Atleti

Lore & Background

Founded on 26 April 1903 as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid (a branch of Bilbao-based Athletic Club), the entity merged with Club Aviación Nacional in 1939, becoming Atlético de Madrid in 1946. After 1987, Jesús Gil oversaw the transformation from sports club to sociedad anónima deportiva (S.A.D.), underpinning his family's control over the shareholding structure through misappropriation. The club's traditional kits consist of red and white vertical striped shirts and blue shorts. Followers are nicknamed as colchoneros ('mattress makers'), indios ('Indians') and rojiblancos ('redwhites'). Prince Felipe, later King Felipe VI, has been the honorary president of the club since 2003. Atlético are one of the most successful Spanish clubs, having won 11 La Liga titles, including a league and cup double in 1996. Further domestic trophies include 10 Copa del Rey titles, two Supercopas de España, one Copa Presidente FEF and one Copa Eva Duarte. They have also won numerous titles in Europe, including the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1962, the UEFA Europa League in 2010, 2012 and 2018, and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010, 2012 and 2018, in addition to the 1974 Intercontinental Cup. In the UEFA Champions League, Atlético reached the final in 1974, 2014 and 2016. They sustain a standing rivalry with Madrid neighbours Real Madrid, with whom they contest the Madrid derby.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Metropolitano was thick with tension, a physical weight that pressed against the chest of every soul in the stadium. It was the 89th minute, the score level, and the roar of the 'Cholismo' had reached a fever pitch, vibrating through the concrete stands. On the pitch, ten men in red and white stripes stood shoulder to shoulder, forming an impenetrable wall against the relentless wave of blue. A veteran defender, his face streaked with sweat and mud, locked eyes with a young striker on the bench. No words were spoken; they didn't need them. They shared the same history, the same scars from decades of near-misses, and the same unyielding belief that this was their moment. The referee blew for a corner kick. As the ball arced into the box, the entire stadium held its breath, united in a singular prayer: '¡Vamos Atleti!'.

Reader's Guide

The club was founded on 26 April 1903 as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid by three Basque students living in Madrid. These founders saw the new club as a youth branch of their childhood team, Athletic Bilbao who they had just seen win the 1903 Copa del Rey Final in the city. In 1904, they were joined by dissident members of Real Madrid. They began playing in blue and white halved shirts, the then colours of Athletic Bilbao. Bilbao had switched to their current red and white stripes by 1910, whereas the Madrid team only adopted their now traditional red and white striped shirts in 1911. Some believe the change came about because red and white striped tops were the cheapest to make, as the same combination was used to make ticking for mattresses, and the unused cloth was easily converted into football shirts. This contributed to the club's nickname, Los Colchoneros. However, another explanation is that both Athletic Bilbao and Athletic Madrid used to buy Blackburn Rovers' blue and white kits in England. In late 1909, Juan Elorduy, a former player and member of the board of Athletic Madrid, went to England to buy kits for both teams but failed to find Blackburn kits to purchase; he instead bought the red and white shirts of Southampton (the club from the port city which was his embarkation point back to Spain). An investigation in 2023 proposed an alternative kit origin location as Sunderland, whose team also wore those colours. Athletic Madrid adopted the red and white shirt, leading to them being known as Los Rojiblancos, but opted to keep their existing blue shorts whereas the Bilbao team switched to new black shorts. Athletic Bilbao won the 1911 Copa del Rey Final using several 'borrowed' players from Athletic Madrid, including Manolón who scored one of their goals. Athletic's first ground, the Ronda de Vallecas, was in the eponymous working-class area on the south side of the city. In 1919, the Compañía Urbanizadora Metropolitana—the company that ran the underground communication system in Madrid—acquired some land, near the Ciudad Universitaria. In 1921, Athletic Madrid became independent of parent-club Athletic Bilbao and moved into a 35,800-seater stadium built by the company, the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid. During the 1920s, Athletic won the Campeonato del Centro three times and were Copa del Rey runners-up in 1921, where they faced parent club At

Did You Know?

• The club's first ground, the Ronda de Vallecas, was in the working-class area on the south side of Madrid.
• Atlético's nickname 'Los Colchoneros' comes from the red and white striped fabric used for mattresses, which was cheap and used for their shirts.
• In 1947, Atlético beat Real Madrid 5–0 at the Metropolitano, their biggest win over their cross-town rivals to date.
• Prince Felipe, later King Felipe VI, has been the honorary president of the club since 2003.