Santiago Bernabéu (footballer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Santiago Bernabéu
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Bernabéu in 1971
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| 11th president of Real Madrid | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 11 September 1943 – 2 June 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Antonio Santos Peralba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Luis de Carlos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 8 June 1895 Almansa, Spain |
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| Died | 2 June 1978 (aged 82) Madrid, Spain |
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Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste (born June 8, 1895 – died June 2, 1978) was a famous Spanish footballer. He played as a forward for Real Madrid. Many people think he is one of the most important people in Real Madrid's history. He was the club's president for 35 years, from 1943 until he passed away in 1978.
Under Santiago Bernabéu's leadership, Real Madrid became a very strong team. They won many games both in Spain and around the world. The club's current stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, is named after him to honor his great work.
Contents
Early Life and Football Career
Santiago Bernabéu was born in a town called Almansa, in Spain. When he was very young, his family moved to Madrid. Santiago loved football and often watched Real Madrid's games. In 1909, when he was 14, he joined Real Madrid's youth team, which is like their training academy for young players.
He was a strong player and even wore the captain's armband for many years. This meant he was the leader of the team on the field. In 1920, Santiago Bernabéu left Real Madrid for a short time. He joined their city rival, Atlético Madrid, but only played one game for them. In 1921, he returned to Real Madrid and continued to play as a forward until he stopped playing professionally in 1926. After that, he stayed involved with the club. He worked as a manager for the first team, then as a director, and later as an assistant manager until 1935.
The Spanish Civil War and Rebuilding
In 1936, the Spanish Civil War started in Spain. Because of the war, professional football games stopped completely. During this difficult time, Santiago Bernabéu was involved in the war.
After the war ended, Bernabéu spent many months working hard to find and contact former players, directors, and club members. He wanted to bring everyone back together and rebuild the club. His efforts helped Real Madrid get back on its feet.
Becoming President and Building a Legacy
In 1943, Santiago Bernabéu was chosen to be the president of Real Madrid. He held this important job until he died in 1978. As president, he had many big ideas for the club. He changed how the club worked at every level, making it a modern professional football club. He gave different parts of the club their own special teams and hired people who were very good at what they did, like Raimundo Saporta.
Bernabéu also worked to build a huge new stadium. This stadium is now known as the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and was once the biggest in Europe. He also built the Ciudad Deportiva, which is a training ground for players. This way, the main stadium's grass would not get damaged during practice.
One of his most important decisions was to sign amazing players from Spain and other countries. The most famous player he signed was Alfredo Di Stéfano. Many legendary players played for Real Madrid during Bernabéu's time as president. These included Molowny, Muñoz, Di Stéfano, Gento, Rial, Santamaría, Kopa, Puskás, Amancio, Pirri, Netzer, Santillana, Juanito, Camacho, and del Bosque. With these incredible players, Real Madrid became incredibly successful. They won many titles in Spain and, most famously, won the European Cup five times in a row!
Impact on European Football and His Legacy
Santiago Bernabéu had a huge impact beyond just Real Madrid. In 1955, he helped create what is now the Champions League. This idea came from a journalist named Gabriel Hanot. Bernabéu met with others in Paris to start this tournament, which began as a competition for invited teams. Today, it is the biggest club football tournament in the world, run by UEFA.
Bernabéu also showed great sportsmanship. After the Munich air disaster in 1958, he helped Manchester United rebuild their team.
When Santiago Bernabéu passed away in 1978, he had been president of Real Madrid for 35 years. During his time, the club won:
- 1 Intercontinental Cup
- 6 European Cups
- 16 Spanish league titles
- 6 Spanish Cups
- 2 Latin Cups
- 1 Copa Eva Duarte
He died in 1978, while the World Cup was happening in Argentina. To honor him, FIFA (the world football governing body) announced three days of mourning during the tournament. In 2002, he was given the FIFA Order of Merit, a special award for his contributions to football.
See also
In Spanish: Santiago Bernabéu para niños
