Real Madrid

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Real Madrid C.F. is a Spanish sports club best known for its football team which was ranked as 'The 20th Century's Best Club' by FIFA. The club, which went in place of the Spanish FA, was also one of the founding members of FIFA. They play their home games at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Real Madrid have been European Champions a record 9 times and have also won a record 29 La Liga titles. The club also operates a reserve football team, Real Madrid Castilla, and a successful basketball team, Real Madrid Baloncesto. Real Madrid is unusual in that, unlike most football clubs, it has been owned and operated solely by its members (socios) since 1902.During its history, the club has acquired a number of nicknames. Among the earliest were los merengues, after the white dessert meringue, and los blancos. Both simply referred to the club's legendary all-white strip and are the most common to this day. In the 1970s, the nickname los vikingos became popular, possibly due to the signings of several northern European players. More recently, the media dubbed the club los galácticos, referring to club decision to sign star players.Early Years Football was introduced to Madrid by the professors and students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza. They included several Oxbridge graduates. In 1895 they founded the club Football Sky, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. In 1900 this club split into two different clubs New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Español de Madrid. The president of the latter club was Julián Palacios. In 1902 the latter club split again, resulting in the formation of Madrid FC on March 6 1902. The first president was Juan Padrós Rubió; the first secretary was Manuel Mendía; and the first treasurer was José de Gorostizaga. Juan Padrós Rubió would be later succeeded by his brother, Carlos PadrósSantiago Bernabéu Before becoming President in 1943, Santiago Bernabéu Yeste had already carried out the functions of player, first-team captain, club maintanence, first-team manager and director, in an association with the club that lasted nearly 70 years. He was responsible for reconstituting the club after the Spanish Civil War, and under his presidency, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the Ciudad Deportiva were built.He also reorganized the club at all levels, in what would become the normal operating hierarchy of professional clubs in the future, giving every section and level of the club independent technical teams and recruiting staff such as Raimundo Saporta.Finally, beginning in 1953 he embarked upon a strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, the most prominent of them being Alfredo Di Stéfano, and built the world's first truly multinational side. During Bernabéu's presidency many of Real Madrid's most legendary names played for the club, including the aforementioned Alfredo Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento, Luis Molowny, Miguel Muñoz, Raymond Kopa, Héctor Rial, Ferenc Puskas, Amancio, Santillana, Juanito, Uli Stielike, Vicente Del Bosque, José Antonio Camacho and others.In 1955, acting upon the idea proposed by the L'Equipe journalist Gabriel Hanot and building upon the Copa Latina (a tournament involving clubs from France, Spain, Portugal and Italy), Bernabéu met in the Ambassador Hotel in Paris with Bedrignan and Gustav Sebes and created what today is known as the Champions' League. Under the administration of UEFA, it is the world's premier club tournament.It was under Bernabéu's guidance that Real Madrid became established as a major force in both Spanish and European football. Before passing away in 1978, Bernabéu had been the club's president for 35 years, during which he won 1 Intercontinental Cup, 6 European Cups, 16 La Liga titles, and 6 Spanish Cups.Domestic success The mid-1950s saw Real Madrid put together a team that included, among others Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás, Francisco Gento, Hector Rial, Raymond Kopa, and José Santamaria. These players formed the nucleus of the Real Madrid team that dominated the second half of the 1950s. They won La Liga for first time in over 20 years as Real Madrid in 1954 and retained it in 1955. They were winners again in 1957 and 1958, with only Athletic Bilbao interrupting their sequence. CF Barcelona won La Liga in 1959 and 1960 but between 1961 and 1980 Real Madrid dominated La Liga with the club winning the competition 14 times. This included a five-in-a-row sequence (1961-1965) and two three-in-a-row sequences (1967-69 and 1978-1980). It was during this era that legendary players such as Jose Antonio Camacho, Uli Stielke and Juan Gomez came into the side.In the early 1980s Real Madrid lost its grip on La Liga but by 1986 they had resumed normal service with another five-in-a-row sequence (1986-90). This team included included Hugo Sánchez and the infamous 'Quinta del Buitre' - Emilio Butragueño, Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vazquéz, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.Real Madrid has also won the Copa del Rey on 17 occasions, and are 7-time winners of the Supercopa de España.International success In addition to their domestic success, Real Madrid's reputation as a major club was established by their outstanding record in the European Cup. To date have they have been crowned champions of Europe a record nine times. Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskás and other famous players helped the club win the European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the memorable 7-3 Hampden Park final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960. The club won for a sixth time in 1966, defeating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 in the final with a team composed entirely of nationally-born players, a first in the competition. They were also runners-up in 1962, 1964 and 1981. Winning the competition five consecutive times saw Real permanently awarded the original cup and earning the right to wear the UEFA badge of honour. They have also won the UEFA Cup twice and were twice runners-up in the European Cup Winners Cup.In 1996 President Lorenzo Sanz appointed Fabio Capello as coach. Although his tenure lasted only one season, in which Real Madrid were proclaimed league champions, the team he built, which included Raúl, Predrag Mijatovic, Fernando Redondo, Fernando Hierro, Davor Šuker, Clarence Seedorf, and Roberto Carlos, ended Real Madrid's 32-year wait for their seventh European Cup in 1998 under manager Jupp Heynckes, defeating Juventus 1-0 in the final. Real Madrid would go on to win again in 2000 and 2002 under manager Vicente Del Bosque, with sides including players such as Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman, Luís Figo and Zinedine Zidane.Real Madrid are also three-time winners of the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Peñarol, Vasco da Gama, and Olimpia Asunción in 1960, 1998, and 2002 respectively.The Florentino Pérez years In July 2000 Florentino Pérez was elected club president with the promise to sign the world's best players including then-FC Barcelona star Luis Figo, end the club's debt, and modernize the club's facilities. After reaching an agreement to re-zone and sell the Ciudad Deportiva, Pérez went on to sign Zinedine Zidane (2001), Ronaldo (2002) and David Beckham (2003). The media began refering to the team as Los Galácticos. Initially the strategy, eventually dubbed Zidanes y Pavones and meant to combine world stars and youth team graduates, was successful and Real Madrid won La Liga in 2001 and 2003 and the UEFA Champions League in 2002, their centenary year. They also won the Intercontinental Cup, the European Super Cup and the Supercopa de España in both 2001 and 2003.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, especially in Asia; however, the team's on-field performance declined following several unsuccessful appointments as coach in an effort to replace Vicente Del Bosque, combined with a questionable transfer policy. Despite signing further high-profile players such as Walter Samuel, Sergio Ramos, Michael Owen, Robinho, and Julio Baptista, Real Madrid have failed to win a major trophy since 2003.Recent events On July 2 2006 Ramón Calderón who was elected as club president and he subsequently appointed Fabio Capello as the new coach and Predrag Mijatovic as the new sporting director. Real have recently signed Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson Ferreira da Rosa, both from Juventus F.C. for a total sum of €23m, Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Manchester United for €15m, and Mahamadou Diarra from Olympique Lyon for €26m.Rivalry with FC Barcelona

The rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona is legendary. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of the two rival regions of Spain, Castile and Catalonia, as well as the two cities themselves. The rivalry reached a new level during the Franco years when Real Madrid's international success was capitalized upon by Franco and Real Madrid became viewed by some as the regime team, with FC Barcelona sometimes seen as the opposition team; however, during the Spanish Civil War itself, members of Real Madrid also suffered at the hands of Franco supporters. Real Madrid president Rafael Sánchez Guerra, a prominent Republican, was imprisoned and tortured. They also arrested and murdered a Real vice-president and club treasurer and an acting president disappeared.The rivalry was given a significant boost by the 1943 Copa del Generalísimo semi-final between the two clubs. The first leg at Les Corts ended in a 3-0 loss for Real, but the return leg in Madrid saw them win 11-1. It has been alleged by some that the FC Barcelona players were pressured into losing the game. Controversies such as the dispute over the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano in the 1950s intensified the rivalry further.As the two biggest, wealthiest, and most successful clubs in Spain, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The flashpoints of this rivalry are the twice-a-season superclásicos which draw vast audiences from around the world. Real Madrid's recent record against Barcelona is quite poor in the league, having only won once in the Camp Nou in the past 20 years; nevertheless Real Madrid eliminated Barcelona from the semifinals of the 2001-2002 Champions' League.Major TrophiesIntercontinental Cup: 31960, 1998, 2002,European Cup/Champions League: 91955/56 4-3 vs. Stade de Reims-Champagne,1956/57 2-0 vs. A.C. Fiorentina,1957/58 3-2 vs. AC Milan,1958/59 2-0 vs. Stade de Reims-Champagne,1959/60 7-3 vs. Eintracht Frankfurt,1965/66 2-1 vs. Partizan Belgrade,1997/98 1-0 vs. Juventus,1999/00 3-0 vs. Valencia,2001/02 2-1 vs. Bayer Leverkusen. Real Madrid in white v. Real Sociedad in black on January 5, 2005UEFA Cup: 21984/85, 1985/86.European Super Cup: 12002. Spanish Championship: 291931/32, 1932/33, 1953/54, 1954/55, 1956/57, 1957/58, 1960/61, 1961/62, 1962/63, 1963/64, 1964/65, 1966/67, 1967/68, 1968/69, 1971/72, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1994/95, 1996/97, 2000/01, 2002/03. Copa del Rey: 171904/05, 1905/06, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1916/17, 1933/34, 1935/36, 1945/46, 1946/47, 1961/62, 1969/70, 1973/74, 1974/75, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1988/89, 1992/93. Copa de la Liga: 11984/85.Supercopa de España: 81947, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2003,Copa Latina: 21955, 1957.Regional Championship: 181903/04, 1904/05, 1905/06, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1912/13, 1915/16, 1916/17, 1917/18, 1919/20, 1921/22, 1922/23, 1923/24, 1925/26, 1926/27, 1928/29, 1929/30, 1930/31.