3:53 PM
Farhan
Following four consecutive Copa del Rey triumphs between 1905 and 1908, Madrid were given their royal title in 1920 and became one of the founding members of the Liga on its 1929 inception. A team including legendary goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora were champions in 1931/32 and 1932/33.
• With the Chamartin Stadium in ruins following the Spanish Civil War, board member Santiago Bernabéu led construction of the venue that now bears his name, opening in 1947. The club then pulled the masterstroke of signing Alfredo di Stéfano, and with Francisco Gento and Miguel Muñoz, Madrid set about dominating European football.
• Los Merengues won the first five instalments of the European Champion Clubs' Cup, and completed the quintet in memorable fashion in 1960. Spearheaded by Di Stéfano and Hungary's Ferénc Puskas, Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in the Hampden Park final. Winger Gento went on to play in the European Cup victory of 1966, with new stars such as Amancio and Pirri.
• The next classic Madrid side came in the 1980s with the 'Quinta del Buitre', The Vulture Squad, led by Emilio Butragueño, winning successive league titles between 1986 and 1990. The dominance of Johan Cruyff's FC Barcelona overshadowed Madrid in the early 1990s, but the emergence of Raúl González heralded a new beginning. Madrid won the 1997/98 UEFA Champions League, Predrag Mijatović scoring the only goal of the final against Juventus. A more convincing 3-0 victory against Valencia CF followed in the 1999/2000 showpiece.
• The likes of Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Zinédine Zidane led Madrid to a ninth European Cup in 2001/02, the latter scoring a memorable winner to see off Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in Glasgow. The summer of 2009 brought a new influx of stars with Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo – for a world record €94m – and Karim Benzema brought in to stem Barcelona's emerging dominance, but the title eluded them.
