Real Madrid
Real Madrid (Real Madrid Club de Fútbol or Real Madrid CF) is a Spanish football (soccer) club based in Madrid, Spain. Nicknamed “Los Blancos” due to their all-white home uniforms, the team is one of the world’s best known and most widely supported. It is also the world’s highest-earning and most valuable football club (estimated at $6.07 billion in 2023). The “Real” in its name (Spanish for “royal”) was bestowed upon the team by King Alfonso XIII, who was forced to step down from the throne and flee Spain in 1931 (after which the country became a republic). Real Madrid competes in La Liga, the top Spanish football league. They have won a record 14 UEFA Champions League titles, including the first 5 seasons (1955-1960). Previously known as the European Cup, the UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious tournament for top-division European football clubs. Real Madrid’s major rivals are Barcelona (matches between the two are known as “El Clásico”) and Atlético Madrid. Starting in the late 1990s, Real Madrid became known for its “Galácticos” policy, in which it would spend enormous sums to sign the world’s great superstars, such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo (the club’s all-time leading goalscorer), and Zinedine Zidane, who later won three Champions League titles as the team’s manager. In 2000, FIFA named Real Madrid the best football club of the 20th century. Currently, Real Madrid is led by 20-year old English midfielder Jude Bellingham.