From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Page semi-protected
"Real Madrid" redirects here. For the basketball team, see Real Madrid Baloncesto. For other uses, see Real Madrid (disambiguation).
Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F. emblem
Full name Real Madrid Club de Fútbol[1]
Nickname(s) Los Blancos (The Whites) Los Merengues (The Meringues) Los Vikingos (The Vikings)[2]
Founded 6 March 1902 (111 years ago) as Madrid Football Club[3]
Ground Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
(capacity: 85,454[4])
President Florentino Pérez
Manager Carlo Ancelotti[5]
League La Liga
2012–13 La Liga, 2nd
Website Club home page
Home colours
Away colours Current season
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal maˈðɾið ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol]; Royal Madrid Football Club), commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, has traditionally worn a white home kit since. The word Real is Spanish for royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem. The team has played its home matches in the 85,454-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception.
The club is the world's richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €513million and the most valuable, worth €3.3billion.[6][7] It is one of three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight of Spanish football, along with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona. Real Madrid holds many long-standing rivalries, most notably El Clásico with FC Barcelona.
The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. Domestically, Real Madrid has won a record 32 La Liga titles, 18 Copas del Rey, 9 Supercopas de España, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la Liga.[8]