Real Madrid is a well-known club all over the world for a good reason. The success of Los Blancos has always been a big source of attraction. The story of Real Madrid history goes back to 1902 when the club was formed. Los Blancos has always been owned and run by the people who belong to it.
Real didn’t win the Spanish Cup until three years later when they beat Athletic Bilbao in the championship game. Los Blancos had some early success, as shown by the fact that they won the Copa del Rey four times in a row from 1905 to 1908. The club had already won two La Liga titles and seven Copa del Rey titles before World War II, and the war was a turning point.
Real Madrid History: The Greatest
Real Madrid is the biggest and most successful football club in the world. It’s either love or hate when it comes to Real Madrid, and honestly, it’s not weird at all if the rivals’ fans hate them as this club was unbeaten at some point. Everyone used to call them the “Kings of Europe”.
Real Madrid history has many upsides and downs, but the start of it goes back to March 6, 1902, when the Madrid football club was founded. Los Blancos, one of Spain’s earliest teams, won four of the first six Copa del Reys under Juan Padros’s guidance, helping sports and football expand in Spain.
Alfonso XIII led the team to amazing success with his vision. He worked to create the European Cup. The Champions League was a tournament for the best teams in Europe. After winning the first five tournaments, Los Blancos gained continental fame.
Modern Era of Florentino Perez
Real Madrid signed David Beckham and Michael Owen in 2003 under Florentino Perez. Madrid made these mega-deal signings after Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Nazario joined, and Luis Figo was controversially signed. These deals made the club earn a lot of money, but they failed on the field.
Perez, a very successful person in Real Madrid history, was re-elected as president in 2009. When he bought Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for 96 million euros, he set a new record. Real Madrid beat Liverpool in Paris in 2022 to win the Champions League for the 14th time.
Real Madrid Badge History
The first Real Madrid logo was just the letters MCF written in blue on a white background. In 1908, the first changes in Real Madrid badge history happened. So, the modern club’s logo comes from the city’s coat of arms. On June 29, 1920, King Alfonso XIII of Spain gave Madrid the royal title “Real,” which was put on the logo for the city. That gift from King Alfonso XIII, made its way into Real Madrid history.
From 1931 to 1939, the team was once again called the “Madrid” football club, and the crown was taken off the logo because it was against the law to use royal symbols. The Real Madrid logo got a purple stripe to show that Madrid is in the Castile region. After General Francisco Franco took over, Madrid was once again a royal city, and the crown was put back on the Galacticos logo.
Return of the Crown
This was the Real Madrid logo for more than 50 years. At the turn of the century, there were a few small changes. In 1908, Madrid changed its logo for the first time. The team’s letters have been kept, but they look different now. The designers have made the letter “M” bigger and rounder.
On the other hand, the letter “C” was downsized and moved to the middle. At that point, a king or queen’s big blue and white crown made its first appearance on the badge, and this was an important moment in Real Madrid logo history. The crown was taken off the emblem because the new government didn’t allow crowns after the Revolution. The blue ring was kept, the letters were put in the middle, and a wide stripe of purple was added inside the circle.
After the civil war, the club got the crown back. Only the color was different in the 1997 edition. Gold got more yellow, and purple turned blue. The last time Real Madrid’s logo changed dates back to 2001. It had a bigger “M,” a thinner and shorter diagonal stripe, and a crown that was just a little bit higher than the ring. The main color was yellow, and dark blue lines outlined all shapes.
Real Madrid Champions League History
Los Blancos’ historic run in the UEFA Champions League, which has now led to 14 trophies, will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary in the tournament’s history. Real Madrid has won twice as many trophies as the next-best team, AC Milan. Real Madrid Champions League history is full of glorious moments.
In 1956, the club won the European Cup for the first time after defeating Reims in the Parc des Princes. They won their sixth European Cup on May 11, 1966, when they beat Partizan Belgrade 2-1 at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. This team was known as the “Ye-Ye” team.
They also played Liverpool in the 1980–81 European Cup final, which was also held in Paris. Liverpool and Real Madrid have played each other many times, and Los Blancos have won most of those games. Even so, the club has been successful in Europe for a long time. This is shown by the fact that it has been in more than a quarter of all European Cups and Champions League finals.
But the last ten years have been their most successful, with four Champions League titles in five seasons (2013-2018). Real Madrid has an excellent record in the Champions League finals. They have won 14 of the 17 finals they have played, including the most recent one against Liverpool in Paris.
Real Madrid won the 14th European Cup thanks to the great leading ability of Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian coach won the European Cup in 2022 when his team beat Liverpool in the final at the Stade de France in Paris. This was his second time with the club.
Real Madrid Kit History
If we want to sum up Real Madrid kit history in one word, we can say: the white color. Real Madrid’s official colors are white. It was chosen when the club first started, and the members have never changed their minds. This is how the team got the name “Los Blancos”. So, the current Real Madrid kit is all white, from head to toe. The shirts, shorts, and socks all match.
As their home kit, the team has always worn white shirts and black socks. This shows how good the club is and gives Real fans something to be proud of. In the beginning, Real Madrid jerseys had beautiful collars and were tied around the neck.
From 1956 until 1960, when they won the Cup for the fifth time in a row, Real Madrid dominated European football, and the men in white became kings of the world.
The last time Real Madrid jersey history witnessed a change was back in 1955, right before the team won its first European Cup. In that year, the socks went from being black to being white.
After that, Madrid’s all-white jerseys didn’t change much, except for a few small things like sponsor logos and trim, for the next 20 years. Adidas became Los Blancos’ official kit provider in 1982. Since then, their uniforms have always had the three Adidas stripes, which are usually blue, purple, black, or golden sometimes.
Real Madrid Away Kit History
Real Madrid’s home jerseys have always had the same colors, but their away kit has changed. At first, most of the members wore only purple and blue kits. Even though Los Blancos usually play away games in blue, purple, and black, they have changed things up a bit in recent years.
The most well-known of these kits are the pink kit from 2014 to 2015 and the light grey jersey from 2015 to 2016. Both kits were also worn as streetwear and are still worn by many people today.
Real Madrid Trophies History
Real Madrid is known as the most successful football club in the world at the moment. In this part, we will list all the Real Madrid honors. Real Madrid has won record trophies in European and international competitions, including 14 European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Cups, 5 UEFA Super Cups, 5 FIFA Club World, and 3 Intercontinental Cups.
Real Madrid won 35 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey titles, 12 Supercopa de Espana titles, two Latin Cup titles, and one League Cup title. They also have five Mancomunados trophies and 18 Regional Championships. As you can see, the story behind the Real Madrid trophies history is so rich and wonderful.
Real Madrid Stadiums
Madrid was in its golden age in 1911. This is when the club really started to do well. Spain’s football team had a hard time. The directors of the club were very important to Real Madrid’s win. They had to move because more people following them meant more money. The team was forced to move to O’Donnell Stadium.
In the 1920s, the club’s growing popularity meant that the stadium had to be changed twice more. In the 1920s, many things happened that would come to define Real Madrid history. The most important thing was the building of the old Chamartín, which was a huge project at the time.
The stadium used to be called Nuevo Chamartín on the Paseo de la Castellana. On January 4, 1955, it was renamed Santiago Bernabeu in honor of Santiago Bernabeu, the Real Madrid Football Club president.
Santiago Bernabeu — one of the best Real Madrid stadiums ever — has had many major changes over its long and storied history. When the European Champions League started in 1955, the Santiago Bernabeu was the biggest stadium in the league because it could hold up to 125,000 people.
The Santiago Bernabeu is a sign of how far football has spread around the world as you can see the passion, but it is worth noting there is no information about the Real Madrid mascot in the stadium.
Real Madrid Rivalries History
The two other Spanish clubs—Barcelona and Atletico—are Real Madrid’s main rivals on the football field. Some of the exciting matches they’ve played are unforgettable.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona
In a semifinals qualifier for the Spanish Cup in 1916, Madrid and Barcelona began one of the biggest rivalries in sports history and, of course, a turning point in Real Madrid history. Without away goals rules, the series included four matches to determine who would go to the final.
Barcelona won the first game 2-1, but Madrid responded with a 4-1 victory in the second. The third game concluded 4-4 after regulation and then 6-6 after overtime. Real Madrid won the fourth and final match 4-2 and advanced to the Spanish Cup final.
Barcelona players walked off the field with seven minutes left in regulation in protest of the fourth goal, which they believed was offside. Espanyol, another Barcelona-native team, hosted the final, which Madrid and Bilbao played.
The Spanish National Guard had to defend the Madrid players on their way to the pitch, and after the game, rocks and stones were thrown at the Madrid bus, and the relationship between the two teams worsened. To this date, the fans of each side despise each other’s club, which increases the tension in El Clasico games.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
People who have been to a Madrid Derby can talk about the competition between the two teams and the rush of adrenaline that comes with it. Many people think the rivalry between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid goes beyond football.
Somehow Real Madrid history is connected with the city rival. People often believe that Real Madrid is a team for the rich and powerful, while Atletico is more of a team for ordinary people. In reality, fans of both teams come from all walks of life.
Real Madrid Managers History
One of the biggest football teams in the world is Real Madrid. In our Real Madrid manager history section, we talk about the best coaches who have led Los Blancos.
Arthur Johnson
Real Madrid’s past is connected to the name of Arthur Johnson. He was the first player to score the first goal in Real Madrid’s history. Years later, he became the team’s first manager, a job he held for ten years, making him the second coach in the white team’s history to stay in the job the longest.
Jose Villalonga – Miguel Munoz – Luis Molowny Arbelo
The next manager of Real Madrid was Jose Villalonga. Villalonga won trophies with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and the Spain national team while he was their coach. Miguel Munoz was the club’s first successful manager and is still the most successful and longest-serving coach in the club’s history. Luis Molowny Arbelo is the next coach on the list.
He led Real Madrid four times between 1974 and 1986 and won nine trophies with the Whites. He took over as manager of the first team when Miguel Munoz retired. That year, the team won the Copa del Rey final.
Vicente del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque was one of Real Madrid’s most successful managers. He took over in 1994. He was in charge of the team in 1994, for one game in 1996, and for the entire season of 1999–2000. Del Bosque earned the trust of the directors. He led Real Madrid to win the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and the Spanish league in 2001. Under Del Bosque, Real won the European Cup in 2002 and La Liga in 2003.
Real Madrid grew under Del Bosque and played exciting, aggressive football with Galacticos like Luis Figo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo. Vicente del Bosque won 104 matches out of a possible 186 at Real Madrid.
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello was appointed back in 2006 to preside over a Madrid side that had remained baron— discounting Carlos Queiroz’s Supercopa—since the departure of Vicente del Bosque in 2003.
But, even though he brought the La Liga title back to the Spanish capital, the Italian manager had a hard season. At the end of that season, Fabio Capello and Real Madrid parted ways at the end of the season. He wasn’t a popular person at Real Madrid, and his ideas about football were almost the exact opposite of what the Madrid fans believed in.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is usually considered one of the greatest managers in the game’s history. He joined Real Madrid after winning the continental triple with Inter Milan in 2009–10. In the 2010–11 La Liga season, Madrid finished with 92 points but challenged Barcelona.
Mourinho ended Barcelona’s three-year La Liga dominance the following year despite Lionel Messi’s 50 league goals. However, the Portuguese could not bring Los Blancos the much-desired La Decima in the UEFA Champions League, as Madrid lost in the semifinals for three consecutive years under his watch.
Zinedine Zidane
He might be the best in the list of Real Madrid managers history. After Rafael Benitez left the Spanish club in January 2016, Zinedine Zidane was named coach for two-and-a-half years. Real Madrid went 40 games without losing, which was longer than Luis Enrique’s streak with Barcelona. They won the Champions League and La Liga. Zidane quit as head coach of Real Madrid five days after they won the treble. He said the club “needed to change.”
However, Perez convinced Zidane for a second spell, and the Frenchman returned. Zidane’s team won La Liga again. After winning the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup twice, Zinedine Zidane left the club. Fans regretted Zidane’s departure, but he will remain an important person in Real Madrid history.
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti, who won eight UEFA club titles, is one of the best managers in Real Madrid coaches history. Two Champions League titles with Real Madrid are his mark on the club. After Jose Mourinho departed in June 2013, Ancelotti accepted a three-year contract to head to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid won their tenth Champions League by defeating Atletico Madrid 4-1 in his first year. He departed following another season without a La Liga title. Ancelotti left Everton to manage Real Madrid again in June 2021. In his debut year, he won three titles: La Liga, Supercopa de España, and Champions League. He is in charge of Real Madrid right now, in 2023.
