Santiago Bernabéu (footballer)

{{About|the football player and executive|3=Santiago Bernabéu (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Santiago Bernabéu

| image = Santiago Bernabeu.jpg

| caption = Bernabéu in 1971

| order = 11th

| office = List of Real Madrid CF presidents{{!}}President of Real Madrid

| term_start = 11 September 1943

| term_end = 2 June 1978

| predecessor = Antonio Santos Peralba

| successor = Luis de Carlos

| birth_name = Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1895|06|08|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Almansa (Spain)

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1978|06|02|1895|06|08|df=yes}}

| death_place = Madrid, Spain

| nationality = Spanish

| height =

| occupation = Footballer

| module =

{{Infobox football biography

| embed = yes

| header-color = lavender

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Madrid FC

| years1 = 1911–1920

| clubs1 = Madrid FC

| caps1 = 29

| goals1 = 27

| years2 = 1920–1921

| clubs2 = Athletic Madrid

| caps2 = 1

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1921–1926

| clubs3 = Real Madrid

| caps3 = 22

| goals3 = 20

| totalcaps = 51

| totalgoals = 47

| manageryears1 = 1926–1927

| managerclubs1 = Real Madrid

}}

Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste ({{IPA|es|sanˈtjaɣo βeɾnaˈβew ˈʝeste}}; 8 June 1895 – 2 June 1978) was a Spanish footballer who played for Real Madrid as a forward. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Real Madrid,{{cite web|url=http://www.marca.com/2014/06/02/futbol/equipos/real_madrid/1401701398.html|title=36 años sin Santiago Bernabéu|date=2 June 2014|website=Marca.com|publisher=Unidad Editorial Información Deportiva|language=Spanish|trans-title=36 years without Santiago Bernabéu}} having served as its president for 34 years and 264 days, from 11 September 1943 until his death on 2 June 1978.[http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1193041516821/1193040973708/contenido/Presidente/Santiago_Bernabeu.htm Santiago Bernabeu] Real Madrid C.F. Retrieved 13 February 2010. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090719091738/http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1193041516821/1193040973708/contenido/Presidente/Santiago_Bernabeu.htm|date=19 July 2009}}

Under Bernabéu's leadership, Real Madrid became a dominant team both on national and international level, with its influence stretching beyond the football pitch. The club's current stadium is named in his honour.{{cite web|url=https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/presidents/santiago-bernabeu|title=Santiago Bernabéu 1943·1978|work=Real Madrid CF|publisher=realmadrid.com|access-date=31 May 2022}}

Early years and career

Bernabéu was born in San Sebastián street, Almansa in the province of Albacete, Spain; where his family lived.

His family moved to Madrid when he was very young, and Bernabéu himself joined the Real Madrid junior ranks in 1909 at age 14, after being a regular spectator at their matches for years. Bernabéu wore the captain's armband for years. In 1920, Santiago Bernabéu withdrew from Real Madrid and went on to join their city rival Atlético Madrid, with whom he would only play one game. In 1921, he returned to Real Madrid, playing as a striker before retiring from playing in 1926. He continued to be associated with the club until 1935, first as manager of the first team, then as a director and later becoming assistant manager.{{cite web|url=https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/football-legends/santiago-bernabeu-de-yeste|title=Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste 1911·1928|work=Real Madrid CF|publisher=realmadrid.com|access-date=31 May 2022}}

Civil War

With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, professional football ceased to be played in Spain. During the war, Bernabéu fought on the side of Francisco Franco's Nationalists under the general Agustín Muñoz Grandes.{{cite web|url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1978/06/03/060.html|title=Datos biográficos|work=ABC|date=12 August 2019 |access-date=31 May 2022}}

Post-Civil War

After the war, Bernabéu proceeded to spend the next several months finding and contacting former players, directors, and club members, eventually restructuring the club.{{cite web|url=https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/presidents/santiago-bernabeu|title=Santiago Bernabéu 1943·1978|work=Real Madrid CF|publisher=realmadrid.com|access-date=31 May 2022}}

In 1943, Bernabéu was elected president of Real Madrid – a position he would occupy until his death on 2 June 1978, beginning to implant his ideas. He restructured the club at all levels, in what would become the normal operating structure of professional clubs in the future, giving every section and level of the club independent technical teams and recruiting people who were ambitious and visionary in their own right, such as Raimundo Saporta.{{cite web|url=http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1943/09/16/015.html|title=Nueva Junta Directiva del Real Madrid|work=ABC|date=5 August 2019 |access-date=31 May 2022}}

He then endeavoured to build what would become the stadium that today bears his name, at the time the largest stadium in all of Europe. The Ciudad Deportiva, built so that the players could train without damaging the stadium's pitch, was also constructed during these years. Finally, he embarked upon an ambitious strategy of signing world-class players from Spain and abroad, the most prominent of them being the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano. During Bernabéu's presidency many of Real Madrid's most legendary names played for the club, including Molowny, Muñoz, Di Stéfano, Gento, Rial, Santamaría, Kopa, Puskás, Amancio, Pirri, Netzer, Santillana, Juanito, Camacho, del Bosque, and many others.{{cite web|url=http://www.marca.com/2010/05/22/futbol/equipos/real_madrid/1274551443.html|title=Veteranos del Real Madrid y del Eintracht rememoran 'El partido del siglo'|publisher=Diario Marca|access-date=31 May 2022}} With this legendary team, Real Madrid would go on to usher in an unprecedented era of dominance both domestically and internationally, highlighted by its five consecutive European Cup triumphs and numerous domestic titles.{{cite web|url=https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/presidents/santiago-bernabeu|title=Santiago Bernabéu 1943–1978|work=Real Madrid CF|publisher=realmadrid.com|access-date=31 May 2022}}

Influence in Europe and legacy

In 1955, acting upon the idea proposed by the L'Équipe journalist Gabriel Hanot and building upon the Latin Cup (at the time the most important European club tournament involving the champions of France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy), Bernabéu met in the Ambassador Hotel in Paris with Ernest Bedrignan (deputy chairman of the Ligue de Football Professionnel){{Cite web |date=May 2016 |title=‘LAUNCHING THE EUROPEAN CUP WAS A GAMBLE’ |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/General/02/59/07/69/2590769_DOWNLOAD.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718124836/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/General/02/59/07/69/2590769_DOWNLOAD.pdf |archive-date=July 18, 2024 |access-date=December 25, 2024 |website=UEFA}} and Gustav Sebes and created what was at first a loosely constructed tournament played among invited teams, but which over time developed into what is today the Champions League. Under the administration of UEFA, it is the world's premier club competition.{{cite web|url=http://www.elcorreogallego.es/indexSuplementos.php?idMenu=15&idNoticia=534626|title=Franco fue el primer culé de España|work=El Correo Gallego|access-date=31 May 2022|archive-date=28 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828041840/http://www.elcorreogallego.es/indexSuplementos.php?idMenu=15&idNoticia=534626|url-status=dead}}

Bernabéu helped Manchester United rebuild its team following the Munich air disaster in 1958.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/how-real-madrid-helped-rebuild-manchester-united-after-munich-air-disaster-8492422.html|title=How Real Madrid helped rebuild Manchester United after the Munich air disaster|website=Independent.co.uk |date=6 February 2018}}

At the time of his death, Bernabéu had been the club's president for nearly 35 years, during which his club won 6 European Cups, 2 Latin Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 16 league titles, 6 Spanish Cups, and 1 Copa Eva Duarte.{{cite web|url=https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/presidents/santiago-bernabeu|title=Santiago Bernabéu 1943·1978|work=Real Madrid CF|publisher=realmadrid.com|access-date=31 May 2022}} He died in 1978, while the World Cup was being played in Argentina. In his honour FIFA decreed three days of mourning during the tournament.{{cite web|url=http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.es/preview/1978/06/03/pagina-49/33736408/pdf.html?search=Santiago%20Bernab%C3%A9u|title=Don Santiago Bernabéu falleció ayer|work=La Vanguardia|access-date=31 May 2022}} In 2002, he was posthumously awarded the FIFA Order of Merit.{{cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/fifafacts/r&a-awards/01/20/85/43/170490-factsheet-fifaorderofmerit%281984-2010%29_neutral.pdf|title=Listado de los galardonados con la Orden del Mérito de la FIFA}}