Real Madrid CF

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, sometimes known as Real Madrid, is a Spanish football club from Madrid, Spain. It was started in 1902 and competes in La Liga (the Spanish top league).  The "Real" in the club's name is Spanish for "royal", because it was blessed by the King of Spain in 1920.

Real Madrid has won La Liga 34 times and the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) 19 times, the most out of any team in the league. It has also won the UEFA Champions League a record 15 times and the UEFA Cup twice.

Real Madrid was recognised as the FIFA Club of the 20th Century on 11 December 2000, and received the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit on 20 May 2004. In June 2017, the team succeeded in becoming the first club to win the Champions League twice in a row. In 2018, Madrid made history by becoming the first club in recent history to win the Champions League three times in a row. They beat Liverpool F.C. 3–1 in the final.

Since it began, Real Madrid has since spent all of its history in La Liga, and has never been relegated down to a lower level. This shows how strong they have been just to stay in the top flight of Spanish football. In the 1940s, the club, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (now known simply as Bernabéu) and the Ciudad Deportiva were rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War. The club became a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. In the 1980s, the club had one of the best teams in Spain and Europe (known as La Quinta del Buitre). They had won two UEFA Cups, five Spanish championships in a row, one Spanish cup and three Spanish Super Cups.

The club has bought and had many famous footballers, including Ronaldo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and other very famous footballers. The most expensive player is Jude Bellingham, who was bought in 2024 for 127 million euros from Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga.

The club's traditional home colours are all white. Its crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand. The current crest is a modified version of the one first adopted in the 1920s. Real's home stadium is the 81,044 capacity Bernabéu in Madrid, where it has played since 1947. Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since it was opened. Real is the world's most valuable club. Real Madrid has won 34 La Liga titles.

 Rivalries 

 El Clásico 
There is a strong rivalry between the two strongest teams in La Liga, which are Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, where the game between them is known as "El Clásico" ("The Classic").

 Madrid Derby 
The club's nearest neighboring club is Atlético Madrid, and matches between them are known as "Madrid Derby". A strong rivalry is shared between fans of both teams.

 Current Squad 
Current Squad

 Honours 
+Real Madrid CF honoursTypeCompetitionTitlesSeasonsDomesticLa Liga361953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2019–20 , 2021-22, 2023-24Copa del Generalísimo/Copa del Rey201905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1917, 1934, 1936, 1946, 1947, 1961–62, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2023-24Supercopa de España141948,1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2017, 2019–20, 2021-22, 2023-24Copa Eva Duarte11947Copa de la Liga11985ContinentEuropean Cup/UEFA Champions League151955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1965–66, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18  2021-22 2023-24UEFA Cup21984–85, 1985–86UEFA Super Cup62002, 2014, 2016, 2017 , 2022-23, 2024-25WorldwideIntercontinental Cup31960, 1998, 2002FIFA Club World Cup62014, 2016, 2017, 2018 , 2022 , 2024

  shared record

 League position 
SeasonLeaguePosition2000/01La LigaChampions2001/02La Liga3rd2002/03La LigaChampions2003/04La Liga4th2004/05La Liga2nd2005/06La Liga2nd2006/07La LigaChampions2007/08La LigaChampions2008/09La Liga2nd2009/10La Liga2nd2010/11La Liga2nd2011/12La LigaChampions2012/13La Liga2nd2013/14La Liga3rd2014/15La Liga2nd2015/16La Liga2nd2016/17La LigaChampions2017/18La Liga3rd2018/19La Liga3rd2019/20La LigaChampions2020/21La Liga2nd

 Former position 

 Reserve Team 

 Most expensive players 
PlayerFromTransfer Fee(£ millions)Transfer Fee (€ millions)DateRef1 Eden Hazard Chelsea£89€100June 2019 Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur£86€100September 20133 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United£80€96June 2009 4 Zinedine Zidane Juventus£46.6€76July 20015 James Rodríguez Monaco£63€75July 20146 Kaká Milan£56€67June 20097 Luís Figo Barcelona£37€62July 20008  Eintracht Frankfurt£52.4€60June 20199 Éder Militão Porto£43€50July 201910 Ferland Mendy Lyon£42.7€48June 2019

 References 

Category:Real Madrid CF
Category:Football clubs based in Madrid
Category:1902 establishments in Europe
Category:1900s establishments in Spain