The world’s best football club builds the world’s best stadium

It looks like some sort of alien lifeform has landed a giant space chip in the middle of Madrid when I emerge from the Metro at Santiago Bernabeu. I’ve made the short trip from my hotel in the centre of town to see the transformation of one of the world’s most famous sports arenas — and it is simply breathtaking! The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, named after the legendary Spanish footballer and former Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu, is home to Europe’s most powerful and successful football club Real Madrid. The original stadium was completed in 1947 and it has gone through several renovations since then but this latest incarnation is surely the most spectacular. The concrete skeleton of the old Bernabeu stadium has been totally transformed. It has been wrapped in wavy stainless steel skin of adjustable louvers that are designed to allow for natural ventilation and light to enter the stadium. Real Madrid claims the stadium will be the best stadium in the world with all the latest technology including a retractable pitch and roof. It’s designed to be a multi-purpose facility that can host anything from mega concerts to football, basketball and tennis matches and bring the club a significant new revenue stream. It has capacity for 83,000 fans and even though it’s not quite finished yet — it is already in use. Real Madrid has hosted several football games here and Taylor Swift performed at a sold-out concert there in late May that served as a tough litmus test for the new facility. Unfortunately for me, there’s no Real Madrid game scheduled while I’m in Madrid but I’m here at the Bernabeu for the next best thing — a tour of the stadium and a look at the Real Madrid Museum. I join a group of Real Madrid fans on one of Tour Bernabeu’s self-guided tours of the facility. “The Real Madrid shirt is white. You can cover it in mud, sweat or blood, but never shame.” This quote from the man himself, Santiago Bernabeu, is printed on the wall as we enter the museum. It sets the tone for what we are about to see and experience inside and the quote may well be major reason why Real Madrid is considered the most successful football club in Europe. Real Madrid has won 26 UEFA club competition titles, including 15 in the UEFA Champions League and its predecessor. It has won the UEFA Super Cup a record six times and was named the FIFA Club of the Century in 2000. Suffice to say that the trophy cabinets are bursting with silverware and priceless memorabilia — but there’s more to this museum than just that. There are clever interactive digital displays, like the locker room where images of all the current players including Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham, wave at you as you walk past. Once I’m done in the museum, the tour route takes me up to the top level of the stadium. It is an amazing view. There’s not a bad seat in the house, anywhere appears to offer a perfect view of the playing surface. There’s even a 360-degree big screen spanning around the Santiago Bernabeu so everyone can keep up with scores and replays. Today the retractable roof is closed and the retractable pitch has been put away as a team of workers appear to be disassembling a stage set-up of some sort. The Santiago Bernabeu redevelopment is truly amazing, but it would want to be — because it has been reported that the cost may exceed $US1.9 billion. It is due to be completed in January 2025. fact file + Bernabeu Tours start from €35 ($57) and due to the various events taking place at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the route and opening times may vary. + To find out more, visit realmadrid.com and look for Tour Bernabeu.