Who Was Santiago Bernabéu? A Look Into His Life

Santiago Bernabéu is one of the great idols of Real Madrid, not as a player, but as a president. A position he held for 35 years.

When someone mentions the name Santiago Bernabéu, we instantly think about the Real Madrid Stadium. However, the Merengue house receives that name from a great personality in the club’s history. In this article, we’ll tell you about the longest-serving president of the institution and his legacy.

Biography of Santiago Bernabéu

Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste was born in Albacete in 1895. He was the seventh son of a lawyer and a countess. At the age of five, he moved with his family to Madrid and began his studies at the Real Colegio Alfonso XII de Los Agustinos in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. That’s where he had his first contact with soccer.

Before entering the children category in the Madrid Football Club -his brother Antonio was one of the founding members- he trained at the facilities of the Spanish Gymnastic Society. First, he was a goalkeeper, but then he alternated with the position of center forward. Another of his brothers, Marcelo, convinced the coaches so he could play the attacking position.

Santiago Bernabéu was part of Madrid’s youth team for three seasons until he debuted in the first team; it was the year of 1914. In that whole championship, he scored three goals and immediately became a reference for the Madrid attack.

Santiago Bernabéu: a career playing soccer

One of the biggest curiosities in the career of Santiago Bernabéu is that he was never present in the national team. He was only called in 1922, but he didn’t play and they didn’t ask for him again.

Bernabéu played for Real Madrid until 1927, with the exception of the 1920-21 season. Many people don’t know that the maximum white idol “switched sides” and went to play for the Atlético Club (today it’s the Club Atlético de Madrid). However, he couldn’t play in official games because he was a player for the Madrid Soccer Club.

He continued his career in the team that saw him emerge as an athlete for six more seasons until he retired in 1927. Santiago Bernabéu scored 68 goals in 79 games and obtained ten titles; one Copa del Rey in 1917 and the remaining nine were Regional Championships of the Center.

His actions and legacy as a leader

Being retired from his beloved club was no reason to abandon the organization. He continued in another role: being a directive. Even though he had a law degree, Santiago Bernabéu never practiced law.

In 1929, he assumed the secretariat of the board of directors and held that position until 1935. After the Civil War, he took over as an official in the Ministry of Finance and, in 1943, the Board of Directors of Real Madrid made him the president.

Bernabéu’s first goal was to build a new stadium. He also worked to clean up the club’s economy and professionalize the institution. First, he bought some land annexed to the old Chamartín Stadium, asked for a bank loan and began the construction work on the new premises.

The beginnings of a new era

The club inaugurated the new stadium under his mandate on December 14, 1947. It had a capacity for 70,000 spectators. While he was still in office, the club board decided to name the venue in his honor, Santiago Bernabéu. He was also responsible for opening a sports city and a training center separate from the stadium.

The early 50s weren’t very prolific in terms of sporting success, but Santiago Bernabéu remained firm in his position. Di Stéfano would then arrive with the first titles of the Bernabéu era, both nationally and internationally. The soccer team won 31 trophies in total.

In June 1978, a few days after his 83rd birthday, Santiago Bernabéu passed away in his home from a liver complication. He had been the president of Real Madrid for 35 years. This made him the longest-lived president in the club’s history so far, and the most successful one as well.