Football was introduced to Spain by students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza. They included several Oxbridge graduates. In 1897, they founded the club Sky, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. In 1900, this club split into two different clubs: New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Madrid Football Club. On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, Madrid Football Club was officially founded and won the first of four consecutive Copa del Rey titles, which were, at that time, the only statewide competition.
In 1912, they moved to their first ground called Campo de O'Donnell after moving between some minor grounds.In 1920, the club's name was changed into Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII, a reputed football fan, granted the title of real ("royal" in English) to the club. When the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed in 1931, however, the club dropped both the word Real and the royal crown from the emblem, being known from then on and until the end of the Spanish Civil War as Madrid C.F. only. The addition of the purple band to the emblem dates back to the Republican period and has remained there ever since.In 1937, due to the stagnation of the Civil War, all activity disappeared and the club virtually ceased to exist.
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, they have been crowned champions of Europe a record twelve times. Alfredo Di Stéfano, 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 German side Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960. The club won for a sixth time in 1966 with the team known as the Ye-Ye defeated Yugoslavian club Partizan 2–1 in the final with a team composed entirely of Spanish-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, Real Madrid were proclaimed league champions and several important players arrived at the club, such as Roberto Carlos, Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker and Clarence Seedorf, 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 the seventh European Cup in 1998 under manager Jupp Heynckes, defeating Juventus 1–0 in the Final thanks to a goal from Predrag Mijatović. Real Madrid would go on to win again in 2000 and 2002 under manager Vicente del Bosque, with sides including players such as Luís Figo and Zinedine Zidane.
Real Madrid is also three-time winners of the Intercontinental Cup, defeating Peñarol, Vasco da Gama and Olimpia Asunción in 1960, 1998, and 2002, respectively.
Comments
Post a Comment