Merger with Aviación Nacional

Lore & Background

The rivalry between the two clubs started at the very beginning of the twentieth century. Madrid Foot-Ball Club (founded 1902), the most powerful club in the Spanish capital, kept on making mergers and acquisitions of the best smaller clubs in the city, which subsequently disappeared. At the same time, Madrid FC also signed the best players from the clubs it did not absorb, which also made those clubs defunct when they were unable to compete against the Whites. The main exception to this pattern was Athletic Club Madrid (founded 1903), who were able to keep most of their best players thanks to the financial aid of their 'parent', Athletic Club Bilbao, and so became the last stand against the Madrid FC supremacy in the capital.

In Their Own Story

A gust of wind swept across the Metropolitano pitch, carrying the damp scent of rain and cut grass. A player tugged at his collar, feeling the unfamiliar weight of the new badge—wings stitched proudly above the crest. The roar from the stands broke years of silence, a sound that vibrated through the worn coats of old friends in the crowd. They knew the truth: this was merely a uniform change. Beneath the feathers and the military insignia, the heart beating for Madrid remained exactly the same. When the ball struck his foot, it wasn't an act of service to aviation or the state; it was a declaration of loyalty to the city.

Reader's Guide

After the war, during the early Francoist period, Atlético became associated with the military air force (and thus renamed Atlético Aviación), although the alleged preference of the regime for the club is subject to discussion, as after winning their very first league title in 1940, Atlético's coach Ricardo Zamora was jailed on charges of being a communist.

Did You Know?

• Atlético's coach Ricardo Zamora was jailed on charges of being a communist after winning the 1940 league title.
• The Madrid derby first gained international attention in 1959 during the European Cup semi-finals.
• Atlético fans regularly chanted that Real Madrid were 'El equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país' – 'The team of the government, the shame of the country'.