• Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

    If you are a football lover or even if you are not, visiting the Real Madrid Football Club stadium is definitely worth it. It’s the best way to see how a professional football team works and get close to the action in the stadium. It’s the perfect day trip for the whole family. If you are lucky enough to have a home game when you are Madrid, definitely book tickets to see it. You won’t regret it. We was gutted that there was no home games when we was in the city.

    If you don’t follow football or have any clue who Real Madrid are, then keep on reading to find out more.

    WHO ARE REAL MADRID FOOTBALL CLUB ?

    Real Madrid Football Club are one of two professional football teams based in Madrid, Spain, the other is Atletico Madrid who are their rivals. They play in the highest league of Spanish football called La Liga. Real Madrid was founded in 1902 and has been running ever since. Their manager is Zinedine Zidane and a few of their famous players are Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Sergios Ramos, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Lucas Vasquez and Cristiano Ronaldo who now plays for Juventus (accurate as at date of writing).

    real madrid football club

    READ MORE: A Guide To Exploring Madrid In 5 Days

    Real Madrid Football Club are one of the biggest football teams in Europe along with the likes of PSG, Juventus, Atletico Madrid (Madrid’s other football team) and Barcelona. Their stadium Estadio Santiago Bernabéu was built in 1947 with renovations taking place in 1982 and 2001 with another renovation taking place in the coming years to modernise and increase efficiency. It is currently the 2nd largest football stadium in Spain and the largest in the Community of Madrid.

    STADIUM TOUR

    We booked our stadium tour on the day which was actually our first day in Madrid. We had landed quite early that morning and after checking into our hotel and freshened up, we decided to explore our local area, with the stadium not that far from our hotel. We purchased our tickets on the door which cost us each about €25 for a full trip not including the audioguide. The audioguide and tour tickets will cost you €31 for an adult.

    Ticket Prices:
    Adult Tour – €25
    Adult Tour + Audioguide – €31
    Child Tour – €18
    Child Tour + Audioguide – €24

    * A child ticket is up to the age of 14 years old.

    You can walk around the stadium as quickly or as slowly as you like to take in all the history, facts and sights around the stadium. You start the tour walking through the main entrance and straight up the escalators to reach the very top of the stadium for a view over the pitch. You can walk to different view points of the stadium to take it all in from different angles and heights. Then you walk down the stadium to reach the start of the trophy room and history section of the tour where you learn about how many trophies Real Madrid have one and also learn about their basketball team.

    READ MORE: The Camp Nou Experience

    Left: The evolution of the Real Madrid club badge. Right: A display of some of their players shirts.

    The trophies that Real Madrid have won both in football and basketball are so intricate and breathtaking, it’s quite surreal. There is a trophy shaped like a tower and even a ship. Each trophy ranges in size, shape and material, all dating back to when Real Madrid started. They have also had various changes in badge, from starting out as a simple blue lettering badge to a more detailed badge including the royal crown of Madrid.

    After reading all about the trophies they have won, we walked into the next section to learn about the players and what each one has achieved. They had a wall with each of the players shirts and boots or gloves if they are the goalkeeper displayed in the team formation. On the walls there was interactive screens displaying information and facts about each player, the years they were active for the team and the stats on their performances. One of the names on the wall was Zinedine Zidane, who not only played for Real Madrid but is also the team coach and manager.

    Not only do Real Madrid have a very successful football team, but also a basketball team aswell.

    You then go into another room after learning about all of the players and there is a massive cabinet in the middle of the room with gold confetti flying around the massive Champions League trophies they have won. Which is a huge total of 13!! They have also won 33 La Liga trophies and titles which is the Spanish league they play in.

    After browsing more cabinets of trophies and more club history you then go into another room to learn about the revamp and progression that will happen to the stadium in the years to come to make it more modern and more beautiful than it already is. There is also an oppoturnity to have your photo with one of the Champions League trophies which you can buy your photo at the end of the tour.

    The revamp and construction with cost around €575m and will start as soon as the current season ends (May 19th 2020). The revamp will include a retractable roof and pitch, as well as a metal envelope around the outside, which will be able to project images and videos of the players and advertising of the club.

    The Santiago Bernabeu’s capacity of just over 81,000 seats is not due to increase but a number of technological advancements will be made. As well as an eye-catching new roof, there will be improvements to security, access, shopping and eating facilities, the club museum and areas surrounding the stadium. The plan is for the project to be completed within three and a half years and without disrupting the team’s calendar.

    READ MORE: Eating Out In Madrid | 6 Delicious Restaurants To Eat At


    The Champions League trophies Real Madrid have won – which is a huge total of 13!

    We had our photos taken with the trophy and then we headed back outside to take a closer look at the pitch and walk around the stands for different views of the pitch. We then walked into the special stand with comfy seats, aircon and fans and a short walk to the amenities of food and drink tables. After relaxing on the special seats for a little bit we then headed to more sections of the stands to get closer to the pitch and take more photos.

    After checking out the closer seats of the pitch, we then headed into the main team and visiting team changing room as well as walking down the tunnel onto the pitch side and got to sit in the manager and bench seats which are super comfy and has a shade to protect them from the sun and rain (if it ever rains).

    The seats are sponsored by Audi. The changing rooms have their own drop pools, showers and toilets and the home team changing rooms have their own pictures next to their closet.


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