Campo de O'Donnell

Lore & Background

Atlético Madrid moved from Tiro del Pichón in 1913. The construction was funded by patron Manuel Rodríguez Arzuaga, who contributed 30,000 pesetas. It was the first stadium in Madrid to install fences, enabling ticket sales. The inaugural match was on 9 February 1913 against Athletic Bilbao, who won 4–0. The stadium hosted the 1915 Prince of Asturias Football Cup final and the first international match in Madrid on 18 December 1921, when Spain defeated Portugal 3–1. Its last match was on 8 April 1923, a 2–2 friendly with FK Viktoria Žižkov.

In Their Own Story

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the dusty pitch of O'Donnell as the crowd roared, a sound that seemed to vibrate through the very timber of the stands. The air was thick with the scent of tobacco and anticipation. On the field, the red and white shirts clashed against their opponents in a dance of tactical grit and raw emotion. Every tackle sent dust into the air; every goal triggered an eruption from the neighborhood that felt less like a match and more like a defense of honor. In those final years at O'Donnell, before the move to bigger arenas, the connection between the player and the fan was visceral, unbreakable, and born in this very soil.

Reader's Guide

The stadium was located in the block bounded by O'Donnell, Narváez (then undeveloped), and Menorca streets. It had a capacity of 10,000 spectators. The club moved to Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid due to increasing fan numbers.

Did You Know?

• Real Madrid inaugurated their own Campo de O'Donnell a month earlier, just 200 meters north on the same street.
• The stadium was the first in Madrid to host an international match, and the second in Spain after San Mamés.
• The last goal scored at the stadium was by Galenek of FK Viktoria Žižkov.