicknamed the 1895 World Championship , when English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian 5–3. The first pan-European tournament was the Challenge Cup , a competition between clubs in

2120-470: The Galácticos policy of bringing the world's best players to Real Madrid. In his first four seasons in charge, he bought Luís Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona , Zinedine Zidane for a then-world record transfer fee, Ronaldo , and David Beckham . From the 2003–04 season to the 2005-06 season , the club did not win a trophy, leading Pérez to resign in 2006. He assumed office again in 2009 and he restarted

2226-558: The 1955–56 season. Sixteen teams participated (some by invitation): AC Milan (Italy), AGF Aarhus (Denmark), Anderlecht (Belgium), Djurgården (Sweden), Gwardia Warszawa (Poland), Hibernian (Scotland), Partizan ( Yugoslavia ), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Rapid Wien (Austria), Real Madrid (Spain), Rot-Weiss Essen ( West Germany ), Saarbrücken ( Saar ), Servette (Switzerland), Sporting CP (Portugal), Reims (France) and Vörös Lobogó (Hungary). The first European Cup match took place on 4 September 1955, and ended in

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2332-565: The 1985 European Cup final due to the Heysel Stadium disaster . "Magic...it's magic above all else. When you hear the anthem it captivates you straight away." The UEFA Champions League anthem, officially titled simply as "Champions League", was written by Tony Britten , and is an adaptation of George Frideric Handel 's 1727 anthem Zadok the Priest (one of his Coronation Anthems ). UEFA commissioned Britten in 1992 to arrange an anthem, and

2438-450: The 2005-06 season with the absence of manager Vicente del Bosque and Makélélé, Real Madrid failed to win a trophy. Although Pérez's policy resulted in increased financial success based on the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential around the world, especially in Asia, it came under increasing criticism for being focused too much on marketing the Real Madrid brand and not enough on

2544-539: The 2013 final at Wembley , the chorus was played twice. In the 2018 and 2019 finals, held in Kyiv and Madrid respectively, the instrumental version of the chorus was played, by 2Cellos (2018) and Asturia Girls (2019). In the 2023 final , held in Istanbul, Hungarian pianist Ádám György performed the piano version of the anthem. The anthem has been released commercially in its original version on iTunes and Spotify with

2650-576: The Austro-Hungarian Empire . Three years later, in 1900, the champions of Belgium , Netherlands and Switzerland , which were the only existing leagues in continental Europe at the time, participated in the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz , thus being dubbed as the "club championship of the continent" by the local newspapers. The Mitropa Cup , a competition modelled after the Challenge Cup,

2756-537: The Copa del Rey in 2011 and winning the La Liga title in 2012 with a record-breaking 100 points. Additionally, in 2011 , Real Madrid reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2003 . In his third season, Mourinho led the team to its third consecutive Champions League semi-finals, second place in the league , and the Copa del Rey final , where Real lost to Atlético after extra time. However,

2862-667: The Ernst-Happel-Stadion to win the 1963–64 season and replicate their local-rival's success. The title stayed in Milan for the third year in a row after Inter beat Benfica 1–0 at their home ground, the San Siro . Under the leadership of Jock Stein , Scottish club Celtic beat Inter Milan 2–1 in the 1967 final to become the first British club to win the European Cup. The Celtic players that day, all of whom were born within 30 miles (48 km) of Glasgow, subsequently became known as

2968-610: The Latin Cup in 1949. After receiving reports from his journalists over the highly successful South American Championship of Champions of 1948, Gabriel Hanot , editor of L'Équipe , began proposing the creation of a continent-wide tournament. In interviews, Jacques Ferran (one of the founders of the European Champions Cup, together with Gabriel Hanot), said that the South American Championship of Champions

3074-608: The Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam and kept the title for a second consecutive season . Benfica wanted to repeat Real Madrid's successful run of the 1950s after reaching the showpiece event of the 1962–63 European Cup , but a brace from Brazilian-Italian José Altafini at Wembley gave the spoils to Milan, making the trophy leave the Iberian Peninsula for the first time ever. Inter Milan beat an ageing Real Madrid 3–1 at

3180-660: The Santiago Bernabéu in July. On 31 May 2010, Pérez appointed José Mourinho as the new manager of Real Madrid in a £6.8 million deal. During the next three years, Pérez brought a lot of new faces to the team, including the German wonderkid Mesut Özil and Ángel Di María , who both attracted attention from Europe's elite football clubs during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The squad managed to break Barcelona's dominance, winning

3286-569: The Union of the Democratic Centre party in 1979, serving as a member of Madrid's city council. In 1986, Pérez ran as a candidate for the Democratic Reformist Party ( Partido Reformista Democrático ) and served as its secretary-general. In 1993, Pérez was named vice chairman of OCP Construcciones. After the merger of OCP with Gines y Navarro into Actividades de Construcción y Servicios, S.A. (ACS) in 1997, he became chairman of

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3392-469: The " Lisbon Lions ". The 1967–68 season saw Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup, beating two-times winners Benfica 4–1 in the final. This final came ten years after the Munich air disaster , which had claimed the lives of eight United players and left their manager, Matt Busby , fighting for his life. In the 1968–69 season , Ajax became the first Dutch team to reach

3498-468: The 'starball' centre circle ceremony, and hear the same UEFA Champions League Anthem ". Based on research it conducted, TEAM concluded that by 1999, "the starball logo had achieved a recognition rate of 94 percent among fans". The UEFA Champions League used to begin with a double round-robin group stage of 32 teams until it evolved into a league phase of 36 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to

3604-477: The 2012–13 season, 40 gold medals are presented to the Champions League winners, and 40 silver medals to the runners-up. Starting with the 2024–25 season, the distribution of the prize money is as follows. A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each nation. For

3710-609: The 2014 summer transfer window, Pérez brought in 2014 FIFA World Cup stars James Rodríguez , Toni Kroos , and Keylor Navas to Real Madrid for a combined cost of £95 million, as well as Javier Hernández , who was loan from Manchester United. As a result of the mounting competition for starting spots and wage disputes, Di María left the club for Manchester United for a British record transfer fee of £60 million. Xabi Alonso also left during this transfer window to join Bayern Munich . In January 2015, Pérez demonstrated his success in

3816-424: The 2019–20 season, Paris Saint-Germain , who were the runners-up, earned nearly €126.8 million in total, of which €101.3 million was prize money, compared with the €125.46 million earned by Bayern Munich, who won the tournament and were awarded €112.96 million in prize money. Like the FIFA World Cup , the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to

3922-514: The ESL could render domestic competitions as irrelevant and lower tier compared to the Super League, and it would undermine promotion and relegation systems; Pérez later countered this with claims that the ESL would have a system of promotion and relegation. Pérez alleged that Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund , and Paris Saint-Germain , which were reportedly sought out by the ESL and gave them between 14 and 30 days to join but who rejected involvement in

4028-410: The European Cup final, but they were beaten 4–1 by Milan, who claimed their second European Cup, with Pierino Prati scoring a hat-trick. The 1969–70 season saw the first Dutch winners of the competition. Feyenoord knocked out the defending champions, Milan in the second round, before beating Celtic in the final . In the 1970–71 season , Ajax won the title, beating Greek side Panathinaikos in

4134-473: The European Super League (ESL) received almost universal opposition from fans, players, managers, politicians and other clubs as well as UEFA, FIFA and national governments. Much of the criticism against the ESL was due to concerns about elitism and the lack of competitiveness within the competition, as it would have consisted of only high-ranking teams from a few European countries. Backlash against

4240-426: The European club champion. The competition took on its current name in 1992, adding a round-robin group stage in 1991 and allowing multiple entrants from certain countries since the 1997–98 season. While only the winners of many of Europe's national leagues can enter the competition, the top 5 leagues by coefficient provide four teams each by default, with a possibility for additional spots based on performance during

4346-510: The Galácticos policy. He brought Kaká and Xabi Alonso to the club, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo for a then-world record transfer fee, and Karim Benzema , a talented rising star from Ligue 1 . In domestic competitions, Real Madrid competed against a Barcelona team led by Pep Guardiola and an Atlético de Madrid team led by Diego Simeone . The club was coached by managers such as José Mourinho , Carlo Ancelotti , and Zinedine Zidane . Over

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4452-529: The Premier League that season. UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers. UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at

4558-632: The Spanish journalist Fonsi Loaiza explores the role of the Santiago Bernabeu VIP area in Pérez's business success, highlighting his network of connections. At the first home game of the 2023–24 season , against Getafe , the new renovations of the Santiago Bernabéu, including the retractable roof , were unveiled for the first time. Although work on the new stadium is expected to be completed in 2024,

4664-473: The Super League, violate EU law. The court stated that UEFA and FIFA abused their "dominant position" by threatening the clubs involved in the Super League with sanctions. This affected several clubs, such as the Real Madrid, which backed the project in Spain along with other well-known clubs. Pérez married María de los Ángeles Sandoval Montero in 1970 and they had 3 kids: Eduardo, Florentino, and María Ángeles. His wife passed away on 23 May 2012, aged 62, due to

4770-506: The Year Gareth Bale , purchased from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee reported to be in the £86 million range, yet again breaking the world record. Two promising Spanish talents, playmaker Isco and holding midfielder Asier Illarramendi , were also bought by Pérez prior to the start of the season. The following season proved to be a resounding success, as Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey and its tenth Champions League title. During

4876-499: The announcement of the league's formation led to nine of the clubs involved, including all six of the English clubs, announcing their intention to withdraw. The remaining members of the ESL subsequently announced they would "reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project" following the departure of the other clubs. Three days after its founding, the ESL announced that it was suspending its operations. Commentators argued that

4982-413: The biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with teams starting in different rounds. An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in

5088-508: The chest and the left sleeve. Exceptions are made for non-profit organisations, which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area. If a club plays a match in a nation where the relevant sponsorship category is restricted (such as France's alcohol advertising restriction), then they must remove that logo from their jerseys. For example, when Rangers played French side Auxerre in

5194-414: The club's debt; however, this was contradicted by director Ramón Calderón . Several years after leaving Real, Fernando Hierro stated that Claude Makélélé had been the club's most important and least appreciated midfielder, saying: "The loss of Makélélé was the beginning of the end for Los Galácticos ... You can see that it was also the beginning of a new dawn for Chelsea." From the 2003–04 season to

5300-467: The club’s football. He announced his resignation on 27 February 2006, acknowledging that the team and the club as a whole needed a new direction. On 14 May 2009, Pérez announced his candidacy for president of Real Madrid in a press conference at the Hotel Ritz Madrid . On 1 June, given that he was the only candidate able to provide the €57,389,000 guarantee necessary to run for the presidency, Pérez

5406-495: The competition and publicly condemned the concept, had not been invited. Pérez cited the European basketball EuroLeague as an inspiration and stated that the EuroLeague saved European basketball, and the Super League would do the same for football. After the backlash and withdrawals, Pérez stated that none of the founding clubs had officially left the association, as they were tied to binding contracts, and vowed to work with

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5512-473: The course of eleven seasons from 2013 to 2024, the club won six Champions League titles. Real Madrid has won a record 7 Champions League titles during his presidency. Florentino Perez is the most successful president in the history of Real Madrid, winning 36 titles during his presidency, surpassing Santiago Bernabéu , who won 32. Pérez attended the Polytechnic University of Madrid . Pérez joined

5618-477: The driving force behind much of it; it was, to some extent, his brainchild." Spearheaded by Pérez and Andrea Agnelli of Juventus , the Super League was in the works for three years; however, the final phases were rushed and the allegiance among the twelve clubs, instead of the original fifteen, seemed to have been forged under pressure. The announcement was poorly planned and the coalition, liable to break under pressure, came apart quickly. Pérez expressed hope that

5724-462: The eight winning teams from the knockout play-off round will enter the round of 16 draw as unseeded teams. Teams finishing 25th–36th place in the league phase and the eight losers of the knockout play-offs are eliminated from the competition and from European football since it is no longer possible to enter the Europa League from the league phase onwards. After the round of 16 the competition follows

5830-429: The expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. Until 2015–16, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League. In May 2012, Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth in the 2011–12 Premier League , two places ahead of Chelsea, but failed to qualify for the 2012–13 Champions League , after Chelsea won the 2012 final . Tottenham were demoted to the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League . In May 2013, it

5936-544: The field. The complete anthem is about three minutes long, and has two short verses and the chorus. Special vocal versions have been performed live at the Champions League final with lyrics in other languages, changing over to the host nation's language for the chorus. These versions were performed by Andrea Bocelli (Italian; Rome 2009 , Milan 2016 and Cardiff 2017 ), Juan Diego Flores (Spanish; Madrid 2010 ), All Angels ( Wembley 2011 ), Jonas Kaufmann and David Garrett ( Munich 2012 ) and Mariza ( Lisbon 2014 ). In

6042-596: The final cost is estimated at around €1170 million, more than double the initial estimate (€525 million). However, Florentino Pérez emphasized that the new stadium will become one of the city's main tourist destinations and the epicenter of major events in Europe. During December 2023, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that FIFA and UEFA 's rules on the prior authorization of club soccer competitions, such as

6148-460: The final. Since 2021, the UEFA also used Virtual Board Replacement (VBR) technology to offer region-based advertising; regional sponsors are inserted into the hoardings as shown on the broadcast feed in specific regions along with the global sponsors. Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only two sponsorships are permitted per jersey in addition to that of the kit manufacturer, at

6254-785: The final. the season saw a number of changes, with penalty shoot-outs being introduced, and the away goals rule being changed so that it would be used in all rounds except the final. It was also the first time a Greek team reached the final, as well as the first season that Real Madrid failed to qualify, having finished sixth in La Liga the previous season. Ajax went on to win the competition three years in row (1971 to 1973), which Bayern Munich emulated from 1974 to 1976, before Liverpool won their first two titles in 1977 and 1978. The following seasons saw victories in 1978–79 and 1979–80 for Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest . The following year Liverpool won their third title before Aston Villa continued

6360-456: The first and second floors, each with their own lounge area and terrace. The building also has a cinema, a dining room capable of accommodating 54 people, a common rest area, a climate-controlled pool, reception, two guest rooms, and several common terraces. The youth team residence is dedicated to accommodate life those players whose families do not reside in Madrid. It has 40 double rooms, each with

6466-408: The first teams to reach the Champions League group stage after playing in all three qualifying rounds. Real Madrid and Barcelona hold the record for the most appearances in the group stage, having qualified 25 times, followed by Porto and Bayern Munich on 24. Between 1999 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The 16 top-ranked teams spread across

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6572-403: The fourth-placed teams were eliminated from the competition. For the next stage – the last 16 – the winning team from one group played against the runners-up from another group, but teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other (see random two-sided matching ). From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw was entirely random, without association protection. The group stage

6678-405: The global leader in current revenue for over ten consecutive years. Additionally, Pérez's management has had a notable impact on the sporting front, with Real Madrid winning the prestigious European Cup seven times, adding to a total of fifteen trophies in the club's collection. Additionally, Forbes has recognized Real Madrid as the most valuable sports club in the world, with Los Blancos having

6784-474: The governing bodies to make some form of the Super League work. Whilst blaming the English clubs of losing their nerve in face of opposition and the footballing authorities for acting unjustifiably aggressively, Pérez insisted that the Super League project was merely on standby and not over. In response to UEFA's sanctions and possible Real Madrid's exclusion from UEFA competitions , among the other clubs involved, Pérez said that this would be "impossible" and that

6890-489: The group stage in favour of an expanded league phase. The number of participating teams was increased from 32 to 36 teams. Teams are no longer divided into groups of four teams each but are ranked in a single table. Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents. For the draw of the league phase, teams are divided into four seeding pots according to their UEFA coefficient . Each team will play against two teams from each pot, one home and one away. The league phase

6996-521: The knockout phase that culminates with the final match in late May or early June. The winner of the Champions League automatically qualifies for the following year's Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup , and the FIFA Club World Cup . Spanish clubs have the most victories (20 wins), followed by England (15 wins) and Italy (12 wins). England has the most winning teams, with six clubs having won

7102-563: The lack of trophies prompted Mourinho to leave Madrid for his former club Chelsea . On 2 June 2013, Pérez was awarded a fourth term as the Real Madrid president, bringing in Carlo Ancelotti to replace Mourinho. Mesut Özil and Gonzalo Higuaín were sold to Arsenal and Napoli , respectively, at the start of the season to secure spots for Luka Modrić and Karim Benzema in the first team. Pérez also brought in Welsh footballer and PFA Player of

7208-469: The law protects them. On 31 May, the Super League filed a complaint to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against UEFA and FIFA for their proposals to stop the organization of the competition. On June 7, the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police notified the Spanish precautionary measure, which had earlier issued an injunction against UEFA and FIFA, and referred

7314-421: The leaks came at a time when Pérez was involved in promoting the Super League. At a later date, the court of first instance number 42 of Madrid considered that Florentino Pérez's right to honour was violated by broadcasting the recordings and prohibiting the media from publishing any audio that directly affects him. In 2022, an unauthorized biography titled El poder del palco was published about Pérez, in which

7420-499: The national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations. Introduced in 1955 as the Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens (French for European Champion Clubs' Cup ), and commonly known as the European Cup , it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of Europe's domestic leagues, with its winner reckoned as

7526-475: The new company. As of 2018, Pérez leads Grupo ACS , Spain's largest construction company, and has an estimated net worth of US$ 2.5 billion. In 1995, Pérez ran as a candidate for the presidency of Real Madrid against Ramón Mendoza and Santiago Gómez Pintado. Despite obtaining the highest number of signatures to endorse his candidacy, he came in second place. In 2000, Pérez again ran as a candidate for presidency of Real Madrid , which he won with more than 55% of

7632-435: The new competition would "provide higher-quality matches and additional financial resources for the overall football pyramid", provide "significantly greater economic growth and support for European football via a long-term commitment to uncapped solidarity payments which will grow in line with league revenues", appeal to a new younger generation of football fans, and improve VAR and refereeing. The 18 April announcement of

7738-512: The piece was performed by London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields . Stating that "the anthem is now almost as iconic as the trophy", UEFA's official website adds it is "known to set the hearts of many of the world's top footballers aflutter". The chorus contains the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French. The climactic moment

7844-483: The plans to renovate the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium . In the 2019–20 season , Real Madrid won their 34th La Liga title, which was their fifth title under Pérez and second title under coach Zidane. In the 2021–22 season , Real Madrid won their sixth La Liga and sixth Champions League title under Pérez, and he equalled the Champions League record of Santiago Bernabéu . In the 2021–22 season , with

7950-562: The previous five Champions League, Europa League and Conference League seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams represent the association in the Champions League, and the fewer qualification rounds the association's teams must compete in. Five of the remaining seven qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four-round qualifying tournament between the remaining 43 or 44 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other two are granted to

8056-533: The previous season. Clubs that finish below the qualifying spots are eligible for the second-tier UEFA Europa League competition, and since 2021, for the third-tier UEFA Conference League . In its present format, the Champions League begins in early July with three qualifying rounds and a play-off round, all played over two legs. The seven surviving teams enter the league phase, joining 29 teams qualified in advance. The 36 teams each play eight opponents, four home and four away. The 24 highest-ranked teams proceed to

8162-705: The return of Carlo Ancelotti as coach, Real Madrid achieved a historic double: winning the La Liga title and winning its 14th Champions League , totaling 35 league titles. In addition, Real Madrid won its fifth European Super Cup. In the same year, Real Madrid Club de Baloncesto won the ACB League and the Spanish Super Cup . In the 2022–23 season , Real Madrid won the final of the Copa del Rey at La Cartuja in Seville, obtaining its twentieth title after nine years without winning

8268-435: The role of president of the renowned Real Madrid. His relationship with the club, considered the best of the 20th century, has materialized in two periods in which he has managed to harmonize his business work with the management of the football institution. During his tenure as president of Real Madrid, Pérez has established a legacy characterized by consistently high economic revenues. The club has maintained its position as

8374-538: The sense of English dominance in 1982 . In 1982–83, Hamburger SV broke the English dominance. Liverpool regained it in 1983–84 before losing to Juventus (1984–85); Steaua București then won in 1985–86, Porto in 1986–87, PSV Eindhoven in 1987–88; Milan (2), Red Star Belgrade and Barcelona became champions before the competition was re-formulated as the UEFA Champions League . All English clubs were banned for five years (Liverpool for six years) following

8480-473: The signing of Valencia centre-back Raúl Albiol for €15 million. On 1 July, Pérez bought Karim Benzema from Lyon for a fee of at least £30 million, which would increase to £35 million depending on the player's success. On 5 August, Real Madrid confirmed the signing of Xabi Alonso from Liverpool for £30 million; Alonso became the second Liverpool player to join Real Madrid in the same transfer window after full-back Álvaro Arbeloa 's £5 million switch to

8586-431: The single main sponsor typically found in national top-flight leagues. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match. This, combined with

8692-579: The title for the third consecutive season. In a rematch of the first final, Real Madrid faced Stade Reims at the Neckarstadion for the 1959 final , and won 2–0. West German side Eintracht Frankfurt became the first team not to compete in the Latin cup to reach the European Cup final. The 1960 final holds the record for the most goals scored, with Real Madrid beating Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 at Hampden Park , courtesy of four goals by Ferenc Puskás and

8798-415: The title of Champions League Theme. In 2018, composer Hans Zimmer remixed the anthem with rapper Vince Staples for EA Sports ' video game FIFA 19 , with it also featuring in the game's reveal trailer. In 1991, UEFA asked its commercial partner, Television Event and Media Marketing (TEAM), to help brand the Champions League. This resulted in the anthem, "house colours" of black and white or silver and

8904-433: The title. The competition has been won by 23 clubs and 13 of them have won it more than once. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 15 times. Madrid is the only club to have won it five times in a row (the first five editions). Only one club has won all of their matches in a single tournament en route to the tournament victory: Bayern Munich in the 2019–20 season. Real Madrid

9010-498: The tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those qualified by virtue of finishing second, third or fourth in their national championship. The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during

9116-415: The traditional knockout format with quarter-finals, semi-finals (both two legged and without association draw protection) and then the final at a venue chosen prior to the season. The final is typically held in late May or early June. Prior to the 2024–25 season, the tournament proper began with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four. The draw to determine which teams entered each group

9222-500: The transfer market when Real Madrid signed the 16-year-old Norwegian Martin Ødegaard , as many other European clubs, including Bayern, Barcelona, and Arsenal, were also interested in Ødegaard. Later on, Real Madrid, coached by former player Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, proceeded to win three consecutive Champions League titles in 2015–16 , 2016–17 and 2017–18 , a feat that hasn’t been achieved since Bayern Munich had won their third consecutive title in 1975–76 . In 2019, Pérez revealed

9328-500: The trophy next season in their home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu , against Fiorentina . After a scoreless first half, Real Madrid scored twice in six minutes to defeat the Italians. In 1958 , Milan failed to capitalise after going ahead on the scoreline twice, only for Real Madrid to equalise. The final, held in Heysel Stadium , went to extra time where Francisco Gento scored the game-winning goal to allow Real Madrid to retain

9434-516: The trophy. The team also reached the semifinals of the Champions League where it was eliminated by Manchester City , and finished second place in La Liga behind Barcelona, despite maintaining a larger points difference. At the same time, Real Madrid was crowned champion of the Euroleague Basketball League in the same season, thus winning its eleventh title in this continental competition. Currently, Florentino Pérez simultaneously holds

9540-487: The votes, beating the incumbent president at that time, Lorenzo Sanz . Sanz assumed that the recently won UEFA Champions Leagues in 1998 and 2000 would give him enough credit to win the elections, but Pérez's campaign, once again highlighting the financial problems of the club and claims of mismanagement by the previous boards, proved otherwise. Pérez's promise to bring in Luís Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona also played

9646-514: The winners of a three-round qualifying tournament between ten and eleven clubs from the associations ranked 5–6 through 15, which have qualified based upon finishing second, third or fourth in their respective national league. In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions League. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements. In 2005–06 , Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava became

9752-458: The winning project of the competition to design the new Santiago Bernabéu. The new stadium is enveloped by a roof with an LED system that vibrates and allows the stadium to communicate with its surroundings and the eastern façade features a giant screen to show the inside of the stadium at special moments. This sustainable project is also equipped with the latest technological advances, making it safer and more comfortable for fans. The new Bernabéu

9858-490: The winning team is presented with the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the current version of which has been awarded since 1967. From the 1968–69 season and prior to the 2008–09 season any team that won the Champions League three years in a row or five times overall was awarded the official trophy permanently. Each time a club achieved this, a new official trophy had to be forged for the following season. Five clubs own

9964-478: The youth, and for the first team, one third full-size synthetic turf field and three full-size natural grass fields. Ciudad Real Madrid also includes the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium where Real Madrid Castilla (Real Madrid's reserve team) plays its home matches. The Real Madrid first team residential building at Real Madrid Sports City is 8300 square meters in size, and has 57 rooms distributed across

10070-406: Was seeded based on each team's UEFA coefficient , and no group could contain more than one club from each association. Each team played six group stage games, meeting the other three teams in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The first place team and the runners-up from each group then progressed to the next round. The third-placed teams entered the Europa League's knockout round and

10176-466: Was announced as the new president of Real Madrid. In his second term, Pérez continued with the Galácticos policy pursued during his first term. On 8 June, he bought Kaká from Milan for just under £60 million, while on 11 June, Manchester United accepted an £80 million offer for Cristiano Ronaldo , which would once again break the world record. On 25 June, Pérez and Real Madrid announced

10282-400: Was built with four simultaneously usable tracks, one for the first team and the rest for the field teams. Ciudad Real Madrid covers 1.2 million square meters in total, of which only 270,000 square meters of space has been developed as of 2017. Florentino P%C3%A9rez Florentino Pérez Rodríguez ( Spanish pronunciation: [floɾenˈtino ˈpeɾeθ roˈðɾiɣeθ] ; born 8 March 1947)

10388-552: Was created in 1927, an idea of Austrian Hugo Meisl , and played between Central European clubs. In 1930, the Coupe des Nations (French: Nations Cup ), the first attempt to create a cup for national champion clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette . Held in Geneva , it brought together ten champions from across the continent. The tournament was won by Újpest of Hungary. Latin European nations came together to form

10494-438: Was decided that, starting from the 2015–16 season (and continuing at least for the three-year cycle until the 2017–18 season ), the winners of the previous season's UEFA Europa League would qualify for the UEFA Champions League, entering at least the play-off round, and entering the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders was not used. The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association

10600-482: Was increased to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league. In 2007, Michel Platini , the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. This proposal

10706-476: Was part of Platini's plan to increase the number of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage. In 2012, Arsène Wenger referred to qualifying for the Champions League by finishing in the top four places in the Premier League as the "4th Place Trophy". The phrase was coined after a pre-match conference when he

10812-406: Was played from September to December, whilst the knockout stage began in February, with matches usually played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The knockout ties were played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. In the 2019–20 season , due to the COVID-19 pandemic the tournament was suspended for five months. The format of the remainder of the tournament was temporarily amended as

10918-478: Was questioned about Arsenal's lack of a trophy after exiting the FA Cup . He said "The first trophy is to finish in the top four". At Arsenal's 2012 AGM, Wenger was also quoted as saying: "For me there are five trophies every season: Premier League, Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League..." Beginning with the 2024–25 season, UEFA changed the format of their three club competitions, abandoning

11024-416: Was rejected in a vote at a UEFA Strategy Council meeting. In the same meeting, however, it was agreed that the third-placed team in the top three leagues would receive automatic qualification for the group stage, rather than entry into the third qualifying round, while the fourth-placed team would enter the play-off round for non-champions, guaranteeing an opponent from one of the top 15 leagues in Europe. This

11130-537: Was signed from Juventus for a then-world record transfer fee of €77.5 million. Zidane was followed up by Ronaldo in 2002, David Beckham in 2003, Michael Owen in 2004, and Robinho for a short time in 2005. Initially, Pérez's policy worked to great success, as each new Galáctico had the squad built around them, and the team had a good balance between attack and defence. In his first years in office, Real Madrid won two Spanish championships and its record ninth UEFA Champions League . Pérez claimed success in clearing

11236-544: Was the inspiration for the European Champions Cup. After Stan Cullis declared Wolverhampton Wanderers "Champions of the World" following a successful run of friendlies in the 1950s, in particular a 3–2 friendly victory against Budapest Honvéd , Hanot finally managed to convince UEFA to put into practice such a tournament. It was conceived in Paris in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup. The first European Cup took place during

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