Real Madrid: The Most Successful Club in the World (World Soccer Legends) - Hardcover

Jökulsson, Illugi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789211602 ISBN 13: 9780789211606

Publisher: Abbeville Kids, 2014

Synopsis

World Soccer LegendsEverything you need to know about most exciting clubs and the best players on the planet. Real MadridLearn about the ups and downs on Madrid's path to European Cup dominationThe stories of current stars--including Casillas, Alonso, and Ramos--and the next generation of soccer legendsProfiles of the most successful coaches--like Jose Mourinho--who have discovered some of Spain's best playersFun facts and all the stats on the most successful club in the world! A portion of the book's proceeds are donated to the Hugo Bustamante AYSO Playership Fund, a national scholarship program to help ensure that no child misses the chance to play AYSO Soccer. Donations cover the cost of registration and a uniform for a child in need. AYSO Soccer is a family experience and an opportunity to create memories for a lifetime. The positive environment of AYSO is the right place for kids to learn soccer, but it's also where they learn important life lessons, social skills and get active.

About this title

About the Author

Illugi Jökulsson is a journalist, editor, and author based in Iceland.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ORIGINS

Modern association football, also called soccer, originated in the middle of the 19th century in England. English students and emigrants then introduced the sport wherever they went. In 1895, students and teachers at the Institucion Libre de Ensenanza in Madrid founded a team they called Football Club Sky. Many of the founders were from England. The club split twice in the following 7 years, and in 1902 a new club, called Sociedad Madrid FC, was formed. Its name later evolved into Real Madrid.

The club started out quite well. La Liga had not yet been established in Spain, but there were smaller tournaments and competitions in the various regions. The Copa del Rey, the Spanish Cup, was the only one that was open to clubs from all over the country. The new club from Madrid won the cup 4 consecutive times, from 1905 to 1908. But things went downhill from there. Real didn’t win anything for a long time, except their 5th cup in 1917. Clubs like Barcelona and Athletico Madrid seemed stronger than Real for a while. When the Spanish league, La Liga, was founded in 1929, Real took second place after FC Barcelona. But just 2 years later, in the 1931 1932 season, Real became Spanish champions for the first time, and finished on top again the following year. The team then added 2 Copa del Rey titles to its trophy cabinet, in 1934 and 1936. The club was finally stirring after a long slumber. Yet it took more than a decade for Real to really blossom.

A ROYAL CLUB
For its first 18 years, the club was simply called Madrid. Its name was changed to Real Madrid in 1920, when King Alfonso XIII granted the club royal patronage. Real simply means royal”. When Alfonso was deposed in 1931 and a republic was established, it no longer seemed appropriate for the club to use the Real”, and for the next few years it was simply called Madrid CF. (CF is an abbreviation for Club de Futbol.”) When the dictator Francisco Franco seized power in Spain in 1939, he granted the club permission to use the Real” again.

THE WHITES
Real’s jersey has always been white, but in the early days the socks were black, not white as they are today. For some years in the early days, the white jerseys had a diagonal blue stripe across the chest. In 1925, the club played in black shorts, but after some bad defeats against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, the black shorts were abandoned.

THE REAL CREST
The blue stripe is reminiscent of the diagonal stripe on the club’s very first jersey.

About this edition

• Publisher: Abbeville Kids
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0789211602
• ISBN 13: 9780789211606
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64