Everyone would think about Real Madrid as the most popular club in the football world. They have a lot of football stars and have collected many trophies. Real Madrid would be the best role model for a club which wants to become the most popular club with the most achievements.
If the overseas club, Manchester United which has Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson and got help by the Premier League to be the most popular club in the world, then who is the person behind the blooming name of Real Madrid in the history of the football world?
Let’s give a bow down to the Santiago Bernabeu, a person who devoted his life entirely for Real Madrid. He had ever been a player, team captain, assistant coach, head coach, and various positions in the club management, even until becoming the club president…
Had been joining as a junior player in 1909 at the age of 14 years until he died as the club president in 1978 at the age of 83 years, the Bernabeu practically spent his days working amazingly on the greatness of Real Madrid…
Despite having a background as a law graduate, Bernabeu turned out to have a visionary idea in developing the administration of the club. Since retiring as a player in 1927, he learned how football turned into a business. When Spanish football began to go internationally, Bernabeu successfully managed to turn Madrid into the world’s first super club…
Bernabeu’s dedication reached its peak in 1943 when he officially became the club president. He then included handball and basketball in the structure of Real Madrid. His biggest idea at the time was to renovate the Chamartin Stadium which getting old.
The new stadium was opened in 1947 and continued to be expanded in the 1950s decade. Since 1955, it was called the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Eight years later, he completed the club’s facilities by establishing the Ciudad Deportiva as the club’s first training complex.
Bernabeu made Madrid the world’s giant club at that time by forming a special division for talent seeker and transfer officers. As a result, they became the first Galacticos with star players such as Alfredo di Stefano, Francesco Gento, Raymond Kopa, and Jose Camacho.
Furthermore, Bernabeu was also being remembered as the initiator of the European Champions League. In 1955, he met Gustav Sebes, an influential football figure from Hungary to conduct an exhibition tournament which was attended by invited clubs from all over Europe. Getting broadcasted by UEFA, the tournament then became the European Champions League.
Real Madrid won five consecutive Champions League since it was first held, then won it once again in 1966. The six Champions League trophies were in fact only a snippet of the overall Madrid trophies won in the Bernabeu era, which reached 71 trophies.
It can be concluded that Bernabeu had left everything to Real Madrid. He had built a stadium which until now is still trusted to host important world matches. He also created the first Los Galacticos, initiated the European Champions League, and made Madrid the most trophies collectors.
When he died in the summer of 1978, he had been the club president for more than 35 years. He died at the same time while the 1978 World Cup was taking place in Argentina. Even FIFA had paid full respect on Bernabeu’s dedication by initiating a day of mourning during the tournament.
The history of Real Madrid would not be written in the gold ink if it was not for the Santiago Bernabeu…
