The Legacy Lives on: The unparalleled success of Real Madrid futball club

Spain is in love with sports and the Real Madrid Futball club is a proof of the country’s passion for sports. For several years already, Real Madrid has been showing off its football skills, competing in different football competitions locally and across Europe, with several consecutive wins. Their list of successes include trophies from La Liga, Copa del Rey, European Cup, European Super Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Latin Cup, Spanish Super Cup and others. This is just a proof that the club has always kept its fire burning and they continue to offer the best in class when it comes to football. Real Madrid is not just a Patron of football; they also are great competitors for other sports like basketball, competing in events like the Korac Club, ACB and others.

Real Madrid CF is based in Madrid Spain and is a professional football club. FIFA voted the club as the most successful club in the 20^th century. The club was one of the founding members of FIFA. The term “Real” translates in English as Royal and it was a title given by King Alfonso XIII in the 1920s. The club was actually created in 1902. Ever since its establishment, the club has become a consistently strong force in the realm of football. Their presence is very much visible across Spain, with millions of supporters for every game that they play.

Being the richest football club in the world, Real Madrid has solid partnerships and sponsorships from international brands like Addidas who supply their uniforms for games. The club had numerous shifts of stadiums throughout its existence, starting with Campo de O’Donnell, Campo De Ciudad Lineal, Estadio Chamartin, and finally, the Santiago Bernabau Stadium which was inaugurated in 1947. Real Madrid was hosting football events in the stadium ever since. They are also noted for having paid record breaking amounts for certain players to play for them like Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo

The popularity of Real Madrid in Spain and in the football industry cannot be denied. It is a force in the sporting world and their continuous progress, success and popularity only proves that their tried and tested methods as well as continuous desire to progress are true hallmarks of a successful football club. The management, team and the legacy that the club left throughout the years paved way for more hopefuls to try and break into this highly competitive yet incredibly fulfilling industry.

Museo el Prado, Madrid

Given the numerous historical and cultural sites that Spain boasts of, there must be something special about the one site that attracts the highest number of visitors in the country. That is precisely what Museo el Prado in Madrid does. At over 2.7 million visitors each year, it is also the 11th most visited place on the planet. When it comes to art museums, Museo el Prado must be at the top of the must-visit list of every person with a passion for classical European art. The Museo el Prado is home to possibly the finest collection of European artwork pre-dating the 20th century.

The floors of the museum have been segmented by the era of the art work. The basement contains varied decorative pieces of art including cassoni and pietre dure desks as well as the Grand Dauphn. But it is the ground floor where the bulk of sculpture and painting display starts. This floor is dedicated to art work originating between 1100 and 1600 with some of the artists featured including Durer, Van Der Weyden, Bosch and Raphael.

On first floor are paintings by Goya, Rembrandt, Ribera, Rubens, Caravaggio, Poussin, Titian, Murillo, Velazquez and El Greco. The paintings on first floor have their origins between 1550 and 1800. Second floor paintings range from 1700 and 1850 including works by Watteau, Mengs, Teipolo and an extensive collection by Goya.

Whereas over 50% of the art works in Museo el Prado were done by Spanish artists, a considerable proportion belongs to prominent artists of other nationalities. Given the vastness of the collection, the museum has developed three routes that visitors can take when walking through it depending on the time they have. The routes are divided into 15, 30 and 50 works of art depending in whether a visitor intends to spend 1, 2 and 3 hours respectively.

The entry fee to the museum is 8 Euros. However, Museo el Prado has an enticing off peak program for persons that may be on a tight budget. Through this program, entry into the museum is free from Tuesday to Saturday between 6pm and 8pm and Sunday starting 5pm to 8pm.

In addition, visitors who possess the Madrid Cultura Card or the Madrid Card qualify for free entry throughout the day from Tuesday to Sunday. There is free, unrestricted entry for all visitors under 18 years of age, all citizens of EU countries that are at least 65 years old and all verifiably unemployed EU citizens.

Museo el Prado remains closed on Mondays.

Madrid, Spain

About location

Madrid is not only the largest city in Spain, but also the third largest (after Berlin and London) in the European Union. It is one of the most culturally influential cities in the world and has a city GDP that places it in third position in Western Europe behind Paris and London. All this has made Madrid be considered the de facto financial hub of Southern Europe. It has a large tourism industry attracting more tourists than any other location in Spain and the fourth largest number in all of Europe. This is probably attributable to the presence of well preserved symbols of ancient architecture right within the heart of the city.

Climate

Madrid is one of the sunniest cities in the continent. It is largely dry but experiences sporadic rainfall mainly in autumn, winter and early spring. The best time to visit Madrid is during summer, spring or early autumn – especially from May to June and September through to the beginning of October. The months of July and August are not ideal for tourists unless you do not mind extreme heat or are not keen to be outdoors during your visit. The temperatures in July and August are the highest of the year – typically in the 30s and occasionally touching 40C.

History

Archaeological evidence has been found that suggests the area where the city of Madrid stands today has been occupied since prehistoric times. Visigoths are thought to have been among the earliest persons to settle in the area though archaeologists are not unanimous on this. What is clear though is that the most important developments leading up to modern day Madrid began in the 9^th Century when the Moors under Muhammad I of Cordoba occupied the area and constructed a fort. The Moors called the river that supplied water to the city Manzanares al-Magrit and called the area Mayrit.

Mayrit is what eventually became Magerit and then Madrid. The old walls of the fort can still be seen today. Madrid was conquered by the Christian king Alfonso VI in 1085. From then on, the city went through numerous changes including a 14^th century fire, the 1561 move of the Spanish Court from Toledo to Madrid and the rule of its most popular king, Charles III, in the 18^th century. The invasion by Napoleon’s troops in 1808 and the subsequent resistance marked one of the bloodiest periods in Madrid’s history.

Attractions

As a leading art centre, one of the first places tourists to Madrid go to is the Golden Triangle of Art – so called because it is the site of 3 museums. The Museo del Prado is the most famous of the three and is Spain’s single most visited site by tourists, It is home to tens of thousands of art works dating from as far back as the 12^th century. The other two museums that form the triangle are the Reina Sofia Museum (location of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica painting) and Thyssen Bornemisza Museum.

Another must visit is the Plaza Mayor, the old city’s main square that was established by Philip III in the 16^th century. Then there is the El Retiro Park at the city’s centre where one can go on a boat ride and enjoy the fresh air. The Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid, is another key landmark even for people that are non-soccer fans.

Madrid Holidays – A Guide to Madrid Holiday Rentals, Hotels, Car Hire and Madrid Attractions

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