A theatre of Real dreams
Written by changthai11 on Sunday, October 5th, 2008
A theatre of Real dreams
Ranjana Wangvipula takes a trip around the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital
Football-mad visitors have only one place in mind when they visit Spain’s capital _ the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. While some are lucky enough to be able to watch a home Primera Liga game featuring the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder or Sergio Ramos in the club’s famous white shirts, everyone can enjoy a trip around the stadium and museum when the team aren’t playing.
Real Madrid’s ground is just a 10-minute Metro ride from Madrid’s Barajas airport and the renowned stadium is a museum itself that displays a rich and proud history.
Many football fans travel to Spain just to see the stadium, which has helped its tenants win nine European crowns and many domestic titles.
For devout fans who live abroad, a trip to the stadium is a must-do journey in their lifetime.
An entrance ticket to enjoy a closer look at the pitch, substitutes benches and dressing rooms is 15 euros (710 baht) and the fans don’t seem reluctant to buy one.
The charge is higher than entry for the Prado Museum in Madrid, which is one of the top museums in the world and has an admission fee of nine euros (425 baht).
Named after the club’s late president Santiago Bernabeu, the stadium has become a permanent ground of Real Madrid since 1955. Before anchoring there, the club had changed its venue many times since being formed in 1902.
Once its footballers had to even play near matadors and bulls at the nearby Madrid bullring.
At its peak, the stadium was able to serve up to 120,000 spectators. But later, with modernisation and Uefa regulation forbidding terraces, the capacity was reduced to 80,354 seats which can be reached by eight elevators and dozens of gates around the building.
One of its elevators is reserved for tourists, who are allowed to have a bird’s eye view of the field between 10am and 7pm on weekdays.
The glass lift slowly takes the visitors to seats at the top floor. At first glance of the view below, most take out their cameras to shoot photos of the green pitch rimmed with the blue stands.
The empty field, with some pigeons walking on it, is attractive enough to draw attention even if it is not occupied by world-class players.
The tranquil atmosphere is far removed from that of match days, when loud cheering and shouting is heard.
Not far from this panoramic view of the field is a way leading tourists toward the inner part of the building.
Stadium staff are on hand to point the way to the next stop.
The museum is a long pathway with a display of the club’s treasures.
Exhibitions of the club’s history is featured on the other. The evolution of the Real Madrid crest has many stories to tell artistically and politically.
The team was originally named ”MCF” for Madrid Club de Futbol. In the early 20th century, King Alfonso XIII granted the club his royal patronage, which gave the word ”Real,” or royal in English, to the name and a crown to the crest. The crown was taken out of the crest as the Spanish monarch was at crisis before the country’s civil war in 1936. It was later brought back again with some shortening and lengthening of the three letters to make it more stylish as it appears today.
The crown also bears significance when the club’s successes are taken into account. Real Madrid is dubbed ”Rey de La Liga,” or the King of the League, with a big scoop of 31 trophies in the national league.
The team is also a Rey of the European cups as it has claimed nine titles, the greatest number in history.
Visitors to the trophy room may be overwhelmed by the great number of shiny trophies on the shelves. The cups have been gained by the team domestically and internationally over the past 106 years.
”Listening to the pulse of the Madridismo, ones would discover the true dimension of the Real Madrid,” reads a sentence written near the gallery of its players adjacent to the trophy room.
The ”Madridismo,” or being Madrid, reveals everything about this elite football club.
It is not only about the success of their generations of players, but there are also explanations of the club’s vision.
Real Madrid fans have not forgotten the moment when Argentine Alfredo Di Stefano signed a contract with club president Santiago Bernabeu and then made his debut on September 23, 1953.
His inclusion sparked Real Madrid’s hunt for success, which finally earned the team a title of Rey.
At one corner of the trophy room, the white memorial statues of late Bernabeu and Di Stefano are placed to highlight such historic moments.
Before the arrival of the player, Real Madrid had earned only two league titles in 23 years. With Di Stefano, the team entered a golden period, which has been maintained by generations of talented footballers.
”I was a team player,” Di Stefano said humbly in a response to praise.
His words remind the Real Madrid fans of the importance of team work and not only with football stars. This mantra will help decide what will be written in the next chapter of the club this season, which continues today with a home match against Espanyol
