Today, when the name Santiago Bernabeu is mentioned, it is in reference to the iconic football stadium where Real Madrid play their games. And until the end of time, the name of the ex-president of Los Blancos will always be first and foremost thought of as the stadium. But it hasn’t always been called that.
Indeed, when the team moved to the current Bernabeu in 1947, the stadium was known as New Chamartin. This was because the previous home of Real Madrid, which was christened Chamartin Stadium , was very close to the current ground. It was located parallel to the Padre Damian street, and not to the Paseo de la Castellana, like now.
Because of all the work Bernabeu had done for the club , Zapater and Caso, directors of Real Madrid at the time, decided to propose to the board to change the stadium name and call it the Santiago Bernabeu, as a surprise for the president.
The proposal was well received by the directors and on July 2nd 1955 the ground was officially renamed. As a result of this, Real Madrid has never forgotten the name of a man who was key in helping them take their first steps on the road to European Cup glory and bringing another legendary name to the Spanish capital – Alfredo di Stefano.
