Santiago Bernabéu

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Lore & Background

In the early 1940s, the old Campo de Chamartín had become too small for the growing population of Madrid. Despite expansions to 25,000 seats, it was still insufficient. In spring 1943, President Antonio Santos Peralba expressed the need for a new stadium with an initial capacity of 40,000, but financial difficulties raised uncertainties. With Santiago Bernabéu's arrival as president in September 1943, the plan gained ambitious momentum. Bernabéu declared to the Board: 'Gentlemen, we need a bigger field and we are going to build it.' His vision was for a capacity close to 75,000. On 1 November 1943, the Board visited land adjacent to the Campo de Chamartín, in the extension of the Paseo de la Castellana. The lands belonged to the 'Villa Ulpiana' estate and another known as 'Entrecanales', owned by the Maqueda and Chávarri families. On 22 June 1944, acquisitions were formalized: 256,667 square feet for 2,000,000 pesetas from the Ruiz del Villar family and 93,877 square feet for 1,001,069 pesetas from the Maqueda and Chávarri families. Expropriations for urbanization cost 1,000,000 pesetas. A Competition of Ideas and Sketches was organized; in September 1944, the jury awarded first prize to Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler. On 27 October 1944, the land was blessed and construction symbolically initiated with a groundbreaking strike by Bernabéu. Financing was structured into three staggered bond issues: first issue of 20,000 bonds for 10,000,000 pesetas on 9 November 1944; second issue of 30,000 bonds for 15,000,000 pesetas on 18 March 1946; third issue of 10,000 bonds for 5,000,000 pesetas on 8 October 1947. All issues were covered on the day they were released. Construction was awarded to Huarte y Compañía, S.A., beginning in June 1945. Over 30 months, the works faced obstacles from post-war material shortages to a nearby railway link known as the 'tunnel of laughter'. Real Madrid played home games at the Stadium Metropolitano during the 1946–47 season and five matches of the 1947–48 season. The total cost was 38,300,000 pesetas (230,183 euros).

In Their Own Story

The stadium was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 with a match between Real Madrid and Portuguese side Os Belenenses. At 15:30, referee Pedro Escartín started the match. Real Madrid striker Sabino Barinaga scored the first goal in the 15th minute with a header. After the match, Barinaga received a recognition pennant, and players and managers celebrated with a dinner. The first official match took place on 28 December 1947, matchday 12 of La Liga against Athletic Club, which had been postponed. The stadium has hosted the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on four occasions: in 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010. It also hosted the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals, making it the only stadium to host finals of both competitions. The final matches for the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1982 FIFA World Cup were also held at the Bernabéu, making it the first stadium in Europe to host both a UEFA Euro final and a FIFA World Cup final.

Reader's Guide

The stadium's construction used 18,000 m2 of gravel, 24,000 m2 of sand, 2,000,000 bricks, 900 m2 of wood, and moved about 150,000 m3 of earth. Workers loaded 82,000 trucks of 4 tons each. On average, 150 workers worked per day, totaling about 315,000 workdays. The services and sanitation network installed 4.5 kilometers of pipes, with 90 porcelain sinks, 125 toilets, 365 urinals, and 46 showers. Facilities included 4 dressing rooms for players with showers, a swimming pool, a massage room, a first aid kit, an infirmary with 6 beds, a treatment room, an emergency operating room, a dressing room for the referee, a wardrobe room with a clothing repair workshop and iron, a shoemaker, laundry, a large gymnasium, a telephone exchange, a radio amplification center, and a room for detainees. The budget was around 16,000,000 pesetas, but costs rose due to terrain nature, material price increases over 30 months (over 25% in some cases), and new labor regulations requiring safety measures. First vice president Fernando de Cárcer Disdier noted in 1947 that if construction were to start then, the cost would rise to 45,000,000 pesetas. Amortization was planned to be completed in 20 years with the club's own resources.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was originally called Nuevo Estadio Chamartín and was renamed after former Real Madrid player and president Santiago Bernabéu.
• It is the only stadium to have hosted finals of both the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores.
• The first goal at the stadium was scored by Real Madrid striker Sabino Barinaga with a header in the 15th minute on 14 December 1947.
• The construction used 2,000,000 bricks and moved about 150,000 m3 of earth.
• The stadium's financing was covered by three bond issues, all fully subscribed on the day they were released to the Stock Market.