Real Madrid CF has probably made it as big as a club could. The club has won a record 33 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey trophies, a sensational 13 European Cups/Champions Leagues and 2 UEFA Cups, Real are an absolute winner in a competition to be the most successful football club of all time. The club has intense fights with Barcelona (El Clasico) and Atletico Madrid (El Derbi Madrileno), Real has been one of the clubs with the highest fan support across the nation for the majority of the time. Many of the best players around have worn the club’s white shirts, including legendary players like Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas.
History
While the club was first established in 1902, the club began as Madrid Football Club; it was not until 1920 when King Alfonso XIII bestowed them with the name of “real” – or “royal” or “royal” in English. These first years were surprisingly successful for Real as is evident by their four consecutive Copa del Rey victories from 1905 until 1908. After the outbreak of WWII, Real could boast of two La Liga titles and seven Copa del Rey trophies.
The postwar period saw Santiago Bernabeu Yeste take over as president of the club, after having held various roles at the club before joining the junior ranks in 1909. In the midst of a daunting task building the soccer club Bernabeu proceeded to construct an all-new stadium that was which was later renamed Santiago Bernabeu stadium – and select a variety of high-profile international players in order to compete at it’s European stage.Read more Real Madrid Football Club At website Articles With a team of a true dream built around the talent from Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, and Francisco Gento, Real cruised to four La Ligas and a Copa del Rey by the close of the 1960s. They also won in the very first five European Cups ever organized, easily destroying all opposition along their way from 1956 to 1960. The team that is legendary is considered by many to be the best team in football ever formed.
The two decades that followed were equally as exciting for the club’s growing army of loyal supporters. In addition to cleaning up the domestic leagues, winning an incredible 14 La Ligas as well as 5 Copas del Reys year 1966 witnessed Real gain an additional European Cup to their rich collection, after beating Partizan Belgrade 2-1 in the final. The decade was closed out in a depressing manner however, with Santiago Bernabeu Yeste passing away in 1978.
Real Madrid and General Franco connections
In an article about the past of Real Madrid it would be irresponsible not to mention the name of General Franco who was the dictator in Spain who ruled for more than fifty years. His favorite club to play for was Real Madrid, which served the team with unfair favors throughout the years.
Many of these stories can be a sensitive subject, and often without evidence. One such controversial and uncertain story is about how the signature of Alfredo Di Stefano which according to some , was on the route to Barcelona when Castro got involved and change the course of events. Another story, which neither is confirmed, recounts the story of how Barcelona was threatened by the regime , and how they losing to Real Madrid with 1-11.
A new generation
The early 80s saw the club drop off the map somewhat but they soon returned with the brilliant “La Quinta del buitre” generation made up of five young academy graduates, and guided by the great Emilio Butragueno. After a first period of struggle, Real finished the decade with five consecutive La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies. It was at this point that Real claimed their only two UEFA Cups, in 1985 and 1986.
The 1990s were usually a disappointment for the supporters of the club, especially when it was a slow beginning to the decade. However, the arrival of gifted striker Raul witnessed Real rise to the top and secure 2 La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey trophy before the year’s end. The cherry on top was in 1998 when Real breaking a drought that lasted 32 years and claiming their 7th European Cup by outlasting Juventus with a 1-0 win in the final. They won again in 2000 in a all-Spanish clash against Valencia beating them out with a 3-0 win.
In the following months, the club was taken over by former politician Florentino Perez. Perez then began to work on putting together the biggest football squad in the world. After signing at the very least one star player from around the world each summer – beginning at the age of Luis Figo in 2000 – Perez created a star-studded team that was quickly able to earn the name of “Los Galacticos.”
Galacticos
In the presidency of Real Madrid in the 2000s, Florentino Perez, was responsible for many of the biggest transfer deals within international football. The idea he had of creating the most effective team was to sign top names and not too much of thinking about balancing the team. Then Florentino Perez was the president and the club brought together an elite group of players, widely referred to as Galacticos. The Galacticos period of Real Madrid included players such as Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, David Beckham, Christiano Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos.
It is four-times the world record concerning transfer fees broken between 2000 and 2012 … in 2000, Luis Figo bough from Barcelona for EUR62 million while in 2001 Zinedine Zidane snatched of Juventus with EUR77.5 million. In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo snatched by Manchester United for EUR94 million In 2009, Gareth Bale bough from Tottenham for EUR100 million.
In hindsight Perez goals did not pan out. Although the venture couldn’t be considered sound, it was spectacular and many soccer fans surely enjoyed the extravagant celebration. And it wasn’t all without results, Real Madrid took a Champions League title in 2003 and the Spanish league title the same year.
After a relatively quiet three months under Ramon Calderon – during which Real nonetheless managed to win two La Liga titles and win a La Liga title – Perez returned to the presidency in 2009. As a result, the Galacticos policy was maintained by taking on Kaka, Christiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and manager Jose Mourinho; still, the silverware that was added was hard to obtain. But after managing to win 2011 La Liga and the 2011 and 2014 Copa del Reys, Real finally won its tenth Champions League in 2014 with an incredible extra-time win over Atletico Madrid.
Credit
In the wake of huge transfer fees and wages for top players Real Madrid are notorious for its enormous debts. According to Spanish professor Jose Maria Gay de Liebana that the balance at the end of the 2009-10 season was 659,9 million euros. In the city, Madrid has helped the team economical and financially, as for example, in 2001 by purchasing the training field at the stadium for EUR480 million.