Estadio Santiago Bernabéu Construction

Lore & Background

The stadium was built on land acquired from the Ruiz del Villar family and the Maqueda and Chávarri families, plus expropriations for urbanization. Financing came from three bond issues totaling 30,000,000 pesetas, arranged by treasurer Luis Corrales Ferras and backed by Banco Mercantil e Industrial. The design by Manuel Muñoz Monasterio and Luis Alemany Soler won a competition. Construction was carried out by Huarte y Compañía, S.A., under the direction of the architects and civil engineer Carlos Fernández Casado.

Reader's Guide

The stadium was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 with a match between Real Madrid and Os Belenenses. The first official match was on 28 December 1947, a 5–1 victory over Athletic Club. Initial capacity was 75,145 spectators.

Did You Know?

• The total cost of construction was 38,300,000 pesetas, not 288,000,000 as previously stated.
• The land cost 4,500,000 pesetas, and the material execution of the stadium cost 28,000,000 pesetas.
• The first goal at the stadium was scored by Sabino Barinaga in the 15th minute of the inaugural match.