166-433: Manuel Alday Marticorena (5 September 1917 – 28 December 1976), was a Spanish footballer who played for Real Madrid . This biographical article related to a Spanish association football forward is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol ( Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol] ), commonly referred to as Real Madrid ,
332-636: A Copa Eva Duarte and a Copa de la Liga . In International football , Real Madrid have won a record 34 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 eight FIFA Club World championships . Madrid was ranked first in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics Club World Ranking for 2000, 2002, 2014, 2017. In UEFA, Madrid ranks first in
498-505: A forward , regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Nicknamed " Saeta Rubia " ("Blond Arrow"), he is best known for his achievements with Real Madrid , where he was instrumental in the club's domination of the European Cup and La Liga during the 1950s and 1960s. Along with Francisco Gento and José María Zárraga , he was one of only three players to play a part in all five European Cup victories, scoring goals in each of
664-525: A penalty shoot-out after a 3–3 aggregate tie. Madrid entered the Copa del Rey as the defending champions , but lost 3–4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals to Barcelona. In the same season, Cristiano Ronaldo became the fastest player to reach 100 goals scored in Spanish league history. In reaching 101 goals in 92 games, Ronaldo surpassed Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskás , who scored 100 goals in 105 matches. Ronaldo set
830-477: A +17 goal difference, its lowest totals since 2001–02 and 1999–2000 respectively. In the summer of 2019, Madrid signed Eden Hazard , Luka Jović , Éder Militão , Ferland Mendy , Rodrygo , Reinier and other players for a total of more than €350 million. On 12 January 2020, Madrid beat cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid in a penalty shootout in the Supercopa de España final to win their eleventh title. After
996-552: A 0–3 loss at the hands of Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu in November 2005. Madrid's coach Wanderley Luxemburgo was sacked the following month and his replacement was Juan Ramón López Caro . A brief return to form came to an abrupt halt after Madrid lost the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals 6–1 to Real Zaragoza, a defeat that was nearly reversed with a 4–0 home victory. Shortly after, Real Madrid were eliminated from
1162-458: A 3–1 win and their first league title since 2003. Real Madrid repeated as league winners in 2007–08 , but the following season ended up being one of the most disastrous in the club's history: Real was knocked out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage for the fifth time in a row, losing to Liverpool 0–5 on aggregate, and was embarrassed by Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu with
1328-478: A 79th-minute winner against Real Betis in the first leg of the 1965–66 Copa del Rey round of 16, but Espanyol then lost the second leg on 30 April by 0–4 in what was his last game as a professional. After 14 goals in 60 matches with Espanyol, he retired as a player in 1966, just a few months shy of his 40th birthday, helping his team avoid relegation in both seasons. Despite what was previously stated, Bernabéu decided to honour Di Stéfano for his services by giving him
1494-514: A 7–0 win. Di Stéfano scored five more goals during the championship – including his first hat-trick against Colombia – as Argentina successfully defended the title they had won the previous year on home soil. Di Stéfano's six games during that tournament would prove to be his only appearances for Argentina. Player strikes, and a dispute with the Brazilian Football Confederation , forced Argentina to withdraw from qualifying for
1660-555: A French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe , Bernabéu, Ernest Bedrignan (deputy chairman of the Ligue de Football Professionnel ) and Gusztáv Sebes created the European Cup , a continental tournament for the league champions around Europe, which is today known as the UEFA Champions League. It was under Bernabéu's guidance that Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football. The club won
1826-508: A Toni Kroos corner, and Vinícius Júnior once again scoring in a UCL final. Real Madrid won their 15th Champions League without losing a single match during the campaign. Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, Real Madrid announced that striker Kylian Mbappé would be joining the club on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in July 2024, concluding one of the most highly anticipated transfer sagas in modern history. The first crest had
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#17328836845531992-570: A bottle just missed Sospedra that would have killed him if it had hit him. It was all set up." Real Madrid went 2–0 up within half an hour. The third goal brought with it a sending off for Barcelona's Benito García after he made what Calvet claimed was a "completely normal tackle". Madrid's José Llopis Corona recalled: "At which point, they got a bit demoralized," while Ángel Mur countered, "at which point, we thought: 'go on then, score as many as you want'." Madrid made it 8–0 by half-time; two goals were also ruled out for offside, and proceeded to score
2158-764: A break in the Colombian League in 1951, friendly matches were organised under the name of combined XI of the Colombian league. Di Stéfano – without ever holding a Colombian passport – made four appearances for the Colombian XI team, which did not appear in the official records of FIFA. Di Stéfano was widely loved in Spain, and having been banned from playing for Argentina, it made sense for Di Stéfano to play for Spain. FIFA initially refused to sanction this, but after Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956, and amid pressure from
2324-482: A failure to get good results against top teams. Benítez's departure was announced along with the promotion of Zinedine Zidane to his first head coaching role. Under Zidane, Madrid managed to turn the odds in its favour, ultimately winning the Champions League, something no one expected. The notable results include a 2–1 away victory over reigning treble winners Barcelona, who were on a record-breaking winning streak,
2490-402: A fantastic comeback against Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarter-finals (after losing the away game 0–2, Madrid erased the deficit and won 3–0 at home, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick), as well as a 12-game winning streak to conclude the league campaign, meaning Real finished second, with 90 points and just one point behind champions Barcelona, coming agonizingly close to clinching
2656-769: A farewell match at the Bernabéu on 7 June 1967 against Celtic, who won 0–1 with a goal from Bobby Lennox . In the 13th minute, Di Stéfano took off the captain's armband and gave it to Ramón Grosso , a player who inherited his number in the team, amidst the applause of the entire Stadium and after which he received the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit , the highest distinction for sport in Spain. Di Stéfano played with three different national teams during his career, scoring six goals in six appearances for Argentina , and 23 in 31 appearances for Spain . However, he never played in
2822-595: A five-in-a-row sequence in 1961–65, and finishing runners-up a further three times. The club won the European Cup for a sixth time in 1966 , defeating Partizan Belgrade 2–1 in the final with a team composed entirely of same nationality players, a first in the competition. This team became known as the Yé-yé . The name "Yé-yé" came from the "Yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus in The Beatles ' song " She Loves You " after four members of
2988-592: A friendly match between River Plate and Grande Torino was played and Di Stéfano was promised to the Granata. However the Argentine forward was soon after contacted by Adolfo Pedernera , who had already agreed to terms with the Colombian Bogota-based club Millonarios on 9 August 1949, after another one of his teammates, Néstor Rossi , signed for the Colombian club without River Plate receiving any compensation for
3154-522: A further three goals in the second half, to which Barcelona replied with a late consolation goal. According to football writer Sid Lowe , "There have been relatively few mentions of the game [since] and it is not a result that has been particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, the 11–1 occupies a far more prominent place in Barcelona's history. This was the game that first formed the identification of Madrid as
3320-411: A game against Atlanta of Pedernera, Peucelle decided to use him as a center forward and River eventually won 6–1. Soon, Di Stéfano imposed himself as the center forward and his teammates adapted to his game. He received the nickname of Saeta Rubia from journalist Roberto Neuberger. Though he had to leave the team for some time due to compulsory conscription, Di Stéfano contributed significantly to winning
3486-639: A game many consider to be the finest exhibition of club football ever witnessed in Europe. He moved to Espanyol in 1964 and played there until retiring at the age of 40. Di Stéfano was awarded the Ballon d'Or for the European Footballer of the Year in 1957 and 1959. He is currently the seventh highest scorer in the history of Spain's top division , and Real Madrid's fourth highest league goalscorer of all time . He
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#17328836845533652-464: A humiliating 2–6 loss, which all but confirmed the league title for Barça that went on to win the treble . On 1 June 2009, Florentino Pérez regained Real Madrid's presidency amid the outrage over the club's decline. Pérez continued with the Galácticos policy pursued in his first term, buying Kaká from Milan for a record-breaking (in pounds sterling) sum of £56 million, and then breaking
3818-521: A loss to Valencia, leaving the club two short of equalling the world record of 24 consecutive wins. Madrid was in contention for both the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League until the very end but ultimately came up short, finishing with 92 points in the league, two behind treble-winning Barcelona and losing to Juventus 2–3 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals. Ronaldo finished
3984-471: A lot [of players leaving] when the normal rule is: never change a winning team," stated Zidane. Real Madrid, with newly appointed coach Carlos Queiroz , started their domestic league slowly after a hard win over Real Betis . The 2005–06 season began with the promise of several new signings: Júlio Baptista (€24 million), Robinho (€30 million), and Sergio Ramos (€27 million). However, Real Madrid suffered from some poor results, including
4150-466: A new club mark for individual goals scored in one year (60) and became the first player ever to score against all 19 opposition teams in a single season. Real Madrid started the 2012–13 season by winning the Supercopa de España , defeating Barcelona on away goals. However, the super cup turned out to be their only trophy of the season, despite being close to win them all. Real finished runners-up to Barça in La Liga , accumulating 85 points, and reached
4316-416: A new club, Nueva Sociedad de Football (New Society of Football), to distinguish themselves from Sky Football . Among the dissenters were Julián Palacios , recognized as the first Real Madrid president, Juan Padrós and Carlos Padrós , the latter two being brothers and future presidents of Real Madrid. In 1901, this new club was renamed as Madrid Football Club. Later, following a restructuring in 1902, Sky
4482-557: A record 104 goals. By that time, Los Blancos had already secured the Copa del Rey – against rivals Barcelona – in April, with Bale scoring the winner. The major breakthrough came in the UEFA Champions League , where Real returned to the final after twelve years, having beaten defending champions Bayern Munich 5–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals. In the final, they defeated then-recently-league winners Atlético Madrid 4–1 a.e.t. to clinch their tenth European Cup (first since 2002) and become
4648-701: A record that he held for 45 years until it was broken by Joaquín in 2019. After the Champions Cup final loss in 1964 against Inter Milan, president Santiago Bernabéu offered Di Stéfano a place on the Real Madrid coaching staff instead of renewing the player's contract. Di Stéfano refused Bernabéu's proposal and left the club instead. The news about his freedom spread much ink in the local and national press as several clubs came knocking on his door, such as Espanyol, Betis, Celtic, and AC Milan. In late July, Di Stéfano even went to Milan accompanied by Luis Carniglia to meet
4814-640: A second time on 27 May 2021 after going trophyless that season , with Carlo Ancelotti returning to coach the team for the 2021–22 season . On the domestic front, he delivered two trophies out of possible three, winning La Liga and the Supercopa de España . As such, Ancelotti won all six available top trophies at Madrid. In the Champions League , Madrid produced one of the most memorable runs of all time, defeating pre-tournament favourites Paris Saint-Germain , defending champions and favourites Chelsea , Premier League champions and heavy favourites Manchester City , all in dramatic fashion, and setting up
4980-412: A second title in 1951 , leaving runners-up Boca Juniors de Cali 11 points behind at the final table. Di Stéfano scored 32 goals in 34 games, more than any other player in the league. Millonarios would go on to lose the 1951 Copa Colombia (played in 1952) to Boca Juniors de Cali . The 1952 league had the same outcome: Milionarios overtook Boca Juniors de Cali , won their third title, and Di Stéfano
5146-435: A simple design consisting of a decorative interlacing of the three initials of the club, "MCF" for Madrid Club de Fútbol, in dark blue on a white shirt. The first change in the crest occurred in 1908 when the letters adopted a more streamlined form and appeared inside a circle. The next change in the configuration of the crest did not occur until the presidency of Pedro Parages in 1920. At that time, King Alfonso XIII granted
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5312-453: A slow start to the 2014–15 season , Real Madrid went on a record-breaking 22-match winning streak, which included wins against Barcelona and Liverpool , surpassing the previous Spanish record of 18 successive wins set by Frank Rijkaard 's Barça in the 2005–06 season . In late December, Real Madrid won their first Club World Cup , defeating San Lorenzo 2–0 in the final . The winning streak came to an end in their opening match of 2015 with
5478-501: A streak of 15 consecutive seasons in which he scored in double figures (18 total). In his final season with Espanyol, he scored five goals in all competitions, including a goal against his former club Barcelona on 12 February 1966, and then, eight days later, his last-ever La Liga goal, an equalizer against RCD Mallorca to seal a 1–1 draw, which proved to be crucial in Espanyol's survival as they finished just one point ahead of Mallorca, who
5644-674: A three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, La Liga was restarted in June and Madrid won ten games in a row to capture the team's 34th league title, collecting 87 points in total. From the competition's resumption in June and until the end of the 2020–21 season , Real temporarily played home fixtures at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium , while the Santiago Bernabéu underwent extensive renovations. [REDACTED] Zidane left
5810-505: A thrilling 5–3 victory, courtesy of Eusébio . Real Madrid lost its first European Cup final, and for the first time Di Stéfano failed to score (the three goals were scored by Puskás). Nevertheless, Di Stéfano was among the best scorers of the competition for the second time in his career, with seven goals. In the autumn of 1962, the Blancos were eliminated in the 1962–63 European Cup preliminary round by Anderlecht . However, with Di Stéfano at
5976-440: A total of 267 goals in 292 games for Milionarios, and is considered one of the best footballers in the history of the Colombian League. In March 1952, Real Madrid organized a friendly tournament in the Spanish capital at its newly constructed home ground; River Plate was invited to participate in Real Madrid's 50th-anniversary tournament. The tournament was called Bodas de Oro, but once Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu heard about
6142-411: A victory in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla. On 10 December 2016, Madrid played their 35th-straight match without a loss, which set a new club record. On 18 December 2016, the club defeated Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers 4–2 in the final of the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup . With a 3–3 draw at Sevilla in the second leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16 on 12 January 2017, Madrid progressed to
6308-417: A year and reached its climax in the final, which Inter won 3–1, a match in which both came to accuse each other of the defeat. The final on 27 May 1964 was his last match with Madrid, and in doing so at the age of 37 years, 10 months and 23 days, he became the oldest outfield player in the club's history, until that record was surpassed in the following year by Puskás and then by Luka Modrić in 2023; currently
6474-509: A year, Neil Franklin from Stoke City , French-Hungarian Ferenc Nyers , Italian Luigi Di Franco , the Brazilian Heleno de Freitas and others had joined the league after Pedernera first signed. The Colombian league had turned professional in 1948, beginning the El Dorado period on 25 April 1949. Di Stéfano, Perdenera, and Nestor Rossi who joined Millonarios in the summer, formed part of
6640-607: Is Madrid's leading goalscorer in the history of El Clásico , alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA 's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Spain by the Royal Spanish Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He was voted fourth, behind Pelé , Diego Maradona , and Johan Cruyff , in a vote organized by France Football magazine which consulted their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect
6806-489: Is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid . The club competes in La Liga , the top tier of Spanish football . Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn a white home kit since its inception. The honorific title real is Spanish for "royal" and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 alongside with the crown in the club crest. Real Madrid have played their home matches in
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6972-534: The 1946 season . He scored the first two goals of his career in a 3–1 victory against Estudiantes (LP) . He later scored against his former team River Plate, netting the fastest goal in the history of the Argentine championship after about ten seconds of play. He would score 10 goals in 25 appearances for Huracan , teaming up perfectly with Norberto Méndez who would later become the all-time top scorer in Copa América . Huracán tried to sign Di Stéfano permanently at
7138-456: The 1947 Argentine Primera División , becoming the top scorer of the league with 27 goals. The league victory gave River Plate the right to represent Argentina in the Copa Aldao against the champions of Uruguay Nacional Montevideo who featured great player like goalkeeper Anibal Paz and Walter Taibo in a two-nation club competition that tracked origins to 1913 and for many it was considered
7304-509: The 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as well as the 1949 and 1953 South American Championships. By the time qualifying began for the 1954 FIFA World Cup , FIFA had banned Di Stéfano from making any further appearances for Argentina, on account of his appearances for the Colombia XI two years earlier – though Argentina once again pulled out of qualifying. After moving to Bogota in 1949, during
7470-410: The 1954 tournament – but with Di Stéfano sidelined, they failed to make it out of the group stage, losing to Didi 's Brazil in their final game and finishing at the bottom of their group. Di Stéfano retired from international football after the tournament. After retirement, Di Stéfano moved into coaching. He guided Argentine club Boca Juniors to win two titles, the 1969 Nacional when the team won
7636-449: The 1957 Ballon d'Or . From the twenty-third day of the 1956–57 La Liga , Real Madrid started a series of consecutive victorious home results that ended only in 1966, at the twenty-fifth round of the Liga, after 121 matches. The Blancos attack was one of the best in history and boasted Di Stéfano, Héctor Rial , Francisco Gento and Kopa. Real won the league title in 1957 and Di Stéfano was again
7802-604: The 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, having been drawn into a qualification group with Scotland and minnows Switzerland. However, Spain began their campaign with a 2–2 draw against the Swiss and then lost to Scotland at Hampden Park 4–2. Spain won both of the reverse fixtures 4–1, but the damage had already been done: Scotland beat Switzerland in their final match and qualified at Spain's expense. Di Stéfano, who had played in all four games and scored two goals, missed out yet again. In 1961, at
7968-422: The 2010–11 season , the rebuilt Madrid successfully fought on all fronts, going toe to toe with a brilliant Barcelona side which some regard as the greatest team in football history. Ultimately, Madrid finished second in the league , with 92 points and four behind their perennial rivals, defeated them in the Copa del Rey final , and lost to Barça in the Champions League semi-finals , where Real progressed to for
8134-424: The 2011–12 season , Real Madrid won La Liga for a record 32nd time in its history, also finishing the season with numerous league records set, including 100 points amassed in a single season, a total of 121 goals scored, a goal difference of +89, 16 away games won, and 32 wins overall. They also competed in the UEFA Champions League for the 15th successive season, losing in the semi-finals to Bayern Munich in
8300-505: The 2014 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, the club's 79th official trophy. During the last week of the 2014 summer transfer window, Real Madrid sold two players key to the previous season's successes: Xabi Alonso to Bayern Munich and Ángel Di María to Manchester United. This decision by the club was surrounded by controversy, with Cristiano Ronaldo stating, "If I was in charge, maybe I would have done things differently," while Carlo Ancelotti admitted, "We must start again from zero." After
8466-532: The 2017–18 season . Real kicked off the 2017–18 campaign by winning its second consecutive and fourth overall UEFA Super Cup in a 2–1 victory against Manchester United . Five days later, Real Madrid beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou 3–1 in the first leg of the 2017 Supercopa de España and then defeated Barça 2–0 in the return leg, ending their 24 consecutive match scoring record in El Clásico matches and winning
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#17328836845538632-420: The 2018 FIFA World Cup . However, the Spanish national team sacked Lopetegui a day prior to the tournament, stating that he had negotiated terms with the club without informing them. The club then began re-shaping the squad in the summer of 2018, which included the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus for a reported €117 million. Madrid began their 2018–19 campaign by losing to Atlético Madrid 2–4 a.e.t. in
8798-629: The 2018 UEFA Super Cup . After a 1–5 loss to Barcelona in El Clásico on 28 October which left Real Madrid in the ninth place with only 14 points after ten games, Lopetegui was dismissed a day later and replaced by then Castilla coach, Santiago Solari . On 22 December 2018, Real Madrid beat Al Ain 4–1 in the FIFA Club World Cup and became the outright record winners of the Club World Cup with four titles. However, they were then knocked out of
8964-484: The CIES Football Observatory as of 2023. It was estimated to be worth $ 6.6 billion in 2024, making it the world's most valuable football club. In 2024, Real Madrid become the first football club to make €1 billion ($ 1.08bn) in revenue according to the club's announcement. In domestic football , the club has won 71 trophies; a record 36 La Liga titles, 20 Copa del Rey , 13 Supercopa de España ,
9130-616: The Champions League at the hands of Lyon . The season was marred by Cristiano Ronaldo's injury, that sidelined him for seven weeks, although he still topped the goalscoring charts with 33 goals, and Madrid became the highest scoring team in La Liga, with 102 goals. Real Madrid also had the misfortune to become the runners-up with the highest points total in the history of Europe's top five leagues, until surpassed by Liverpool's 97 points in 2018–19 . José Mourinho took over as manager in May 2010. In
9296-567: The Colombian league . He won six league titles during the first 12 years of his career in Argentina and Colombia. Following his signing by Real Madrid he was an integral part of one of the most successful teams of all time. He scored 216 league goals in 282 games for Real (then a club record, since surpassed by Raúl , Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema ), striking up a successful partnership with Ferenc Puskás . Di Stéfano's 49 goals in 58 matches
9462-418: The Copa del Rey at the semi-final stage by Barcelona, losing 1–4 on aggregate. On 5 March 2019, Real was defeated by Ajax 1–4 (3–5 on aggregate) at home, crashing out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage after eight consecutive semi-finals appearances. On 11 March 2019, Real Madrid dismissed Solari and reinstated Zidane as the head coach of the club. Madrid finished the season with 68 points and
9628-476: The Copa del Rey round of 32 , Real accidentally fielded an ineligible player in a 3–1 first leg win at Cádiz and was disqualified from the tournament two days later by the competition judge, despite protests from president Pérez. In the meantime, Madrid comfortably topped their UCL group with 16 points and a +16 goal difference. Benítez was relieved of his duties on 4 January 2016 following allegations of unpopularity with supporters, displeasure with players and
9794-452: The European Cup final , having defeated AC Milan in the quarter-finals 4–3 on aggregate along the way. In the final, Madrid faced Helenio Herrera 's Inter Milan . Hours before the final, Di Stéfano explicitly criticized the tactics designed by Real Madrid head coach Miguel Muñoz against Italian defender Giacinto Facchetti . The relationship between Di Stéfano and Muñoz, who had the support of President Bernabéu, had been problematic for over
9960-528: The European Cup/Champions League twice, first in 1955–56 , 1956–57 , and 1957–58 , and second in 2015–16 , 2016–17 and 2017–18 . In June 2024, they won a record-extending 15th Champions League title (the fifth in nine seasons), recognised as such by Guinness World Records . Real Madrid is the first club across all of Europe's top-five leagues to win 100 trophies in all competitions . As of July 2024, Real Madrid are ranked 2nd in
10126-591: The Les Corts in Catalonia, had ended with Barcelona winning 3–0. Madrid complained about all the three goals that referee Fombona Fernández had allowed for Barcelona, with the home supporters also whistling Madrid throughout, whom they accused of employing roughhouse tactics, and Fombona for allowing them to. The newspaper Ya reported the whistling as a "clear intention to attack the representatives of Spain." Barcelona fans were banned from traveling to Madrid. The day of
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#173288368455310292-622: The Second Galáctico Era that yielded four Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, two Supercopa de España, three UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cup titles. The team was instrumental in ending Barcelona's dominance, despite the Blaugrana boasting arguably the greatest collection of talent in history, and overshadowed the Catalans on the European stage. Real Madrid
10458-552: The Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909, when club president Adolfo Meléndez signed the foundation agreement of the Spanish FA. After moving between several grounds, the team relocated to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912. In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted
10624-521: The UEFA Super Cup and later the FIFA Club World Cup . The season ended with Real Madrid winning the 2022–23 Copa del Rey , but losing the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup to FC Barcelona and the Champions League to Manchester City, being defeated 5–1 on aggregate. In 2023, Real Madrid signed Jude Bellingham , who was given the number #5 jersey, previously used by Zinedine Zidane. Real also signed Arda Güler and Fran García . Meanwhile, Vinícius Júnior
10790-646: The UEFA club rankings and first in last 10 years (2013–2023) overall. Real Madrid's origins go back to when football was introduced to Madrid by the academics and students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza , which included several Cambridge and Oxford University graduates. They founded (Sociedad) Sky Football in 1897, commonly known as La Sociedad (The Society) as it was the only one based in Madrid, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. In 1900, conflict between members caused some of them to leave and create
10956-667: The World Cup was being played in Argentina . FIFA decreed three days of mourning to honour him during the tournament. The following year, the club organized the first edition of the Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu in memory of its former president. Bernabéu had been Real Madrid's president for almost 35 years, during which his club won one Intercontinental Cup , six European Cups , 16 league titles , six Spanish Cups , two Latin Cups and one Copa Eva Duarte . [REDACTED] In
11122-676: The World Cup . Di Stéfano also played four times for Colombia, during the Dimayor period of Colombian football. The team at the time was not recognised by FIFA as the league had broken transfer rules in signing players while still under contract. Di Stéfano made his international debut on 4 December 1947, in a match against Bolivia at the Estadio George Capwell in Ecuador, during the 1947 South American Championship . He scored his first international goal in that same match, helping Argentina to
11288-444: The all-time club ranking . Being one of the three founding members of La Liga that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929 (along with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona ), Real Madrid has many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with Barcelona and El Derbi Madrileño with Atlético Madrid . The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during
11454-414: The final against Liverpool, who were once again widely considered as favourites, in a rematch of their 2018 encounter. A lone Vinícius Júnior goal sealed the 14th European Cup for Los Blancos , their fifth in nine years, and Ancelotti's second in charge. Real also claimed their fourth ever European double (after 1956–57 , 1957–58 , and 2016–17 ). Despite Real's status as the most decorated team in
11620-473: The final in Paris against Raymond Kopa 's Reims . Real Madrid suffered in the first half, but Di Stéfano carried his teammates in a comeback to win the trophy 4–3. At the end of the year, on 18 December 1956, the first Ballon d'Or was awarded, and Di Stéfano missed on winning it by just three votes to Stanley Matthews of English club Blackpool . During the summer of 1956, Real Madrid signed Raymond Kopa from
11786-507: The final of the Generalísimo Cup again to Rojiblancos, 2–3. Di Stéfano finished the season with 21 goals, being the second-highest scorer in the league behind Puskás who netted 28 goals. In the 1961–62 season , Di Stéfano won the domestic double for the first time, clinching the Generalísimo Cup 15 years since the last time Real Madrid had won the trophy, after beating Sevilla 2–1 in the final with two goals from Puskás to overturn
11952-454: The 1950s and 60s, winning five consecutive and six overall European Cups and reaching a further two finals. This success was replicated on the domestic front, with Madrid winning 12 league titles in 16 years. This team, which included Alfredo Di Stéfano , Ferenc Puskás , Paco Gento and Raymond Kopa is considered, by some in the sport, to be the greatest of all time. Real Madrid is known for its Galácticos policy, which involves signing
12118-560: The 20th century by FIFA and as the best European club during the same timeframe by the IFFHS , while also receiving the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit in 2004. Real Madrid has the highest participations in the European Cup/Champions League (43), a tournament in which they hold the overall record for the most wins, most draws and most goals scored. Real Madrid is the only club to have won three consecutive titles ( three-peat ) in
12284-416: The 85,000-capacity Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European sporting clubs, Real Madrid's members ( socios ) have owned and operated the club throughout its history. The official Madrid anthem is the " Hala Madrid y nada más ", written by RedOne and Manuel Jabois. The club is one of the most widely supported in the world and is the most followed football club on social media according to
12450-666: The Argentine champion was kidnapped by the National Liberation Armed Forces of Venezuela in the Potomac hotel in Caracas , and was released by them three days later, unharmed. The incident cost the Los Blancos the trophy as without Di Stéfano they could not overcome São Paulo in the final game. The season, however, went on to be quite successful, with the Blancos clinching their fourth consecutive league title and returning to
12616-492: The Argentine championship of 1948, the Football Association suspended the tournament for a short time due to the protests of players led by Adolfo Pedernera and Alfredo Di Stéfano that resulted in a player's strike in a bid to gain professional status and rights. Despite that upheaval Di Stéfano scored 13 goals in 23 games and River Plate finished third. The strike lasted for eight months until 1949 and it eventually meant
12782-582: The Blancos signing a four-year contract. Real paid 5.5 million Spanish pesetas for the transfer, plus a 1.3 million bonus for the purchase, an annual fee to be paid to the Millonarios, and a 16,000 salary for Di Stéfano with a bonus double that of his teammates, for a total of 40% of the annual revenue of the Madrid club. This fact contributed greatly to intensifying the rivalry with Barcelona. A 27-year-old Di Stéfano arrived at Real Madrid on 22 September 1953, after seven months of inactivity, and made his debut with
12948-571: The Brazilians 5–3. In December, France Football awarded Di Stéfano the 1959 Ballon d'Or , which he won ahead of teammate Raymond Kopa (who had already returned to Stade de Reims in the summer of 1959) and Juventus 's Welsh star John Charles . Puskás and Gento both finished in the top ten. During the 1959–60 season , the Madrilenos signed the Brazilian midfielder Didi who was a 1958 World Cup winner,
13114-589: The Catalonians were the ones to be awarded the title on a goal average tie-breaker. Di Stéfano did not win the Pichichi award as Puskás was the league top scorer with 25 goals. Real Madrid lost the Generalísimo Cup final to Atlético Madrid 3–1 at home on 26 June 1960. The new season started with the inaugural Intercontinental Cup and the 0–0 draw in the first leg of the final against Peñarol in Montevideo on 4 July. In
13280-547: The Champions Cup), becoming the best scorer in the history of the club, until that record was surpassed several decades later first by Raúl and then by Cristiano Ronaldo (the current record goalscorer) and Karim Benzema . Di Stéfano also scored a then-record 22 La Liga hat-tricks, the last of which came against Real Murcia on 15 March 1964, becoming, at the age of 37 years and 255 days, the oldest player to achieve that feat not only in La Liga, but in Europe's top five leagues,
13446-399: The Champions League for a fourth successive year, this time at the hands of Arsenal . On 27 February 2006, Florentino Pérez resigned. Ramón Calderón was elected as club president on 2 July 2006 and subsequently appointed Fabio Capello as the new coach and Predrag Mijatović as the new sporting director. Real Madrid won the Liga title in 2007 for the first time in four years, but Capello
13612-428: The Champions League for the eighth time , following a 3–0 victory over Valencia in the final , with goals from Morientes, McManaman and Raúl. This victory marked the beginning of a successful period in Real Madrid's history. [REDACTED] In July 2000, Florentino Pérez was elected club president. He vowed in his campaign to erase the club's €270 million debt and modernize the club's facilities. However,
13778-486: The European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the 7–3 Hampden Park final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960 . After these five consecutive successes, Real was permanently awarded the original cup and earned the right to wear the UEFA badge of honour . Real Madrid's achievements in Europe were built upon its unprecedented domestic dominance, with the club winning twelve league titles out of sixteen possible from 1953–54 to 1968–69 , including
13944-476: The European Cup/Champions League since Bayern Munich in 1976 . The trophy also marked Madrid's fourth win in five years and their eighth consecutive semi-finals appearance. On 31 May, only five days after winning the final, Zidane announced his resignation as Real Madrid manager, citing the club's "need for change" as his rationale for departing. Zidane's and Ronaldo's departures marked the end of
14110-643: The Football Player of the Century. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players (in September 2009, he said Di Stéfano was the best player "ever"). In 2008 Di Stéfano was honoured by both UEFA and Real Madrid with a special Presidents' award issued by FIFA at a ceremony in Madrid, where a statue was also unveiled. Then UEFA President Michel Platini called Di Stéfano "a great amongst
14276-411: The Paris final 2–0. The second consecutive Spanish title allowed Real Madrid to be the first Spanish representative in the inaugural European Cup in the 1955–56 season . Di Stéfano made his European Cup debut against Servette in a 2–0 away win. In the league, he was again the top scorer with 24 goals, but despite that, Athletic Bilbao won the tournament ahead of Barça and Real. In the European Cup,
14442-496: The Santiago Bernabéu), and its training facilities Ciudad Deportiva . Additionally, during the 1950s former Real Madrid Amateurs player Miguel Malbo founded Real Madrid's youth academy, or " cantera ," known today as La Fábrica . Beginning in 1953, he embarked upon a strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, the most prominent being Alfredo Di Stéfano . In 1955, acting upon the idea proposed by Gabriel Hanot ,
14608-554: The Spaniards, the Partizan players did not suffer on the terrain, taking the lead and dominating the game. A penalty was awarded to Real Madrid, but Héctor Rial slipped when kicking and missed it. In the final minutes with the Serbians up by 3–0, Di Stéfano helped in defending and Real qualified despite a clear defeat. The Blancos eliminated Milan in the semi-finals 6–4 on aggregate and entered
14774-531: The Spanish FA, the decision was eventually reversed. Di Stéfano consequently made his debut for Spain on 30 January 1957 in a friendly against the Netherlands in Madrid, scoring a hat-trick in a 5–1 win to become one of a number of players born outside Spain to have appeared for their national team. The Spanish team, with a forward line also boasting Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Laszlo Kubala , Luis Suárez and Francisco Gento , were favourites to qualify for
14940-602: The Spanish Football Federation as mediator. Calero decided to let Di Stéfano play the 1953–54 and 1955–56 seasons in Madrid, and the 1954–55 and 1956–57 seasons in Barcelona. The agreement was approved by the Football Association and their respective clubs. Although the Catalans agreed, the decision created various discontent among the Blaugrana members and the president was forced to resign in September 1953. Barcelona sold Madrid their half-share, and Di Stéfano moved to
15106-542: The Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona 4–1, taking revenge of the previous year's 3–0 defeat. Then, Real Madrid lifted the La Liga with relative ease, reaching 95 points, the second-best winning campaign by Real Madrid in La Liga history after the 2011–12 100 points season. In the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League , Real Madrid knocked out RB Leipzig in the Round of 16, then defending champions Manchester City in penalties. In
15272-700: The Stade de Reims. The French forward could not feature in the games due to the limit of foreigners in La Liga and had to wait for the Spanish naturalization of Di Stèfano, who became a Spanish citizen in October 1956. The season started early with the participation of Real Madrid in the Small World Cup in Caracas, Venezuela as European champions. The Spaniards faced Vasco da Gama , Roma and Porto playing against players like World Cup winner Alcides Ghiggia and Vavá . Real won
15438-413: The age of 19: on 15 July of that year he debuted against Huracán in a 2–1 defeat on the twelfth day of the 1945 Argentine championship . This was the only game Di Stéfano played in that year, but at the end of the season he won his first title as River Plate won the championship, four points ahead of Boca Juniors . During the only match Di Stéfano played in the previous season, the president of Huracán
15604-549: The age of 35, Di Stéfano finally qualified for a World Cup, helping Spain qualify for the 1962 edition in Chile. A muscular injury just before the competition prevented him from playing in the finals, but Di Stéfano travelled with the squad anyway, picking the number 6 jersey as his preferred number 9 was taken by Gento. Spain boasted the likes of José Santamaría and Ferenc Puskás – both also naturalised citizens, and who had, coincidentally, represented their respective home countries in
15770-530: The age of 37, Real won the 1962–63 league title over Atlético Madrid, with Puskás finishing as the top scorer once again. The 1963–64 season was the last for Di Stéfano at Real Madrid. At the beginning of the season, the team had an exhibition tour in Venezuela as they participated in the Small Club World Cup against São Paulo and Porto. Di Stéfano played on the first match on 20 August, but on 24 August
15936-549: The attack of the Merengues. Despite the surprise sacking of manager Enrique Fernández halfway through the season, the club won another league title in 1955 with José Villalonga , leaving Barcelona again in the second place of the table. Di Stéfano scored 25 goals, finishing behind only Juan Arza (28) among the scorers of the Spanish league. On 26 June 1955, Los Blancos won their first ever Latin Cup , beating Raymond Kopa 's Reims in
16102-593: The best teams in Spain and Europe during the second half of the 1980s, winning two UEFA Cups , five Spanish championships in a row, one Spanish Cup, and three Spanish Super Cups . In the early 1990s, La Quinta del Buitre split up after Martín Vázquez, Emilio Butragueño and Míchel left the club. In 1996, President Lorenzo Sanz appointed Fabio Capello as coach. Although his tenure lasted only one season, Real Madrid were proclaimed league champions, and players like Predrag Mijatović , Davor Šuker , Clarence Seedorf , Roberto Carlos and keeper Bodo Illgner , arrived at
16268-491: The capturing of the 2003 La Liga title were surrounded with controversy. The first controversial decision came when Pérez sacked winning coach Vicente del Bosque . Over a dozen players left the club, including Madrid captain Fernando Hierro, while defensive midfielder Claude Makélélé refused to take part in training in protest at being one of the lowest-paid players at the club and subsequently moved to Chelsea . "That's
16434-418: The club his royal patronage which came in the form of the title "Real Madrid," meaning "Royal." Thus, Alfonso's crown was added to the crest and the club styled itself Real Madrid Club de Fútbol . Alfredo Di St%C3%A9fano Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé ( Spanish pronunciation: [alˈfɾeðo ðjesˈtefano] ; 4 July 1926 – 7 July 2014) was a professional footballer and coach who played as
16600-584: The club to lose the title Real and the royal crown on its emblem, going back to being named Madrid Football Club until the end of the Spanish Civil War . Football continued during the Second World War, and on 13 June 1943, Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 in the second leg of the Copa del Generalísimo semi-finals , the Spanish Cup having been renamed in honour of General Franco . The first leg, played at
16766-428: The club to strengthen a squad that already boasted the likes of Raúl , Fernando Hierro and Fernando Redondo . As a result, Real Madrid (with the addition of Fernando Morientes in 1997) finally ended its 32-year wait for its seventh European Cup: in 1998, under manager Jupp Heynckes , they defeated Juventus 1–0 in the final with a goal from Mijatović. In November 1999, Vicente del Bosque took over as coach. For
16932-564: The club's leaders and issue a counteroffer to Espanyol's proposal, but the Italians were not willing to undertake his signing at any price and they already had the three foreign players allowed per squad. In early August, Celtic made a £20,000 ($ 56,000) offer at the last minute, but Di Stéfano sent a telegram to the Scots declining the proposal. The Argentine veteran scored nine goals in all competitions in his first season with Espanyol, putting an end to
17098-417: The competition since Milan in 1989 and 1990 , when the tournament was known as the European Cup. Real Madrid's title was its 12th, extending the record, and its third in four years. The achievement is also known as " La Duodécima ". The 2016–17 season was the greatest campaign in terms of trophies won (four out of possible five) in the history of Real Madrid, an achievement that would be later equalled in
17264-477: The departure of the best Argentine footballers to other leagues, in particular Colombia's, which was one of the most lucrative in the world at the time. In one of his last games in Argentina, on 31 July 1949, Di Stéfano played in the role of goalkeeper, replacing the owner Amadeo Carrizo for a few minutes and keeping the clean sheet in a derby won against Boca Juniors . After the Superga air disaster , in May 1949,
17430-456: The domestic league. Consequently, Real participated in the 1956–57 season , eliminating Rapid Vienna , Nice , and Manchester United in the semi-finals before beating Fiorentina 2–0 in the final , in Madrid. During the season, Real also asserted itself in the last edition of the Latin Cup , overcoming Benfica 1–0 in the final with a decisive goal by Di Stéfano. At the end of the year, he won
17596-779: 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 to the club. Spanish sports journalist Julio César Iglesias gave to this generation the name La Quinta del Buitre ("Vulture's Cohort"), which was derived from the nickname given to one of its members, Emilio Butragueño . The other four members were Manolo Sanchís , Martín Vázquez , Míchel and Miguel Pardeza . All five footballers were graduates of Real Madrid's youth academy . With La Quinta del Buitre (reduced to four members when Pardeza left for Zaragoza in 1986) and notable players like goalkeeper Francisco Buyo , right-back Miguel Porlán Chendo and Mexican striker Hugo Sánchez , Real Madrid had one of
17762-405: The end of a successful eighth-place season, but could not afford the 90,000 pesos River Plate asked for the transfer. Upon his return to River Plate, Di Stéfano became an integral part of La Máquina , taking on the role of the departing Adolfo Pedernera who had signed for Club Atlético Atlanta . Carlos Peucelle initially put Di Stéfano on the flank, a position in which Di Stéfano struggled; in
17928-441: The equivalent of 150 million Italian lira (according to other sources 200,000 dollars). This started a battle between the two Spanish rivals for his rights. In Christmas 1952, Di Stéfano, still contracted with Millonarios, returned briefly to Buenos Aires, where he was even making plans to abandon football and start a business, as the Argentine league was still not professional. FIFA appointed Armando Muñoz Calero, former president of
18094-510: The family returned to Buenos Aires. In 1944 Di Stéfano's father wrote a letter of recommendation to River Plate , and the club sent a reply telegram to invite him to an audition with the youth team. Di Stéfano impressed on the trial and joined the second team squad of River Plate, the club his family supported. The next year he became part of the first team which was called La Máquina due to their unprecedented success, consisting of players like Pedernera , Labruna Muñoz , and Loustau . One of
18260-468: The famous team called the Ballet Azul that won their first title ever beating Deportivo Cali in the 1949 final , with Di Stéfano scoring 16 goals in 14 games. Di Stéfano scored 23 goals in 29 games the following 1950 season , but Millonarios finished two points behind eventual champions Deportes Caldas . Di Stéfano, who kept himself in excellent condition, excelled during his games and led Millonarios to
18426-459: The field with speed and keeping the ball low on the ground. Highlights of his first season included two match-winning performances against city rivals Atlético Madrid , with a hat-trick in a 5–0 away win in November 1953, and scoring the two goals in a 5–0 home comeback in February 1954. The Blancos managed to win the Spanish championship after two decades, with Di Stéfano contributing two hat-tricks in
18592-475: The fifth oldest overall, also behind goalkeepers Francisco Buyo and Jerzy Dudek . Di Stéfano played for Real Madrid for eleven years, winning eight Spanish championships, one Spanish Cup, two Latin Cups, five consecutive Champions Cups (scoring in all the finals he won), one Intercontinental Cup, several individual titles, including league top scorer five times. He scored 418 goals in 510 games, of which 308 goals in 396 official matches (49 goals in 59 matches in
18758-485: The first team to win ten European Cups/Champions League titles, an achievement known as " La Décima " (Spanish: "The Tenth," [la ˈðeθima] ). Real's attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano, dubbed the BBC, finished the season with 97 goals. After winning the 2014 Champions League, Real Madrid signed goalkeeper Keylor Navas , midfielder Toni Kroos and attacking midfielder James Rodríguez . In August, Madrid won
18924-468: The first time since 2002–03 . Moreover, from 16 April through 3 May, a rare occurrence happened when, for the first time ever, four Clásicos were to be played in a span of just 18 days. The first fixture was in the league campaign on 16 April (which ended 1–1 with penalty goals for both sides), the second one was in the Copa del Rey final (which was won by Madrid 1–0 a.e.t. , bringing them their first trophy in
19090-417: The five finals. Di Stéfano played international football mostly for Spain after moving to Madrid, but he also played for Argentina . Di Stéfano began his career at Argentina's River Plate aged 17, in 1943. For the 1946 season he was loaned to Club Atlético Huracán , but he returned to River in 1947. Due to a footballers' strike in Argentina in 1949, Di Stéfano went to play for Millonarios of Bogotá in
19256-514: The gamble paid off, as despite winning the UEFA Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup in 2002 , followed by La Liga in 2003, the club failed to win a major trophy for the next three seasons. Off the field, the Zidanes y Pavones policy resulted in increased financial success based on the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential around the world, particularly in Asia. The few days after
19422-580: The greats" while contemporaries Eusébio and Just Fontaine suggested that he was "the most complete footballer in the history of the game". Born in Barracas , a neighborhood of Buenos Aires , Di Stéfano was the son of Alfredo Di Stéfano, a first-generation Italian Argentine (his father Michele emigrated to Argentina from Capri in the 19th century), and Eulalia Laulhé Gilmont, an Argentine woman of French and Irish descent with her relatives being from Swinford , County Mayo . Di Stéfano's father, who
19588-413: The history of the Champions League, they were not favoured to win that year's edition, and their improbable run was widely considered a surprise. After a highly successful 2021–22 season, Real Madrid signed German defender Antonio Rüdiger and French midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni , while club legends Marcelo, Isco, Gareth Bale and Casemiro left the club. Real Madrid's 2022–23 season began with lifting
19754-558: The initial red and white advantage. Di Stéfano finished 6th in the Ballon d'Or voting in December. In the 1961–62 European Cup, Real reached the final for the sixth time in seven seasons, after eliminating Juventus and Standard Liège . In the showpiece, Madrid played against defending champions Benfica and though the Spaniards took the lead twice, in the second half of the game the Lusitanians cruised to successfully retaining their title with
19920-502: The last season of the century, 1999–2000 , the squad was still led by the older veterans such as Fernando Hierro, Fernando Redondo, Roberto Carlos and Raúl. Real added the budding young talents of Guti and Iker Casillas , supported by the arrival of Steve McManaman and Nicolas Anelka from the English Premier League, alongside local talents Míchel Salgado and Iván Helguera . In Del Bosque's first season in charge, Real won
20086-483: The last two home games of the season, including the decisive 4–0 win against Valencia that secured the title victory. His late goalscoring run made Di Stéfano the top scorer of 1953–54 La Liga with 27 goals in 28 appearances, beating Barcelona's László Kubala by three goals. The following year, Real Madrid acquired Argentine Héctor Rial from the Nacional Montevideo , a signing recommended by Di Stéfano, for
20252-523: The league for the fifth and last time, and the fourth in a row, with 23 goals. After overcoming rivals Atlético Madrid in three games in the semi-finals, Real Madrid won its fourth consecutive European Cup by defeating Reims (as three years ago), that now included the 1958 FIFA World Cup top-scorer Just Fontaine , by a score of 2–0. During the final , Enrique Mateos , substituting for Puskás (the Hungarian feared retaliation and decided not to depart with
20418-612: The long-awaited transfer of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur was announced. The transfer of the Welshman was reportedly a new world record signing, with the transfer price approximated at €100 million. In Ancelotti's first season at the club , Real Madrid fought on all three fronts for the continental treble. Despite leading in the league campaign on multiple occasions, Madrid ultimately finished in third place (level on points with Barcelona and three behind cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid ), collecting 87 points in total and scoring
20584-406: The loss of the 1958 Generalísimo Cup in the final to Athletic Bilbao , 0–2. As a result, Ferenc Puskás signed with Real Madrid in the summer of 1958 to strengthen the squad and Real Madrid would be blessed with one of the most lethal attacking pairs in the history of football. Nevertheless, Real ended up second in the 1958–59 season behind Barça, with Di Stéfano finishing as the best scorer in
20750-581: The main stars of the team, Moreno , had just left for the Mexican Real Club España and it seemed like a good opportunity for the young Di Stéfano to fight for a place on the first squad. Di Stéfano, whose idol was Paraguayan Arsenio Erico , the Independiente striker, learned from the big stars, especially Pedernera . His coach and first mentor Carlos Peucelle taught him how to play the ball low and soon he made his first team debut in 1945, at
20916-441: The new club should embody that idea. The brothers proposed the name, Madrid Football Club, which was unanimously accepted. The membership fee was also set, two pesetas a month, and the color of the shirt was chosen to be white in honour of a famous English team Corinthian , which Juan Padrós had met on one of his trips. Three years after its founding, in 1905 , Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in
21082-565: The new powerhouse in South America, Real Madrid cancelled the invitation to River Plate and invited the Colombians as the South American representative. The Colombians participated in the tournament and won it, after drawing 2–2 with Swedish champions Norrköping and overcoming Los Blancos, who were managed by Uruguayan legend Hector Scarone , by a 4–2 margin with a brace from Saeta Rubia in
21248-413: The overall trajectory of the season. In May, Madrid won the league title for a record 33rd time, their first title in five years, accumulating 93 points in the process. On 3 June 2017, the club's victory over Juventus in the Champions League final resulted in Real Madrid becoming the first team to successfully defend their title in the UEFA Champions League era, and the first to win consecutive titles in
21414-471: The policy. On 26 June 2009, Madrid signed Cristiano Ronaldo for a record-breaking £80 million (€94 million); he became both the club's and history's all-time top goalscorer. Madrid have recently relaxed the Galácticos policy, instead focusing on signing young talents such as Vinícius Júnior , Rodrygo , Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé . Real Madrid is recognised as the greatest football club of
21580-676: The precursor to the Copa Libertadores . In November 1947, River beat Nacional 4–3 with Di Stéfano scoring one goal in Montevideo, and four days later Di Stéfano celebrated his first international club trophy with a 3–1 victory in Buenos Aires. In February 1948, champions River Plate participated in the inaugural South American Championship of Champions in Santiago facing the other South American champions, finishing second behind Vasco da Gama with Di Stéfano scoring four goals in six games. During
21746-493: The presence of President Santiago Bernabéu , who arrived to the stadium to observe Adolfo Pedernera . Millonarios would start a global tour and, spearheaded by Di Stéfano, they would beat Hungary and world champions Uruguay. Soon after Millonarios' return to Colombia, the Barcelona directors visited Buenos Aires and agreed with River Plate, the last FIFA-affiliated team to have held Di Stéfano's rights, for his transfer in 1954 for
21912-457: The primary electoral promise that propelled Pérez to victory was the signing of Luís Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona. The following year, the club had its training ground rezoned and used the money to begin assembling the Galácticos team by signing a global star every summer, which included Zinedine Zidane , Ronaldo , Luís Figo , David Beckham and Fabio Cannavaro . It is debatable whether
22078-431: The quarter-finals with a 6–3 aggregate victory and extended its unbeaten run to 40 matches, breaking Barcelona's Spanish record of 39 matches unbeaten in all competitions from the previous season . Their unbeaten streak ended after a 1–2 away loss against the same opposition in La Liga three days later. The team then was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Celta Vigo 3–4 on aggregate. These slips, however, did not affect
22244-478: The record again by purchasing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80 million. Real Madrid spent in excess of €261 million in the summer of 2009, and the assembled team was soon dubbed the Second Galácticos . The 2009–10 season , however, was a transitional one as Madrid again finished second in the league , although this time amassing 96 points, the club's record at the time, and went out of
22410-553: The return leg in Seville, Di Stéfano was greeted by the insulting choruses of opposing fans and Real were held to a 2–2 draw. In the semi-finals, Di Stèfano contributed to the success against the Hungarian Vasas and the team reached the final against Juan Alberto Schiaffino 's Milan. Real Madrid won the final with a 3–2 comeback victory, and the Argentine finished the tournament as the top scorer with 10 goals. The season finished with
22576-508: The return leg, however, Real beat the Uruguayans 5–1 with Di Stéfano scoring one goal on 4 September 1960. On 13 December 1960, Di Stéfano came fourth in the Ballon d'Or voting, and for the first time in history, Real Madrid were knocked out of the European Cup , losing 3–4 on aggregate against Barcelona after a controversial second leg. Madrid, however, regrouped and easily won La Liga by a great margin over runners-up Atlético Madrid, but lost
22742-481: The season scoring 48 league goals, winning his fourth European Golden Shoe, and 61 goals in all competitions, breaking his record from 2011 to 2012. Overall, despite playing an attractive attacking football and being the highest scoring team in Europe with 118 league goals, several narrow defeats meant that Real finished the season with two trophies out of six possible, which contributed to the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti on 25 May 2015. On 3 June 2015, Rafael Benítez
22908-471: The season was the signing of Luka Modrić from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee in the region of £33 million. After a loss to Atlético in the Copa del Rey final, Pérez announced the departure of José Mourinho at the end of the season by "mutual agreement". [REDACTED] On 25 June 2013, Carlo Ancelotti succeeded Mourinho to become the manager of Real Madrid on a three-year deal, with Zinedine Zidane named as one of his assistants. On 1 September 2013,
23074-480: The second Galáctico era) on 20 April and the third and fourth ones in the controversial two-legged Champions League semi-finals on 27 April and 3 May (Barcelona won on aggregate with a 2–0 away victory and a 1–1 home draw). Madrid again became the highest scoring team in La Liga, with 102 goals, repeating its output from the previous season, with Ronaldo scoring 40 and winning the European Golden Shoe . In
23240-452: The second leg, the Barcelona team were insulted and stones were thrown at their bus as soon as they left their hotel. Barcelona's striker Mariano Gonzalvo said of the incident, "Five minutes before the game had started, our penalty area was already full of coins." Barcelona goalkeeper Luis Miró rarely approached his line—when he did, he was armed with stones. As Francisco Calvet told the story, "They were shouting: Reds! Separatists! ...
23406-440: The second trophy of the season. On 16 December 2017, Real beat Brazilian club Grêmio 1–0 in the FIFA Club World Cup final and became the first team to retain the trophy. In the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League , Madrid once again progressed to the final where they defeated Liverpool 3–1 to become the first club to win three straight titles in the Champions League era, as well as the first team to win three consecutive titles in
23572-483: The semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the third year in a row, where they were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund 3–4 on aggregate. Madrid also entered the Copa del Rey in the round of 32, going on a memorable run to the final , which saw them defeat Barcelona in the semi-finals before losing to Atlético Madrid 1–2 a.e.t. Real Madrid faced the Blaugrana six times throughout the season, coming away with three wins, two draws, and one loss. A major transfer of
23738-571: The semi-finals, Real Madrid played in the final at the Hampden Park in Glasgow in front of 135,000 spectators against Eintracht Frankfurt . Di Stéfano and Puskás scored three and four goals, respectively, in a game considered to be among the finest in the history of football. Di Stéfano scored eight goals in the tournament, finishing second in the scorers' chart won by Puskás. In the 1959–60 league season, Real finished equal with Barcelona on points, but
23904-412: The semifinals, Real Madrid faced Bayern Munich again. The first match was a 2–2 draw, while the second match in the Bernabéu was marked by a double by Joselu in the last few minutes of the game, with Bayern Munich suffering a historic comeback after leading 1–0. Real Madrid faced Borussia Dortmund in the final, and won 2–0, with Dani Carvajal being the man of the match and scoring with a header after
24070-492: The team for the final in Stuttgart), took a penalty instead of Di Stéfano and missed it. At the beginning of the second half, Di Stéfano scored the second goal to seal the victory. On 16 July 1959, Real Madrid hosted a match against Pelé and his Brazilian club, Santos , during their European tour. It was one of the most anticipated games of the tour, given the reputation that Pelé had started building. Di Stéfano's team would beat
24236-452: The team had their way eliminating the Swiss and later Partizan Belgrade , after a suffering a 3–0 defeat in Yugoslavia. With the guidance of Di Stéfano they had an easy 4–0 victory in Madrid in the first leg, in December 1956. Real Madrid flew to Belgrade and despite the snowstorm that had hit the city in the previous days, the president Bernabéu agreed for the match not to be postponed. Unlike
24402-486: The team of the dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims." Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper from the 1943 match, said: "There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game." Santiago Bernabéu became president of Real Madrid in 1943. Under his presidency, the club was rebuilt after the Civil War, and he oversaw the construction of the club's current stadium, Estadio Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (now known as
24568-500: The team posed for Marca and impersonated the Beatles. The Yé-yé generation was also European Cup runners-up in 1962 and 1964 . In the 1970s, Real Madrid won six league championships and three Spanish Cups. The club competed in its first European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970–71 and progressed all the way to the final , where it lost to English side Chelsea 2–1 in a replay. On 2 July 1978, club president Santiago Bernabéu died while
24734-408: The title and overcoming a 12-point deficit in the process. Finally, on 28 May, Real Madrid's eleventh Champions League title was won thanks to a 5–3 penalty shoot-out victory over rivals Atlético Madrid after a 1–1 draw in the final , with the achievement being termed " La Undécima ". Real Madrid began their 2016–17 campaign , which was to be Zidane's first full season in charge of the club, with
24900-475: The title of Real (Royal) to the club. In 1929 , the first Spanish football league was founded. Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real Madrid won its first league title in the 1931–32 season and retained it the following year . On 14 April 1931, the arrival of the Second Spanish Republic caused
25066-473: The top scorer with 31 goals. In the following season, Real Madrid was further strengthened with the arrival of Uruguayan José Santamaría in defense. Di Stéfano scored 19 goals and won the top scorer award, obtaining the 1957–58 league title at the expense of Atlético Madrid . In the quarter-finals of the European Cup , Real Madrid faced Sevilla , humiliating their opponents in the first leg in Madrid with an 8–0 victory, where Di Stéfano scored four goals. In
25232-400: The tournament best player and former teammate of Garrincha and Pelé . Given that the Brazilian's style of play was similar to Di Stéfano's, Didi often clashed with the Argentine and there were rumours that he asked for his release from the club's management in the summer of 1960. But with Didi in the squad, the Blancos won their fifth consecutive European Cup . After eliminating Barcelona in
25398-660: The transfer. Di Stéfano signed with the Colombians. Millonarios, who could not afford to pay the transfer fees anyhow, offered him a salary clearly higher than that at River Plate, and the Argentine forward started a new chapter in his career in Colombia, in period called El Dorado . Many international stars like the Hungarians Béla Sárosi , László Szőke , the Argentines René Pontoni , Héctor Rial , Englishman Charlie Mitten from Manchester United for 5,000 pounds
25564-415: The trophy with three wins and Di Stéfano finished as top scorer of the tournament with four goals (same as Vavá). As Real Madrid did not win the title in the previous season, president Santiago Bernabéu , who also served as the vice-president of the competition, came up with the idea that the European Cup winner had the right to register for the next edition to defend the title even if they had failed to win
25730-592: The white jersey five days later, scoring his first goal for Real Madrid in a 4–2 home win against Racing Santander . On 25 October 1953, Di Stéfano played in his first Clásico against champions Barcelona, just a few hours after the Catalonian team had sold his share on the Argentinian, and Di Stéfano contributed two goals in a 5–0 win. In his first several months in Madrid, the Argentine champion did not adapt to European football, but imposed his own style, playing all around
25896-453: The world's best players, such as Ronaldo , Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham to create a superstar team. The term 'Galácticos policy' generally refers to the two eras of Florentino Pérez 's presidency of the club (2000–2006 and 2009–2018); however, players brought in just before his tenure are sometimes considered to be part of the Galácticos legacy. A notable example is Steve McManaman , who like many other players also succeeded under
26062-640: Was a former defender of River Plate (having prematurely retired in 1912 due to a knee injury), introduced young Alfredo to football. Di Stéfano grew up playing street football, in oratories and in neighbourhood teams such as the Barracas "Unidos y Venceremos", and the Imán of the Flores district. People already had noticed his talent. But, in 1940 his family moved to the countryside and Di Stéfano started working with his father and playing football with his brother Tulio for Club Social y Deportivo Unión Progresista until 1943, when
26228-472: Was also somewhat notoriously unlucky in its league campaigns throughout these nine years, finishing runners-up with 96, 92 (twice) and 90 points, as well as on 87 points in third place, just three off the league winners. On 12 June 2018, Real Madrid named Julen Lopetegui , the head coach of the Spanish national team , as their new manager. It was announced that he would officially begin his managerial duties after
26394-482: Was confirmed as the new Real Madrid manager for the 2015–16 season , signing a three-year contract. Real Madrid remained unbeaten in the league until a 3–2 loss at Sevilla on the matchday 11. This was followed by a 0–4 home loss in the first Clásico of the season against Barcelona. Perhaps, his reign is best remembered by multiple lopsided wins achieved both in La Liga and the Champions League (6–0 vs Espanyol , 8–0 vs Malmö , 10–2 vs Rayo Vallecano and others). In
26560-399: Was given the number #7 jersey, previously used by Raúl and Cristiano Ronaldo; while Rodrygo was given the number #11 jersey, previously used by Gareth Bale. Karim Benzema left the club, while Toni Kroos would later announce that he would retire from football after this season. The 2023-24 season would prove to be another highly successful season for Los Blancos. First, Real Madrid lifted
26726-486: Was impressed by his potential; Di Stéfano agreed to join them, as he realised his chances of making the first team for River Plate were limited. Huracán and Argentina legend Herminio Masantonio had just retired and the club needed a replacement forward. Former Argentine striker and World Cup top scorer Guillermo Stábile , the Huracán and Argentina national team coach at the time, gave Di Stéfano his first real opportunities in
26892-456: Was nonetheless sacked at the end of the campaign. The title was won on 17 June, where Real faced Mallorca at the Bernabéu while Barcelona and Sevilla , the other title challengers, faced Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Villarreal , respectively. At half-time, Real were 0–1 down, while Barcelona had surged ahead into a 0–3 lead in Tarragona . However, three goals in the last half-hour secured Madrid
27058-628: Was once again top scorer with 19 goals. In October 1952, Di Stéfano also led Millonarios to the Copa Colombia final after beating Cúcuta Deportivo by 2–1. The final would be played in May 1953, after Di Stéfano had already gone to Argentina. In October 1951, the División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano agreed to the Pacto de Lima with FIFA, with the requirement that foreign players would return to their countries after October 1954. Di Stéfano scored
27224-409: Was relegated. In doing so at the age of 39 years and 226 days, he became the second oldest scorer in the competition's history, only behind César Rodríguez in 1960 (39 years and 274 days). He played his last league match against Atlético Madrid on 3 April, at the age of 39 years and 270 days, currently the seventh oldest player to play in La Liga. Di Stéfano scored his last career goal on 23 April,
27390-409: Was renamed as " New Foot-Ball Club ". On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, Madrid Football Club was officially founded. The Padrós brothers summoned other football enthusiasts to a meeting in the back room of Al Capricho , the family business. They viewed football as a mass sport that should be accessible to representatives of all social classes, and thought
27556-429: Was the all-time highest tally in the European Cup . The record has since been surpassed by several players, including the aforementioned Real Madrid trio. Di Stéfano scored in five consecutive European Cup finals for Real Madrid between 1956 and 1960 , including a hat-trick in the last. Perhaps, the highlight of his time with the club was their 7–3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 final at Hampden Park ,
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