Los Blancos: The Royal Whites
Real Madrid: The Finest Football Club
Los Blancos is the Spanish term for "The White". The White refers to the Spanish soccer club "Real Madrid Club de Fútbol". Real is the Spanish term for "Royal". A reputed football fan, King Alfonso XIII bestowed this honorific title to the club in 1920, and "Madrid" stands for the Capital of Spain, where the club was established. Traditionally, Real Madrid has worn white home jerseys since its creation. A group of Spanish fans founded Real Madrid on March 6, 1902. The club's home and stadium are called "Estadio Santiago Bernabéu." The stadium was named after the legendary player and the greatest president of Real Madrid, "Santiago Bernabéu." Florentino Perez is currently the president of Real Madrid.
The Beginning of Real Madrid and Santiago Bernabéu
The roots of this football club started in 1897. Some Oxford and Cambridge University graduates first introduced football to Madrid. They founded Sky Football as La Sociedad (The Society). When conflicts occurred between the members, some of them left. One of them was Jullian Palacios, who later became the first president. Carlos Padros and Juan Padros are among others who also became presidents of Real Madrid later. They made the path of a new football club named "Madrid Football Club" in 1901. Following a number of events, on March 6, 1902, Real Madrid was officially founded. Real Madrid won the first ever trophy in 1905 after defeating Athletico Bilbao. The Trophy tally now goes to 66. The Spanish Football League was founded in 1929. Real Madrid led the first season, but a loss in the last match cost them the title. In 1932, Real won their first-ever league. Since the inception of the Spanish League, this club has never been relegated. Santiago Bernabéu became the president in 1945, the 11th and the greatest president of Real Madrid. After the Spanish civil war in 1939, he structured the base where this club stands now. Real Madrid became a prime force in world football under Santiago's guidance. The youth academy of this club, "La Fabrica," was founded under his supervision. He came up with the tactics of signing great players from overseas, and one of the crucial of them was Alfredo Di Stefano. In 1978, Santiago Bernabéu died, but the vision he created and the dream he saw for this club is precisely where Real Madrid stands now.
The Envious Trophy Cabinet of Real Madrid
Real Madrid is one of the best football clubs in the world. Real won the "Club of The Century" trophy in 2000. This trophy was not earned in a day. Madrid won 13 European titles, which are the most in history. They also became the domestic champion for a record 34 times. 11 Spanish super cups, 4 UEFA super cups, 19 Spanish Cups, four club world cups and are also in their mesmerizing trophy cabinet. This impressive list makes Real Madrid a deserving front-runner for the best club in the world. On December 11, 2000, with a 42.35% vote, this club achieved the title of the best club of the century. It shows why Real Madrid was the best club of the last century. From 2000 to 2021, Real won 6 UEFA Champions League trophies, the most in the 21st century. It expresses that Real is also the most successful club till now of this century. These are some great stats for a club. That is why Real Madrid has always been a royal club. As Santiago Bernabéu said, "The Real Madrid shirt can be the stain of mud, sweat or even blood but never with shame."
UCL and Real Madrid: A Bond Made for Each Other
The Los Blancos have a special obsession with European Silverware. This club won this trophy a historic 13 times. A.C. Milan holds 2nd place with only seven titles. Gabriel Hanot, a French Journalist, proposed an idea in 1955. Hence, Gusztáv, Santiago, and Bedrignan designed a format for Europe's champions teams to execute the idea. The tournament is now called UEFA Champions League. It is where the best teams around the globe clash against each other to become the best. From 1955 to 1960, Madrid won this trophy five times in a row. However, after changing the format and renaming the tournament in 1993, no team had ever won this silverware two times in a row until 2016, when Real successfully defended its European Champion honor. They even extended their streak for a third season till 2018 and became the first team to win the UCL title three times in a row. Including the three-peat, the Los Blancos won this title 4 times in 5 years. However, after 2002, for 12 years, they did not win this title. So in 2014, winning La Decima (10th title) heroically was emotional for the Madridistas worldwide. The final was against city rival Atletico Madrid. Real was trailing behind a goal till 92:48 when Sergio Ramos scored the equalizer from a corner and snatched the title in the last minute. This match is known as one of the best matches ever in UCL. Hence, from 1955 to 2021, the love story of Real Madrid and the UEFA Champions League is still going strong.
Legendary Players of Real Madrid
Many legendary players helped the club to reach its peak of glory. From Alfredo Di Stefano, Gento, Frank Puskas, Zidane, and Raul to Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo, Real Madrid always has been one of the best football clubs in the world, if not the best. 9 Players won the Ballon d'Or as the footballer of the year while playing for Real Madrid. These legendary players are Zinedine Zidane, Alfredo Di Stefano, Luis Figo, Michael Owen, Raymond Kopa, Fabio Cannavaro, Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. Among them, Alfredo Di Stefano won the Super Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo won the golden ball four times, and the last Real Madrid player to hold this award was Luka Modric in 2018.
How did Real Madrid afford the Galacticos?
No team other than Real Madrid dared to make a "Galacticos" team. Galacticos came from the word “Galactico”. In Spain, Galactico means "Comes from another planet." Galactico means an excellent and popular football player. The world's most famous football players recruited to play for Real Madrid by Florentino Perez during his first run as president are called "Galacticos." In 2000, Perez became president, and he pursued the Galacticos policy. The first one was the captain of FC Barcelona and the Ballon d'Or winner of 2000, Luis Figo. Then came Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldo Nazario, Michael Owen, Sergio Ramos, and many more. These iconic players joined with players like Casillas, Guti, Raul, and Roberto Carlos, and made "Team Galacticos." Legendary coach Vicente Del Bosque coached these legendary players. Every player on this team is celebrated worldwide and has a huge fanbase. Galacticos are not cheap. With the vision of president Florentino Perez and the team's brand value, Real Madrid pulled this off financially. This policy continues. From Luis Figo to Cristiano Ronaldo, many Galacticos represented Real Madrid all these years.
Barça and Real Madrid: El Clásico
FC Barcelona is the arch-rival of the Royal Whites. From their inception, they are fighting against each other to beat their nemesis and become the best. The match where Real Madrid and FC Barcelona go head to head is called El Clasico. It is not only a match but so much more than that. Due to this match, Spain gets divided into two, and the whole world gets divided into two. The hype, the agony, and the excitement are none like any other match because the two rivals hate each other. The competitive spirit of these two teams is incomparable. The El Clasico heat, pre-match discussions, and post-match controversies convert the match into a festival. When the match starts, Spain stops for 90 minutes, the whole world gets stunned for 90 minutes, and every enthusiastic fan's eyes are on the scoreline. A match like none other, a hype like none other, and excitement like none other. It is on a level of its own.
Real Madrid: Not Just a Football Club
For the players and fans, this is not just a football club. It is an emotion, an entire entity from 1902 to 2021, the players and the fans worldwide guarding the emblem in their hearts. As the great Alfredo DI Stefano said when he was asked what Real Madrid is to him, he answered, "Real Madrid is a feeling." Indeed it is! For every single fan around the world who bleeds white blood, Madrid is a feeling for them. Passion is the source of power that drives this club. If you do not have enough passion, if you do not bleed white, if you are not ready to die for the royal emblem, you do not have a place in this club. It does not matter if you are one of the world's best. Every player who played for this club expressed his love and passion for its rich history. People cannot just randomly start supporting a football club. One has to feel the love for the club from inside. For a random person, it can be no big deal, but for a football enthusiast, every club win is a source of joy, and every loss is a matter of frustration and agony. The legendary player and coach said, "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it is much more serious than that."
The Glistening Future of Real Madrid
Every club should not only focus on the present but also invest in potential prospects to secure the club's bright future, and Real Madrid is doing a great job in this regard. Playing for this team is a dream come true for young players. Real's scouting team is doing a great job detecting potential future stars. Real's youth team "La Fabrica" is considered one of the best player development centers in the world. "Castilla," which is Madrid's B team, also shows tremendous potential. Players like Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Camavinga are already young, strengthening the squad. They are not only learning from the world's best players like Kroos, Modric, and Benzema, but also they are getting the chance to play side by side. Prodigies like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are keen to be the face of this historic club as playing for Real Madrid is nothing less than a dream come true, and to be the best player, you have to play for the best. The past is already written in the history book, the present is shining like none other, and now the future also looks bright.
Hala Madrid!!!
Real Madrid will always shine like a bright star in club football. The love for this club around the world is unimaginable. From president Julian Palacios to president Florentino Perez, from legend Alfredo Di Stefano to legend Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid has always been a never-ending source of passion and light power in the football world. Even walking into the trophy cabinet, you can smell the rich history of this royal club. From 1955 to 2021, we have witnessed many glorious moments like winning 13 UCL trophies and heartbreaking moments like losing to arch-rival Barcelona with a 5-0 scoreline. However, one thing is sure Madrid has never let their fans down. Madrid achieved so much success in the past and will surely achieve in the future. So, for the time being, until the subsequent success, let us shout Hala Madrid!!!
