The foot and the ball

Football is in the news with the World Cup coming up this summer. However, as a game it hardly is out of news at any time. After all, football or soccer as American call it, is the most popular game the world over no matter what the cricket –crazy fans of the South Asian countries agree or not.

Talking about football, for its fans a tour of the Real Madrid club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital is almost like a holy grail- like the La Bombonera stadium of the Boca Junior Club in Buenos Aires in Argentina where Diego Maradona practised and played. Now that Real Madrid has effortlessly sailed into their first Champions League final since 2002 defeating Bayern Munich, the holders, by 4-0 goals its reputation and of course, its star striker Cristiano Ronaldo’s too, has increased manifold. 

All this stoked the memory of a tour of the enormous stadium and its extensive museum a couple of years back. The visit is something to cherish indeed, even for those who may be confused between a ‘corner’ and an ‘off-side’.

For one, the museum tells the story of the rise in popularity of football in Spain which today boasts some of the finest football clubs in the world.

Spain actually took to football only after it found in late 19^th century that a “new sport” called football from England was gripping the interest of sports lovers in the country. Today, the corridors of the museum with rich displays on both sides unfold how it has grown in stature and popularity holding the football- fans in thrall.

The pages  from its history tells that in the late 1890s, academics and scholars in Spain including several alumni of Oxford and Cambridge formed a team to play on Sunday mornings. In 1902, it went by the name of Madrid Football Club. By  1905,  however,  it had already won the first of their many trophies. The club was granted its Royal (Real in Spanish) seal of approval by King Alfonso XIII, a football fan, in 1920.

However, the founding of the Second Spanish Republic by dictator General Franco at the advent of the Second World War meant that this 'Royal' tag was unwelcome. The club stagnated with no activities going on till the end of the War. Santiago Bernabeu Yeste, president of the club was the one to revive it and today the stadium is named after him honouring his contribution.

The stadium, built in the mid 1940s, can hold 81,000 as of now, making it Spain's largest venue behind the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Since then it has gone through many renovations and its next move reportedly is to increase the capacity to 93,000 making it the third largest stadium in the world with millions of Euros funneled in.

The Real Madrid Club has won numerous cups since its inception but more since its revival. The witness is the trophy cabinet with one glittering cup to another. For the record, they comprise 32 Spanish league championships, including five-in-a-row between 1961 and 1965, 19 Spanish Cups, nine European Cups, including the first five, and two UEFA Cups. 

In fact, the 'La Decima' (the tenth), a phrase coined by President Florentino Perez after the last triumph at the European cup in 2002, it has become a kind of obsession, a reason why the final this year in Lisbon in end May as Real Madrid  faces  compatriot and rival Atletico Club is  going to be even more momentous for the both  the clubs. To boot, Real’s star Ronaldo will be playing on the home grounds; he is a Portuguese after all.

Inside the museum on the ‘photo wall’ you will see pictures of every player who has ever played for Real Madrid. Also on display are shirts, boots of players and photos of many of the team's memorable moments. The trophy gallery is indeed a treat  with cups in many designs and some looking as good as artefacts from the jewellers’. One of the cups is in the shape of a building!

As you go through the galleries, meticulously maintained, it becomes obvious that football is a passion with this nation, not just a pastime. 

(Photo by the author)