Despite two great teams on the field, the friendly between Brazil It is Spainon Tuesday, the 26th, has an additional attraction: the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The house of Real Madrid is undergoing five years of renovations to become one of the most modern stadiums in the world. The innovation adds to the 76-year history of the venue, which has already hosted finals world Cup, Champions League and even Copa Libertadores de América.
The seventh renovation of the stadium was launched by Real Madrid in 2017. Two years later, work began. Initially, the plan was for the club to keep games on site. However, after the first year of services, the covid-19 pandemic brought football to a standstill. Work continued, but at a slower pace. When the games resumed, the team used the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadiumat Real Madrid’s CT.
The return to the Bernabéu was in August 2021, but all renovations officially end only in June this year. The initial budget was forecast at 575 million euros (R$2.8 billion). However, the cost has already exceeded 900 million euros (R$4.9 billion). The amounts are financed over 30 years and began to be paid last year. Delivery was scheduled for 2022, when the stadium turned 75 years old, but the works were delayed. In addition to reduced services due to the pandemic, the Ukrainian War caused a lack of materials and inflationary problems, which affected delivery times.
The main points of this remodeling involve increasing capacity, changing the pitch and installing a retractable roof. The idea is to transform the Santiago Bernabéu into a multi-use arena that promotes events from other sports, such as American football, volleyball and tennis, as well as concerts. The NFL, the American football league in the United States, has already announced a regular season match at the Madrid stadium, as well as one that will take place at Corinthians’ Neo Química Arena.
The new capacity is 84,744 fans, thanks to the expansion of the eastern sector and additional seats in the boxes and for the organized Grada Fans. Before. The limit until then was 80 thousand people. The main innovation is the pitch divided into six panels, from one goal to the other. They are based 35 meters deep and can be lowered and levered using cranes. The “retractable lawn” makes it possible to hold shows without damaging the field. This installation alone cost 225 million euros (R$1.2 billion). The empty ground left by the grass could give way to any other types of soil, such as wooden floors and even simpler materials to support crowds.
The president of Recoma, Sergio Schildt, defines Real Madrid’s effort to improve the quality of the pitch as positive, but regrets that it is a distant idea for Brazilian football. “It’s very positive to see this type of technology, as the lawn is the game’s biggest stage. The quality of preservation, treatment, fertilization, photosynthesis and controlled temperature leaves the grass in ideal conditions for matches, giving it the importance it truly deserves And, unfortunately, this type of reform is far beyond what we have been able to achieve in the Brazilian market. These are really investments for those who have a great capacity to finance sport”, says the representative of the company specializing in sports infrastructure.
Even though Brazil does not have a similar structure, the trend is for “mobile” stadiums to increase globally. “Temporary infrastructure in large events is the biggest trend of this century, as it is extremely sustainable, with the reuse of practically all material, cost reduction in construction and, mainly, in maintenance after the event”, explains Tatiana Fasolari, vice -president of Fast Engenharia.
Bernabéu hosted finals of the world’s main tournaments
Construction of what was then called Nueo Chamartín began in October 1944, during the administration of President Santiago Bernabéu, a name honored by the stadium from 1955 onwards. A year before being renamed, the stadium underwent its first renovation, with an increase in attendance to 125 One thousand people. Real Madrid fans almost filled the new capacity in the 1956/57 season, when the venue hosted the Champions League final (then called the European Champion Clubs’ Cup). The result was 2-0 against Fiorentina and the second title of the competition for Di Stéfano’s team. Throughout its history, the Bernabéu has hosted four Champions League finals and World Cup decisions, the 1964 European Championship and the 2018 Copa Libertadores.
In 1982, the stadium’s capacity was reduced to 91,000. The Santiago Bernabéu was the main venue for that year’s World Cup and hosted the tournament final, with Paolo Rossi winning 3-1 against Germany. In the 1990s, the capacity was increased again, to 106 thousand, this time, but was reduced again, to 74 thousand, due to FIFA’s security requirements.
The 2018 Libertadores was the last held with a two-game final. In the first leg, Boca Juniors and River Plate drew 2-2, at Bombonera. The return would be at the Monumental de Nuñez, but an attack on the Xeneize team’s bus made Conmebol transfer the game to Madrid, at the Santiago Bernabéu. River won 3-1 and won their fourth title in the competition.
Brazil and Spain take the field in a friendly game this Tuesday, the 26th, at 5:30 pm (Brasília time). The federations of both countries hope to use the match as a symbol of the anti-racist fight, led by Vinicius Júnior, a player for the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid. The game also marks the first time that Endrick, from Palmeiras, will play at the club’s stadium, which he will go to in June this year.
