10 facts you probably didn’t know about Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is home to the Real Madrid football team and the scene of some of the sport’s most iconic moments. Legends such as Zinedine Zidane, Raul Gonzalez and Emilio Butragueno are just a few players who have built their legacies in the iconic stadium.

Have you ever wondered how the stadium got its name or exactly what capacity it can hold? Below are ten facts about the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The stadium received its official name in 1955, named after a former player, coach and president, Santiago Bernabeu. The Real Madrid legend played for the club from 1921 to 1926 and was coach from 1926 to 1927. Bernabeu became president in 1943 and served for 34 years until his death at the age of 82.

With more than 82,000 seats, the Santiago Bernabeu is the third largest stadium in Europe, after Camp Nou and Wembley Stadium. The capacity is 84,744, but averages around 78,000 fans per match.

Real Madrid installed a hybrid turf in 2004, which combines natural grass with synthetic fibers. It helps keep the field in excellent condition, something that modern fields struggle with due to high usage.

Some of the best football clubs in the world use their stadiums as club museums. Real Madrid is one of them, with a trophy cabinet showcasing all their achievements. The Tour of the Bernabeu has been attended by more than 15 million people since its opening in 1999.

See the Walk of Legends when you go to Santiago Bernabeu for the stadium tour. This path runs around the perimeter of the stadium and contains statues and plaques of some of Los Blancos’ most notable players.

The stadium installed a retractable roof in February 2023, covering 9,000 square meters of the main roof area and 8,000 square meters of the interior roof. The roof retracts in 15 minutes and can be closed on big game nights to create a hostile atmosphere.

The renovation work, including the retractable roof, new LED lighting system and improved catering areas, was completed in 2019 and is estimated to have cost approximately $435 million.

The Santiago Bernabeu was one of several stadiums selected to host FIFA World Cup matches in 1982. It hosted four matches, including the final between Italy and West Germany, which the Italians won 3–1.

Although its main use may be to host Real Madrid matches, the stadium has hosted many major matches music concerts. U2, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Madonna have all had sold-out concerts there.

The Santiago Bernabeu has hosted four UEFA Champions League/European Cup finals, the first of which was a Real Madrid victory over Fiorentina in 1957. The last final played in the stadium was in 2010 between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

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