FACTS About Real Madrid C.F: History, Titles, Managers, Top Players and Trophies

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is commonly known as Real Madrid, or simply as Real. Photo: Logos-world

History of Real Madrid

Founded on 6 March 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn a white home kit since inception. The word Real is Spanish for Royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem. The team has played its home matches in the 81,044-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European sporting entities, Real Madrid's members have owned and operated the club throughout its history, according to IMDB.

Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s, winning five consecutive European Cups and reaching the final seven times. This success was replicated in the league, where the club won five times in the space of seven years. This team, which consisted of players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Francisco Gento and Raymond Kopa, is considered by some in the sport to be the greatest team of all time.

How many league titles and trophies has Real Madrid achieved?

Photo: The Times

Real Madrid CF has probably achieved all a football club could. With a record 33 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey trophies, a sensational 13 European Cups/Champions Leagues and 2 UEFA Cups, Real are second to none in a competition for the greatest football club of all time, as reported by Football History.

What are top 5 greatest managers in the club history?

Jose Mourinho

The former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho joined Real Madrid in the 2010/11 season. Mourinho had just delivered a treble-winning season at Inter Milan. He was one of the biggest names in world football, The Real Champs cites.

The Portuguese joined the club at the time when Barcelona was dominating on both the domestic and European front. Los Merengues lost the league to their Catalan rivals for the past two seasons; they failed to qualify past the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League since the 2004/05 season.

The team from Madrid needed a leader who will not only guide them back to winning ways but also bring a sense of competitiveness. They found that leader in Mourinho.

Luis Carniglia

Argentinian coach Luis Carniglia was fortunate enough to manage the Real Madrid side which dominated football upon the introduction of the European Cup in the mid-'50s.

With players such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa and Ferenc Puskas at his disposal, it would have been criminal for Carniglia to not produce the goods to keep him in the memories of Madridistas.

During a two-year spell as the boss—briefly interrupted in 1959 when Miguel Munoz took the reins for six weeks—he continued Madrid's monopoly on the European Cup by winning it twice ('58 and '59). He also led them to one La Liga title. When he left the club in 1959, he left with a win percentage of close to 70.

Photo: Khel Now

Jose Villalonga

Jose Villalonga, to this day, remains the youngest ever coach to win the European Cup. He was 36 years and 184 days old when Real Madrid won the first-ever edition in 1956.

He was handed the reins halfway through the 1954/55 season and went on to help the club to the double, winning La Liga and the Copa Latino. The following season, the European Cup followed thanks to Villalonga's deployment of players who remain stars to this day.

Raymond Kopa, Alfredo Di Stefano, Hector Rial, Francisco Gento and a certain Miguel Munoz, who will also feature in this countdown, were all vital members of his side.

He left the club at the end of the 1956/57 season, but he left on a wonderful note. His leaving present was the treble; Primera Division, European Cup and Copa Latino. Jose Mourinho would have done well to take some notes.

Vicente Del Bosque

Spain's greatest coach of the modern era also happens to be Real Madrid's greatest coach of the modern era. Vicente Del Bosque had already had two spells as a caretaker manager at the Bernabeu, in 1994 and 1996, when he was handed the job properly in 1999.

In 2000, he won the Champions League in an age in the club's history just before the galacticos; Raul Gonzalez, Fernando Hierro and Roberto Carlos were prominent members of his side.

La Liga followed in 2001, ending a five-year wait for the title, and in 2002 Los Blancos have again crowned kings of Europe—by then, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane had checked in.

Del Bosque won the league again in 2003, adding to the UEFA super cup, Spanish super cup and Intercontinental Cup which he had also won while he was in the Bernabeu hot seat, before leaving the club.

Miguel Munoz

It's hard to imagine these days, given the frequency with which not just Real Madrid, but all clubs change their manager, but Miguel Munoz was afforded 14 years in charge of Los Blancos. Admittedly, it's barely even half of the time Sir Alex Ferguson racked up at Old Trafford, but it's impressive nonetheless. The trophy haul was not bad, either. Carrying on where others had left off, Munoz led Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and company to their fifth straight European Cup win in 1960. Munoz had been a player in three of the previous four triumphs, and by winning the competition as a manager, he became the first man to win as both a player and a boss.

He only won the European Cup once more in his time at the club, steering the club back to the top of Europe in 1966. By then, Puskas was nearly 40, and Munoz was turning to players such as Amancio, Francisco Gento and Pirri. Domestically, Real Madrid was relentless under the guidance of Munoz. They won nine titles during his 14 seasons and three domestic cups, too. It's unlikely, as with Manchester United and Sir Alex, that Real will ever have a manager like Munoz again.

Who are the best Real Madrid players of all time?

Alfredo Di Stefano

Pichichi Trophy (in 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959)

Ballon d'Or (in 1957 and 1959)

European Cup top scorer (in 1958 and 1962)

Spanish Player of the Year (in 1957, 1959, 1960, and 1964)

Some football lovers consider him the greatest Real Madrid player of all time, and others believe that Ronaldo should be at the top of the list of best Real Madrid players of all time. According to SportMob's list of the all-time greatest Real Madrid players, Di Stefano is the best Real Madrid player ever, due to the more trophies he has won during his time with the Whites, as said from Sports Mob.

Cristiano Ronaldo

FIFA Ballon d'Or (in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017)

The Best FIFA Men's Player: (in 2016 and 2017)

UEFA Best Player in Europe Award (in 2014, 2016, and 2017)

European Golden Shoe (in 2011, 2014, and 2015)

World Soccer World XI (in 1960, 1961, and 1962)

Golden Foot Legends Award (in 2004)

Ferenc Puskas

Pichichi Trophy (in 1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964)

European Cup top scorer (in 1960 and 1964)

In 2009 FIFA introduced the FIFA Puskas Award in his honor. Puskas Award is given to the most beautiful goal over the year.

Unfortunately, the legend passed away on 17 November 2006 at the age of 79.

Photo: Youtube

Zinedine Zidane

FIFA World Player of the Year (in 2003)

UEFA Team of the Year (in 2002 and 2003)

IFFHS World's Best Playmaker (in 2006)

The legend announced his retirement in 2006 and, after that, started his coaching career. He is currently the head coach of Real Madrid, but many football lovers believe that the French legend was more successful during his playing career than his coaching career.

Raul

La Liga's Best Spanish Player: (in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002)

Pichichi Trophy: (in 1999 and 2001)

UEFA Champions League top goalscorer: (in 2000 and 2001)

Raul, who scored in two finals, left the Whites in 2010 and joined Schalke 04. Like Ronaldo, he left Real Madrid due to a clash with Florentino Perez. The retired footballer said about his separation from Real Madrid: “Leaving Real Madrid wasn't easy for me, and nor was it easy for the club, but by the time I had made my decision and it had happened, it was already summer." He continued: "I have had the feeling [for a while] that this is the time to move on. I have worn the Real Madrid shirt for many years. I'm 33 now and it is time for some younger and stronger players to come in."

Iker Casillas

La Liga Best Goalkeeper: (in 2009 and 2012)

IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: (in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012)

Finally, the legend left Real Madrid in tears in 2015 and joined Porto. He also left Real Madrid due to a clash with Florentino Perez and a series of injuries in his last season with the Whites. The retired goalkeeper said: "There was a spell when I was getting a lot of criticism, and I needed time away from that." He continued: "I’m happy now, and it shows on my face. "It was a tough move, but for me, this is a new experience with renewed feelings of excitement." "The situation at Madrid was not the best; I was always the focus of attention, be it positive or negative, and I needed space to breathe."

One of the 20 richest football clubs in the world

Spanish giants Real Madrid are second only to one club as they join the list in second and are the third La Liga team in the top 20. The club is owned by its members and is in constant upheaval between chairmen who almost always have conflicting interests.

Their stadium is the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, which seats 80,400 fans and is a key part of their current valuation of $1.451 billion. They are up 10 percent from last season in a big jump and are only second in the world to the New York Yankees in revenue production as they brought in $537 million.

Los Blancos are the most successful club in Spanish history as they hold 31 League titles, 18 Copa del Rey's, and their most lauded, nine European Championships.

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