Situated
in Madrid’s smart Chamartín district is one of the world’s most impressive football
stadia. El Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, named after its illustrious former
president, opened in 1947 and holds a current capacity of 81,044. Home to Real
Madrid, it has staged every major international tournament, including the World
Cup (1982), Euros (1964) and four European Cup/Champions League Finals, the
most recent being just five years ago.
As
with most major football clubs these days, Real offers a full stadium tour to
supporters and historians (Figures 88.1, 88.2, 88.3, 88.4 & 88.5). However, what
sets Real apart, from all but an elite few, is a trophy cabinet which contains
something other than a small carpet. In addition to five consecutive European Cup
triumphs, Real boasts more major trophies than any other club in the world.
Figure
88.1: Bernabéu ticket office
Copyright
© 2015 Paul Spradbery
Figure
88.2: Stadium tour ticket
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© 2015 Paul Spradbery
Figure
88.3: Tour information leaflet
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© 2015 Real Madrid CF
Figure
88.4: The view from Row Z
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© 2015 Paul Spradbery
Figure
88.5: Stadium model on display
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© 2015 Paul Spradbery
Its
current manager, Rafael Benítez, used to live a couple of miles from me – in a
much larger house – on the Wirral in England. Our daughters attended the same
dancing school, and I found him to be polite and friendly whenever we met. For
that reason alone, I am happy to see his club presently joint top of La Liga with their equally famous
rivals, Barcelona. The next instalment of El
Clásico takes place at the Bernabéu a fortnight tomorrow.
Copyright
© 2015 Paul Spradbery
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