Real Madrid - Club History

2001-2010

Figo, Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo… The best players in the world joined the Club and formed one of the most spectacular teams in history. The Santiago Bernabéu was expanded and the new Real Madrid City in Valdebebas was built. The crowning moment was the Club’s ninth European Cup title.

The Real Madrid Sports City rezoned

After the mandatory formalities, Real Madrid’s Sports City was rezoned after a three-way agreement that was signed in the headquarters of Madrid’s Autonomous Community Council on 7 May 2001. The three parties implicated were Florentino Pérez, José María Álvarez del Manzano and Alberto Ruiz Gallardón in representation of Real Madrid, the City Council and the Madrid Autonomous Community, respectively. The agreement accrued income worth ESP 80,000 million – EUR 480 million for the Club.

The King of Spain, Honourary Centenary President

In the prelude to the celebrations of the Real Madrid Centenary, Florentino Pérez and the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to offer His Majesty the King of Spain the Honourary Centenary President distinction. The monarch accepted the honorary presidency with his habitual modesty.

A Centenary riddled with successes

The Club Centennial took place in 2002 and attracted worldwide acclaim. From the sporting perspective, Madrid won their ninth European Cup after defeating Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow 2-1; the first European Super Cup against Feyenoord with an identical result (2-1); and their third Intercontinental Cup beating Club Olimpia by 2-0 in Tokyo. One could not have wished for a better 100-year anniversary.

Florentino Pérez resigns

On 27 February 2006, Florentino Pérez irrevocably resigned his Presidential post. Fernando Martín became the acting President, followed by Luis Gómez Montejano, who in turn called last summer’s Presidential elections.

Ramón Calderón elected President

The Real Madrid presidency was disputed by five candidates, Ramón Calderón, Juan Palacios, Juan Miguel Villar Mir, Lorenzo Sanz and Arturo Baldasano. Following the 2 July 2006 vote, Ramón Calderón was elected President after having won the in-person vote.

Capello’s comeback

On 5 July 2006, Fabio Capello signed for Madrid for the second time in his life. The Italian manager asked for and got the signings of Cannavaro, Emerson, Diarra, Reyes and Van Nistelrooy. The winter transfer window saw three new players join the Whites: Marcelo, Higuaín and Gago.

Death of Puskas

Ferenc Puskas Biro died on 17 November 2006 from an illness he had been suffering from for a long time; he was 79 years old.

Honourary Club Member Joseph Blatter

FIFA President Joseph Blatter was awarded the Club’s Gold and Diamond Insignia by Honourary President Alfredo di Stéfano, whom Blatter considers to be the all-time greatest football player. Real Madrid also made the FIFA Premier an Honourary Club Member.

ULEB Cup

The first of the two titles won by the basketball section in 2007 was the ULEB Cup. Real Madrid were practically invincible throughout the competition and defeated Unics Kazan and Lietuvos Rytas in the semifinals and final, respectively.

League champions

The ‘Together we can, together we stand’ campaign worked wonders and got the fans and the team to stand together and eventually win the Club’s 30th football League title. The Whites won the title after an impressive comeback against Mallorca the last day of the competition (3-1). It was Ramón Calderón’s first football title as President.

ACB Champions

One week later, the Basketball team also won its 30th League title by defeating Barcelona in the playoffs at the Palau Blaugrana. Pamesa and Joventut also fell against them on their road to victory. Felipe Reyes earned MVP honours in the final.

March 6 2008

Real Madrid turns 106 today. Since its foundation, the Club has been extremely successful and has embodied the greatest of sports values: to always have a fighting spirit and respect your opponent.

Back to Back league titles

The 2007/08 season began with a new project under new head coach Bernd Schuster and several new faces in the lineup: Robben, Heinze, Sneijder, Drenthe, Saviola, and Metzelder. Real Madrid took hold atop the table in Matchday 2 with a 0-5 victory over Villarreal, a position they never abandoned throughout the year. The Whites ended the campaign as the highest scoring (84 goals) and the least scored upon (36) team. They also established a new La Liga record by notching 85 points, 18 more than third place Barcelona.

Eighth Spanish Super Copa

After winning their second consecutive league title, Real Madrid faced Valencia in the Spanish Super Cup prior to the start of the 2008/09 season. Valencia won the first leg 3-2, but despite falling behind in the return leg at the Bernabeu, the Whites mounted an incredible turn around to claim their eighth Spanish Super Cup.

Florentino Perez begins second term as President

Florentino Perez returned to the presidency of Real Madrid on 1 June 2009 during an election campaign in which he ran unopposed, perhaps due to the overwhelming support of members as evidenced by several polls taken by major media outlets. Under the slogan “Excitement Returns”, the Florentino Perez candidacy brought about a sense of optimism that helped raise spirits after experiencing the dominance displayed by Barcelona. A new and exciting project backed by the legacy left by the same Board that ruled over the club for nearly six years is underway; six years during which Real Madrid lived some of its most memorable highlights ever.
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