Atlético Madrid

The club was formed in 1903 by students in Madrid who saw the new club as a youth branch to their childhood team, Athletic Bilbao. In 1911, the club started to break away from Bilbao, and formed its own identity with its now famous kit. But Bilbao still used ‘loaned’ players from Madrid to find success.

In 1921, Atlético Madrid became independent of parent-club Athletic Bilbao and moved into a 35,600-seat stadium. Success came early; they were Copa del Rey runners-up in 1921. In 1928, they were invited to join the Primera Division in the inaugural La Liga played the following year.

During World War II, the club merged with Aviacion Nacional which had been founded in 1939 by members of the Spanish Air Force, and became Athletic Aviacion de Madrid. The merger led to back-to-back La Liga titles in 1939-40 and 1940-41, the first in club history. In 1947, the club dropped the military association and settled on its current name of Club Atlético de Madrid.

After the changes, Atlético once again claimed back-to-back La Liga titles in 1949-50 and 1950-51 under famed manager Helenio Herrera (who won a total of four La Liga titles and three Italian Serie A titles).

It would be 15 years before they raised the trophy again in 1965-66, and a span of three titles in eight seasons followed (between 1970-77).

Then the winning ways started to dwindle. The youth academy was closed in 1992, and Atlético avoided relegation with a draw on the final day of the 1994-95 season. It wasn’t until 1995-96 they raised the trophy again, 19 years after their last title.

Relegation did come following the 1999-2000 season with a 19th place finish, after playing 63 consecutive seasons in La Liga. After two seasons in the Segunda Division, Atlético were promoted for the 2002-03 campaign.

Atlético have found success in La Liga since 2012-13, never finishing lower than third place (for nine straight Champions League appearances) and winning a pair of La Liga titles (2014, 2021).

Much of that success is owed to their manager, Diego Simeone, an Argentine who played five seasons for the club in two stretches and has been manager since 2011 — an extremely rare duration for a modern-day manager.

2022–23 SEASON: 3rd in La Liga, Copa del Rey quarterfinal, Champions League group stage.

2023–24 SEASON: La Liga, UEFA Champions League

When you share a city with one of the biggest and most successful European clubs, how can they not be a rival? Historically, Real Madrid have been viewed as the establishment club, while Atlético Madrid have been less glamorous and played with more of a sense of rebellion. That rebellion comes from the days when Spain’s own government called Real Madrid “the best embassy we ever had.”

With more success recently, Atlético Madrid have also formed a heated rivalry with Spain’s other football giant, Barcelona. Atlético Madrid beat their rivals in the 2016 Champions League knockout stage.

Atlético Madrid originally had a women’s team for the first time in the late 1980s, but the team was disbanded in the early 1990s. The club was re-established in 2001, and officially became part of Atlético Madrid in 2005. Atlético Madrid Femenino currently play in Liga F, the top women’s league in Spain, and home games are at the Atlético Madrid training ground.

Coming soon!

Estadio Metropolitano, sponsored by a real estate company called Wanda, has been the home venue of Atlético Madrid since the 2017-18 season. The stadium currently has a capacity of 68,456 and originally opened in 1994. So, despite Atlético Madrid moving in for the 2017-18 season, it is not a new stadium, but was renovated for a cost of €240 million ($283 million) for their arrival.

In fact, when the stadium first opened it had a capacity of just 20,000 as a single-tier oval-shaped stadium. The stadium was used for minor sports and cultural events during its first decade. It was ultimately closed in 2004, and Atlético Madrid took over ownership in 2013 to start the renovations.

Atlético Madrid called Vicente Calderon Stadium their home from 1966-2017; that stadium was torn down in 2019.

The Wanda Metropolitano is a beautiful, modern stadium with a Metro (subway) stop right next to it, making it an easy trip from central Madrid. Although some food stalls and restaurants are available at the stadium, you’ll find much better options for pregame dining in the center of town.

TOURS: If you book in advance through the club’s website, the stadium tour and museum visit costs €22.00 for adults, €16.00 for kids aged 4-13.

Here’s the video from our stadium tour in 2022:

GETTING THERE: Directions are on the club’s website.

PUBS & GRUB: Coming soon!

AROUND TOWN: Madrid is a top international tourist destination. Located in the center of Spain, it is the capital and most-populated city in the country. Madrid is also the second-largest city in the European Union, only surpassed by Berlin.

There are countless architectural marvels to visit while in Madrid, and the Prado Museum and the National Palace are at the top of all must-see lists.

Barcelona is about a three-hour train ride down to the southeast corner of Spain. Seville is just over two hours away. And for those groundhoppers who want to travel from London to Madrid, roundtrip airfare can be found for well under $200.

Here’s our travel guru, Rick Steves, with more: