Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
that plays in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
. The club play their home games at the
Riyadh Air Metropolitano, which has a capacity of 70,692.
Founded on 26 April 1903 as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid, the club have traditionally worn red and white vertical striped shirts, being known as ''Los Colchoneros'' ("The Mattress Makers") and ''Los Rojiblancos'' ("The Redwhites"). The club became Atlético de Madrid in 1946 and began a long-standing rivalry with Madrid neighbours
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, with whom they contest
''El Derbi Madrileño''. They also share a rivalry with
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.
Felipe VI, the
King of Spain
The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country.
The Spanish ...
, has been the honorary president of the club since 2003.
Atlético are one of the most successful Spanish clubs, having won 11 La Liga titles, including a league and cup double in 1996. Further domestic trophies include 10 titles, two
Supercopas de España, one and one
Copa Eva Duarte. They have also won numerous titles in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, including the
European Cup Winners' Cup in
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
, the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, and the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, in addition to the
1974 Intercontinental Cup. In the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
, Atlético reached the final in
1974,
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2016.
History
Foundation and first years (1903–1939)
The club was founded on 26 April 1903
as ''Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid'' by three
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
students living in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. These founders saw the new club as a youth branch of their childhood team,
Athletic Bilbao who they had just seen win the
1903 Copa del Rey Final in the city. In 1904, they were joined by dissident members of
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
. They began playing in blue and white halved shirts, the then colours of Athletic Bilbao, but by 1910, both the Bilbao and Madrid teams were playing in their current colours of red and white stripes. Some believe the change came about because red and white striped tops were the cheapest to make, as the same combination was used to make
ticking for
mattress
A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a person Lying (position), lying down, especially for sleeping. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a Quilting, quilted o ...
es, and the unused cloth was easily converted into football shirts. This contributed to the club's nickname, ''Los Colchoneros''.
However, another explanation is that both Athletic Bilbao and Athletic Madrid used to buy
Blackburn Rovers' blue and white kits in England.
In late 1909,
Juan Elorduy, a former player and member of the board of Athletic Madrid, went to England to buy kits for both teams but failed to find Blackburn kits to purchase; he instead bought the red and white shirts of
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
(the club from the
port city which was his embarkation point back to Spain). (Official position of both Southampton FC and Athletic Club). Athletic Madrid adopted the red and white shirt, leading to them being known as ''Los Rojiblancos'', but opted to keep their existing blue shorts whereas the Bilbao team switched to new black shorts. Athletic Bilbao won the
1911 Copa del Rey Final using several 'borrowed' players from Athletic Madrid, including who scored one of their goals.
Athletic's first ground, the Ronda de
Vallecas, was in the eponymous working-class area on the south side of the city. In 1919, the Compañía Urbanizadora Metropolitana—the company that ran the underground communication system in Madrid—acquired some land, near the
Ciudad Universitaria. In 1921, Athletic Madrid became independent of parent-club Athletic Bilbao and moved into a 35,800-seater stadium built by the company, the
Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid.
During the 1920s, Athletic won the ''
Campeonato del Centro'' three times and were runners-up in 1921, where they faced parent club Athletic Bilbao, as they would again in 1926. Based on these successes, in 1928 they were invited to join the Primera División of the inaugural
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
played the following year. During their debut La Liga campaign, the club was managed by
Fred Pentland, but after two seasons they were relegated to
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
. They briefly returned to La Liga in 1934 but were relegated again in 1936 after
Josep Samitier took over in mid-season from Pentland. The
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
gave ''Los Colchoneros'' a reprieve, as
Real Oviedo was unable to play due to the destruction of their stadium during the bombings. Thus, both La Liga and Athletic's relegation were postponed, the latter by winning a playoff against
Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...
, champion of the Segunda División tournament.
Athletic Aviación de Madrid (1939–1947)
By 1939, when La Liga had resumed, Athletic had merged with ''
Aviación Nacional'' of
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
to become ''Athletic Aviación de Madrid''. Aviación Nacional had been founded in 1937 by three aviation officers of the
Spanish Air Force.
They had been promised a place in the Primera División for the 1939–40 season, only to be denied by the
RFEF, and since they did not want to go through the whole divisional climb up, this club merged with Athletic, whose squad had lost eight players during the Civil War, including the team's star,
Monchín Triana, who was shot dead. At that time,
Real Oviedo also had its field destroyed by the war, so it was decided to give up its place to another team, and that finals spot was contested by Aviación and
Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Pamplona, Navarre. It was founded on 24 October 1920 and plays in La Liga, the top division of Spanish ...
, in a match in
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
on 26 November 1939, which Aviación won 3–1.
With the legendary
Ricardo Zamora as manager, the club subsequently won their first La Liga title that season and retained the titles in
1941. The most influential and charismatic player of these years was the captain
Germán Gómez, who was signed from
Racing Santander in 1939. He played eight consecutive seasons for the ''Rojiblancos'' until the
1947–48 campaign. From his central midfield position, he formed a legendary midfield alongside Machín and
Ramón Gabilondo.
In mid-1940,
a decree issued by Francisco Franco banned teams from using foreign names and the club became ''Atlético Aviación de Madrid''. In September 1940, Atlético Aviación won the first
Super cup in Spanish football after beating RCD Español, the
1940 Copa del Generalísimo winners, in a two-legged game that ended in a 10–4 aggregate victory, including a 7–1 trashing in the second leg at
Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas. On 14 December 1946, the club decided to drop the military association from its name, and shortly after, on 6 January, it settled on its current name of ''Club Atlético de Madrid''. Also in 1947, Atlético beat
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
5–0 at the ''Metropolitano'', their biggest win over their cross-town rivals to date.
Golden age (1947–1965)

Under
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán (; 10 April 1910 – 9 November 1997) was an Argentina, Argentine and naturalised France, French association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. He is best remembered for his success ...
and with the help of
Larbi Benbarek, Atlético won La Liga again in
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
and
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
. With the departure of Herrera in 1953, the club began to slip behind Real Madrid and
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and for the remainder of the 1950s were left to battle it out with Athletic Bilbao for the title of third team in Spain.
However, during the 1960s and 1970s, Atlético Madrid seriously challenged Barcelona for the position of second team. The
1957–58 season saw
Ferdinand Daučík take charge of Atlético, where he led them to second place in La Liga. This resulted in Atlético qualifying for the
1958–59 European Cup since the winners, Real Madrid, were the reigning European champions. Inspired by Brazilian centre-forward
Vavá and
Enrique Collar, Atlético reached the semi-finals after beating
Drumcondra,
CSKA Sofia and
Schalke 04. In the semi-finals, they met Real Madrid, who won the first leg 2–1 at the
Santiago Bernabéu while Atlético won 1–0 at the ''Metropolitano''. The tie went to a replay and Real won 2–1 in Zaragoza.
Atlético, however, gained their revenge when, led by former Real coach
José Villalonga, they defeated Real in two successive Copa del Rey finals in
1960 and
1961. In 1962, they won the
European Cup Winners' Cup, beating
Fiorentina 3–0 after a replay. This achievement was significant for the club, as the Cup Winners' Cup was the only major European trophy that Real Madrid never won. The following year, the club reached the
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
finals, but lost to
English side
Tottenham Hotspur 5–1. Enrique Collar, who continued to be an influential player during this era, was now joined by the likes of midfielder
Miguel Jones and midfield playmaker
Adelardo.
Atlético's best years coincided with dominant Real Madrid teams. Between 1961 and 1980, Real Madrid dominated La Liga, winning the competition 14 times. During this era, only Atlético offered Real any serious challenge, winning La Liga titles in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1970,
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
and
1977 and finishing runners-up in
1961,
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...
and
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
. The club had further success winning the Copa del Rey on three occasions in
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
,
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. In 1965, when they finished as
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
runners-up to Real after an intense battle for the titles, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years.
European Cup finalists (1965–1974)
In 1966, Atlético left the
Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid (which was demolished and was replaced with university buildings and an office block belonging to the company ENUSA) and moved to a new home in the
Manzanares river waterfront, the
Vicente Calderón Stadium, which was inaugurated on 2 October 1966 with a fixture against Valencia.
Significant players from this era included the now-veteran Adelardo and regular goalscorers
Luis Aragonés,
Javier Irureta and
José Eulogio Gárate, the latter winning the ''
Pichichi'' three times in 1969, 1970 and 1971. In the 1970s, Atlético also recruited several
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
players, signing
Rubén Ayala,
Panadero Díaz and
Ramón "Cacho" Heredia as well as coach
Juan Carlos Lorenzo. Lorenzo believed in discipline, caution and disrupting the opponents' game, and although controversial, his methods proved successful—after winning La Liga in
1973
Events January
* January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
, the club reached the
1974 European Cup Final. On the way to the Final, Atlético knocked out
Galatasaray,
Dinamo București,
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
and
Celtic. In the away leg of the semi-finals against Celtic, Atlético had Ayala, Díaz and substitute Quique all sent off during a hard-fought encounter in what was reported as one of the worst cases of cynical fouling the tournament has seen. Because of this approach, they managed a 0–0 draw, followed by a 2–0 victory in the return leg with goals from Gárate and Adelardo. The finals at
Heysel Stadium, however, was a loss for Atlético. Against a
Bayern Munich team that included
Franz Beckenbauer,
Sepp Maier,
Paul Breitner,
Uli Hoeneß and
Gerd Müller, Atlético played above themselves. Despite missing Ayala, Díaz and Quique through suspension, they went ahead in extra-time with only seven minutes left. Aragonés scored with a superb, curling free-kick that looked like the winner, but in the last minute of the game, Bayern defender
Georg Schwarzenbeck equalized with a stunning 25-yarder that left Atlético goalkeeper
Miguel Reina motionless.
In a replay back at Heysel two days later, Bayern won convincingly 4–0, with two goals each from Hoeneß and Müller.
The Aragonés years (1974–1987)

Shortly after the defeat in the
1974 European Cup Final, Atlético appointed their veteran player Luis Aragonés as coach. Aragonés subsequently was coach on four separate occasions, from 1974 to 1980, from 1982 to 1987, once again from 1991 until 1993 and finally from 2002 to 2003. His first success came quickly as Bayern Munich had refused to participate in the
Intercontinental Cup because of fixture congestion,
and as European Cup runners-up, Atlético were invited instead. Their opponents were
Independiente of Argentina and, after losing the away leg 1–0, they won the return leg 2–0 with goals from
Javier Irureta and
Rubén Ayala. Aragonés subsequently led the club to further successes in the Copa del Rey in
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
and La Liga in
1977.
During his second spell in charge, Aragonés led the club to a runners-up finish in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
and a winner's medal in the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
, both in 1985. He received considerable help from
Hugo Sánchez, who scored 19 league goals and won the ''
Pichichi''. Sánchez also scored twice in the cup finals as Atlético beat Athletic Bilbao 2–1. Sánchez, however, only remained at the club for one season before his move across the city to Real Madrid. Despite the loss of Sánchez, Aragonés went on to lead the club to success in the
Supercopa de España in
1985 and then guided them to the
European Cup Winners' Cup final in
1986. Atlético, however, lost their third successive European finals, this time 3–0 to
Dynamo Kyiv.
The Transition years (1987–2005)

In 1987, controversial politician and businessman
Jesús Gil became club president, running the club (and committing a fraud of misappropriation by seizing 95% of the shares while failing to effectively pay a single
Peseta during the Atlético's forced conversion from fan-owned club to
Sociedad Anónima Deportiva in 1992) until his resignation in May 2003.
Atlético had not won La Liga for ten years and were desperate for league success. Right away, Gil spent heavily, bringing in a number of expensive signings, most notably Portuguese winger
Paulo Futre, who had just won the
European Cup with
Porto
Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...
. All the spending, however, only brought in two consecutive Copa del Rey trophies in
1991 and
1992
1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.
* January 6
** The Republ ...
as the league titles proved elusive. The closest Atlético came to the La Liga trophy was the
1990–91 season when they finished runners-up by 10 points to
Johan Cruyff's
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. In the process, Gil developed a ruthless reputation due to the manner in which he ran the club. In pursuit of league success, he hired and fired a number of high-profile head coaches, including
César Luis Menotti,
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Frederick Atkinson (born 18 March 1939) is an English former football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Ron", he was regarded as one of Britain's best-known football pundits in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Nicknamed "The Tank" during his ...
,
Javier Clemente,
Tomislav Ivić,
Francisco Maturana and
Alfio Basile, as well as club legend Luis Aragonés. Gil also closed down Atlético's youth academy in 1992, a move that would prove significant due to 15-year-old academy member
Raúl who, as a result, went across town to later achieve worldwide fame with rivals Real Madrid. The move came as part of the overall Gil-initiated business restructuring of the club; Atlético became a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, a corporate structure benefiting from a then-recently introduced special legal status under Spanish corporate law, allowing individuals to purchase and trade club shares.
In the
1994–95 league campaign, Atlético only avoided relegation via a draw on the last day of the season. This prompted another managerial change along with a wholesale squad clearance during the summer 1995 transfer window. Somewhat unexpectedly, in the following 1995–96 season, newly arrived head coach
Radomir Antić, with a squad including holdovers
Toni,
Roberto Solozábal,
Delfí Geli,
Juan Vizcaíno,
José Luis Caminero,
Diego Simeone and
Kiko, as well as new acquisitions
Milinko Pantić,
Lyuboslav Penev,
Santi Denia and
José Francisco Molina finally delivered the much sought-after league titles as Atlético won the
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
/
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
double.
The next season, 1996–97, saw the club take part in the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
for the first time. With expectations and ambitions raised, the most notable summer transfer signings were striker
Juan Esnáider from Real Madrid and
Radek Bejbl, who was coming off a great showing for
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
at
Euro 1996. Playing on two fronts, Atlético fell out of the league title contention early while, in the Champions League, they were eliminated by
Ajax in extra-time in the quarter-finals. Before the 1997–98 season, the heavy spending continued with the signings of
Christian Vieri and
Juninho. All of the success, however, produced little change in the overall Gil strategy, and although Antić survived three consecutive seasons in charge, he was replaced during the summer of 1998 with
Arrigo Sacchi, who himself only remained in the managerial hot seat for less than six months. Antić then returned briefly in early 1999 only to be replaced with
Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Serie A club AS Roma, Roma but will leave on 30 June 2025, followin ...
at the end of the season.
The
1999–2000 season proved disastrous for Atlético. In December 1999, Gil and his board were suspended pending an investigation into the misuse of club funds, with government-appointed administrator José Manuel Rubí running Atlético's day-to-day operations. With the removal of club President Jesús Gil and his board, the players performed poorly and the club floundered. Ranieri handed in his resignation with the club sitting 17th out of 20 in the league table and heading towards relegation. Antić, returning for his third coaching stint, was unable to prevent the inevitable. Despite reaching the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
final in 2000, Atlético were relegated for the second time in 66 years. The club spent two seasons in the Segunda División, narrowly missing out on promotion in
2000–01 season before winning the Segunda División championship in 2002. It was again Aragonés, in his fourth and last spell as manager of Atlético, who brought them back to the Primera División.
Aragonés also coached the team during the next season, and gave
Fernando Torres his La Liga debut. Torres came through the academy of the club and was a hot prospect in Spain; in his first season in the league,
2002–03, he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances.
In July 2003, soon after his takeover of the club,
Chelsea owner
Roman Abramovich offered £28 million for Torres, which was rejected by Atlético.
In the
2003–04 season, Torres continued his success as he scored 19 league goals in 35 appearances,
making him the joint third-highest scorer in the league.
Torres had been at Atlético since the age of 11 and his precocious talent led to him becoming the club's youngest ever captain at the age of just 19.
Torres sale and eventual European success (2006–2011)
In 2006, Atlético signed
Portuguese midfielders
Costinha and
Maniche, as well as
Argentine
Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
forward
Sergio Agüero. In July 2007, Torres left the club for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
for €38 million,
[Torres cuts short holiday, set to join Liverpool](_blank)
Soccernet.espn.go.com (3 July 2007). Retrieved 20 November 2010. while
Luis García signed for the club at the same time in an unrelated transfer.
The club also bought
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
international and former
European Golden Boot and
''Pichichi'' winners
Diego Forlán for roughly €21 million from
Villarreal. Other additions included Portuguese winger
Simão Sabrosa from
Benfica for €20 million and winger
José Antonio Reyes from
Arsenal for €12 million.
In July 2007, the Atlético board reached an agreement with the
City of Madrid to sell the land where their stadium was located and move the club to the City-owned
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
. The stadium changed hands in 2016 and was bought by the club for €30.4 million. Madrid had applied to host the
2016 Olympic Games, losing out to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
. The
2007–08 season proved to be the most successful season for the club in the past decade. The team reached the round of 32 in the
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, where they were defeated by
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
. They also reached the quarter-finals round of the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
, where they were beaten by eventual champions
Valencia
Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
. More significantly, the team finished the
league season in fourth place, qualifying for the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
for the first time since the
1996–97 season.
On 3 February 2009,
Javier Aguirre was dismissed from his post as manager after a poor start to the season, going without a win in six games. He later claimed that this was not accurate, and that he had left by mutual termination rather than through sacking. There was public outrage after his dismissal, many believing he was not the cause of Atlético's problems, namely player Diego Forlán. He backed his former manager and said that, "Dismissing Javier was the easy way out, but he was not the cause of our problems. The players are to blame because we have not been playing well and we have been committing a lot of errors." This led to the appointment of
Abel Resino as Atlético's new manager. Atlético's success continued in the latter half of the season when they placed fourth once again in the league table, securing a position in the playoff round of the UEFA Champions League. Striker Diego Forlán was crowned with the ''Pichichi'' and also won the European Golden Shoe after scoring 32 goals for Atlético that season. Atlético saw this domestic success as an opportunity to reinforce their squad for the upcoming
Champions League season. They replaced veteran goalkeeper
Leo Franco with
David de Gea from the youth ranks and signed promising youngster
Sergio Asenjo from
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the .
The club ...
. Atlético also acquired
Real Betis defender and Spanish international
Juanito
Juanito is a given name or nickname, meaning "Little Juan" or Johnny. Notable people with the name include:
Professional footballers
* Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb (born 1985), Argentinian forward
* Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish forw ...
on a free transfer. Despite pressure from big clubs to sell star players Agüero and Forlán, Atlético remained committed to keeping their strong attacking base in the hopes for a successful new season.
The
2009–10 season, however, began poorly with many defeats and goals conceded. On 21 October, Atletico were hammered 4–0 by
English club
Chelsea in the Champions League group stage. This defeat led Atletico's management to announce that manager Abel Resino had to leave. After failing to sign Danish former footballer
Michael Laudrup, Atlético Madrid announced that the new manager for the rest of the season would be
Quique Sánchez Flores. With the arrival of Sánchez Flores as coach in October 2009, Atlético improved in many of their competition. Atlético continued to lag somewhat in La Liga during the 2009–10 season, finishing in ninth position, but managed to finish third in their
2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage and subsequently entered the
Europa League in the round of 32. Atlético went on to win the Europa League, beating English teams Liverpool in the semi-finals and eventually
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
in the
finals held at
HSH Nordbank Arena in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
on 12 May 2010. Diego Forlán scored twice, the second being an extra-time winner in the 116th minute, as Atlético won 2–1. It was the first time since the
1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup that Atlético had claimed a European titles. They also reached the
Copa del Rey finals on 19 May 2010, where they faced
Sevilla, but lost 2–0 at the
Camp Nou in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
. By winning the Europa League, they qualified for the
2010 UEFA Super Cup against
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, winner of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League. The match was played at the
Stade Louis II
The Stade Louis II (, ), or simply Louis II is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco, near the border with Cap-d'Ail commune of France. It serves primarily as a venue for Athletics and football, being the home of AS Monaco ...
,
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
on 27 August 2010. Atlético won 2–0 with goals from José Antonio Reyes and Agüero, making it the club's first win in the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
.
Atlético had a comparatively disappointing 2010–11 season, finishing only seventh in the League and being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
and the group stage of the
Europa League. This ultimately led to the departure of manager Sánchez Flores before the conclusion of the season, who was replaced with ex-Sevilla manager
Gregorio Manzano.
Simeone revolution and revival of Atlético success (2011–present)

On 23 December 2011, Atlético appointed their former Argentine player,
Diego Simeone, as manager in place of Manzano.
The club were in a period of uncertainty, having appointed five managers in less than three years and allowing young talents, namely Agüero and de Gea, to leave for the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
.
The team was sitting 10th in La Liga at the time of Simeone's appointment, after losing four of their last five games.
The appointment of Simeone was seen as a risk, who was relatively inexperienced and previously only had European managerial experience with Italian underdogs
Catania
Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...
.
However, he swiftly transformed Atlético into a formidable force. As a player, Simeone was known as a fierce, all-action midfielder; he brought the same relentless, win-at-all-costs mentality to Atlético as manager.
His focus was on building a strong defence, anchored by teenage
Chelsea loanee goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois and Uruguayan centre-back
Diego Godín. The results were immediate, as Simeone's first six games in charge featured six clean sheets. According to Spanish football writer Andy West, Atlético fans came to quickly to embrace Simeone, especially in light of his role as a pivotal player in their 1995-96 league and cup double.
Simeone led Atlético to their second
Europa League win in the three years since its creation; Atlético beat
Athletic Bilbao 3–0 in the final on 9 May 2012 at
National Arena in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
with two goals from
Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao García Zárate (born 10 February 1986) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a striker (association football), striker for Categoría Primera A club Millonarios F.C., Millonarios. Nicknamed "El ...
and one from
Diego. By winning the Europa League again, Atlético qualified for the
2012 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, winners of the
previous season's Champions League. The game was played at the Stade Louis II, Monaco on 31 August 2012; Atlético won 4–1, including a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
by Falcao in the first half. On 17 May 2013, Atlético beat Real Madrid 2–1 in the
Copa del Rey final in a tense match where both teams finished with ten men. This ended a 14-year and 25-match winless streak in the
Madrid derby. The
2012–13 season saw the club finish with three trophies in a little over a year. On 17 May 2014, a 1–1 draw at the
Camp Nou against
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
secured the La Liga title for Atlético, their first since 1996, and the first titles since
2003–04 not won by Barcelona or Real Madrid. One week later, Atlético faced city rivals Real Madrid in their first
Champions League final since 1974, and the first played between two sides from the same city. They took a first-half lead through Godín and led until the third minute of injury time, when
Sergio Ramos headed in an equaliser from a corner; the match went to extra time, and Real ultimately won 4–1.
Antoine Griezmann, who had a standout season in La Liga and featured at the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
, joined Atlético from
Real Sociedad on 28 July 2014.
During his first stint with the club, Griezmann was Atlético's top scorer for five consecutive seasons.
He established himself as a world-class player at Atlético, also shining on the international stage as he finished as the top scorer at
UEFA Euro 2016 and earned the tournament's best player award.
That
same year, he placed third in the
Ballon d'Or rankings, behind
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...
and
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Atlético reached a second Champions League final in three seasons in
2015–16, again facing Real Madrid, and lost on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
The club played their last home game at the
Vicente Calderón Stadium on 21 May 2017,
thereby moving to a new home, the refurbished
Wanda Metropolitano in eastern Madrid. In 2018, they won their third
Europa League title in nine years by beating
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
3–0 in the
finals at the
Stade de Lyon in
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, courtesy of a brace from Griezmann and a goal from club captain
Gabi in what would be his last match for the club. Atlético also won another
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
after beating Real Madrid 4–2 at the outset of the following season at the
Lilleküla Arena in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. On 25 September 2020, Atlético signed
Luis Suárez
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...
from Barcelona.
One of the world's best strikers, Suárez made a dramatic impact at the club, as he played a pivotal role in their unexpected La Liga title triumph, seven years after the 2013–14 win.
He scored 17 goals in his first 19 La Liga matches, helping Atlético establish a 10-point lead by January. Although the team wavered later in the season, Suárez's relentless competitive drive proved decisive, as he netted crucial goals in the final two games to secure the title.
The final game of the title-winning season was on 22 May 2021, a 2–1 win at the
José Zorrilla Stadium against
Valladolid
Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
.
On April 16, 2024, the team qualified to the
2025 FIFA Club World Cup for first time in club's history, despite being eliminated in the
2023–24 Champions League, as Barcelona were also eliminated, and Atlético were the higher ranked Spanish club in the UEFA four-year ranking.
Recent seasons
Statistics from the previous decade. For a full history see; ''
List of Atlético Madrid seasons''
* Seasons spent at Level 1 of the Spanish League system (
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
): 88
* Seasons spent at Level 2 of the Spanish League system (
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
): 6
Rivalries
Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
and Atlético Madrid are clubs with contrasting identities and different fates. While Real Madrid's
Santiago Bernabéu proudly rises on the
Paseo de la Castellana in the
wealthy Chamartín neighbourhood of northern Madrid, Atlético's former stadium, the less glamorous
Vicente Calderón, stood in the central-south of Madrid 1.8 km from the city center in the
working class barrio of
Arganzuela. Historically, Real Madrid have long been seen as the
establishment club. On the other side, Atlético Madrid were always characterized by a ''sentimiento de rebeldía'', a sense of rebellion. They were associated with the military airforce (renamed Atlético Aviación), until the regime's preferences moved towards Real Madrid in the 1950s.
Certainly, the dictatorial state sought to make political capital out of Real Madrid's European Cup trophies at a time when Spain was internationally isolated; "Real Madrid are the best embassy we ever had", said Franco's foreign minister Fernando Maria de Castiella. Such perceptions have had an important impact on the city's footballing identities, tapping into the
collective consciousness. In this vein, Atlético fans were probably the originators, and are the most frequent singers, of the song, sung to the tune of the Real Madrid anthem, ''"Hala Madrid, hala Madrid, el equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país"'', "Go Madrid, go Madrid, the government's team, the country's shame."
Until recently, Atlético Madrid had struggled significantly in the derby, carrying a 14-year winless streak into the
2012–13 season. This spell ended, however, on 17 May 2013 after Atlético beat their city rivals 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the
2013 Copa del Rey finals, and continued on 29 September 2013 when they won a 1–0 victory, again at the Bernabéu.
The two faced each other in the
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2016 UEFA Champions League finals, with Real Madrid winning both matches.
Barcelona
Although less famous than the Derbi Madrileño, a historic rivalry exists between Atlético Madrid and
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, which is also considered one of the "Classics" of Spanish football. Once lopsided in favor of the Catalan club, this rivalry has become competitive since the early 2010s, marked by events such as the 2016 Champions League knockout phase where Atletico Madrid upset Barcelona, the controversial departure of
French striker
Antoine Griezmann from the Madrid club to the Catalan club in 2019 (and his subsequent return in 2021 amid Barcelona's financial struggles), and the surprise move of
Luis Suárez
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF, Inter Miami. Known for his go ...
to Atlético in 2020, a move which saw the Uruguyan star play a crucial role in the team's championship run. However, by tradition and current affairs, the greatest rivalry is that which exists with its "
merengues" neighbors.
Honours
*
* shared record
Awards & recognitions
* Copa Stadium (Spain's oldest National Sport Award): 1962
* Gold Medal (
Royal Order of Sports Merit): 2014
*
Globe Soccer Special Award: 2014
*
Globe Soccer Best Club of the Year: 2012, 2018
*
IFFHS The World's Club Team of the Year: 2018
International competition record
Atlético has played at the European stage regularly since its
1958–59 European Cup debut, subsequently entering the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (
1961–62), the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (
1963–64), the
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
(
1971–72) and the
UEFA Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup Association football, football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions: the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's offic ...
(
2009–10). Starting with the
1999–00 relegation Atlético did not qualify for European competition for seven years, but from the
2007–08 season, it has taken part in either the Champions League or the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
every year, enjoying success in both competition.
UEFA club coefficient ranking
Players
Spanish teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country. Also, players from the
ACP countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to the
Cotonou Agreement are not counted against non-EU quotas due to the
Kolpak ruling.
Current squad
Reserve team
Out on loan
Staff
Technical staff
Ownership and overseas properties
Enrique Cerezo has been the club president since 2003, while
Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, son of former club president
Jesús Gil, has been the chief executive officer. After a 2021
capital increase, Gil Marín, Cerezo and incoming investor
Ares Management Corporation hold a 66.98% of the shares by means of 'Atlético HoldCo'. Israeli businessman and billionaire
Idan Ofer, owns 33% of Atlético Madrid's stakes.
Atlético co-owns
Liga MX
Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
club
Atlético San Luis, and the
Canadian Premier League
The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; ) is a professional Association football, soccer league in Canada and the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system. The league comprises eight teams, from five of provinces and territories of ...
side
Atlético Ottawa. The club also co-owned the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
(ISL) franchise in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
, formerly named
Atlético de Kolkata, which won the competition twice, but in 2017 ended its partnership with the club as
Sanjiv Goenka bought its shares.
In October 2018, Atletico De Madrid announced their first academy in
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
which was based in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
, which was the first European football academy in Pakistan. In April 2019, they launched "Football School Program" in Lahore. In October 2019, Atletico De Madrid conducted talents in Lahore. In February 2020, Pakistan Football Federation announced the 2020–21 Football Federation League in which Atletico Madrid Lahore was included in Group C and was made a professional Pakistani football club. It made its debut against Hazara Coal and won by 2–0.
Colours and badge
Atlético's home kit is red and white vertical striped shirts, blue shorts, and blue and red socks. This combination has been used since 1910.
The club's badge which was firstly introduced in 1917 featuring the
Coat of arms of Madrid, then incorporated into the club's jersey from 1947, was remodeled in 2016 through a controversial and unnecessary decision by the ownership, yet a vote on 30 June 2023 revealed that 88.68% of club members wanted to reinstate the historical badge, which would be represented on July 1, 2024.
Nicknames
Throughout their history the club has been known by a number of nicknames, including ''Los Colchoneros'' ("The Mattress Makers"), due to their first team stripes being the same colours as traditional
mattress
A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a person Lying (position), lying down, especially for sleeping. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a Quilting, quilted o ...
es. During the 1970s, they became known as ''Los Indios'', which some attribute to the club's signing several South American players after the restrictions on signing foreign players were lifted. However, there are a number of alternative theories which claim they were named so because their stadium was "camped" on the river bank, or because ''Los Indios'' (The Indians) were the traditional enemy of ''Los Blancos'' (The Whites), which is the nickname of the club's
city rivals, Real Madrid.
Felipe VI, the king of Spain, has been the honorary president of the club since 2003.
Stadium and facility

The club plays home fixtures in the
Riyadh Air Metropolitano, which was expanded from a 20,000 seat capacity (when it was known as La Peineta) to 68,000 after it was used for
Madrid's failed bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympic.
Following the renovation of the stadium, the refurbished venue hosted its first competitive match pitting Atlético against
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
, in which
Antoine Griezmann scored the club's first goal at the stadium.
Training ground
The club's training ground is the
Ciudad Deportiva Atlético de Madrid in
Majadahonda
Majadahonda () is a municipality in Spain, situated northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid.
It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid- A Coruña.
The Puerta de Hierro university (public) hospital was relocated to Majadahonda from the ...
, around 20 km west of Madrid. The facility maintains grass and artificial pitches as well as a gym. Both the senior and youth squads train at the club-owned facilities.
Atlético also runs a sports academy at the
Ciudad Deportiva del Nuevo Cerro del Espino in Majadahonda. The club also runs an academy in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, Romania, its first in Europe.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Atlético began playing in blue and white, mirroring then-parent club
Athletic Bilbao, but both changed to red-and-white stripes by 1911 which became their traditional colours. The change took hold because red and white striped tops were the cheap to make, as the same combination was used to make bed mattresses, and the unused cloth was easily converted into football shirts. The kit has been made by
Nike since 2001, as the company wants to provide competition with rival brand
Adidas, who have a long-term deal with
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
.
The club's main shirt sponsorship by the government of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
between 2012 and 2014, featuring the slogan 'Land of Fire', was condemned by
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; ; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organisation, non-governmental organization headquartered in Paris, which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its a ...
, who satirized it in a campaign visual in which the shirt's vertical stripes become prison bars with the logo "Azerbaijan, Land of Repression". Atlético Madrid admitted its sponsorship deal had a political dimension, saying the intention was to "promote the image of Azerbaijan". In August 2014, the
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights wrote to Atlético, calling on it to end the sponsorship by and promotion of Azerbaijan because of the country's human rights record, calling it "one of the most repressive countries in the world".
In its 2003–04 season, the club was sponsored by
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, who would change the shirt sponsor's logo, and occasionally the shirt itself, as they did with the away shirt when ''
Spider-Man 2'' was in cinemas. This kit sponsorship deal featured 16 separate film titles – an unprecedented number, which has not since been replicated as of 2022. Films included Columbia Picture's 2004 film ''
White Chicks'', which received mixed commentary. Because shirts would have to be introduced and removed from shops at a very fast pace to keep up with film releases, Nike decided to not include a sponsor's logo on replica shirts made from 2003 to 2005.
* (**) – 2003–05
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
(Movies advertised on the shirt included ''
Bewitched'', ''
Hollywood Homicide'', ''
S.W.A.T.'', ''
Big Fish'', ''
Hellboy'', ''
Spanglish'', ''
Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse'', ''
Hitch'', ''
xXx'' and ''
Spider-Man 2'').
Supporters
Frente Atlético is an ultra group of Club Atlético de Madrid founded with that name in 1982. They had around 2,500 members in 2014, one of the largest ultra groups in Spanish football. That same year, Atlético Madrid expelled Frente Atlético and prohibited the display of its symbols in the stadium.
FA are friends with Ruch Chorzow, Roma, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Catanzaro and Sporting Gijón.
They also have a great rivalry with the ultras of Real Madrid, Sevilla, Espanyol, Valencia, Rayo Vallecano, Deportivo, Celta, Real Sociedad, Athletic, Osasuna, Alavés, Zaragoza, Malaga, Valladolid, Oviedo, Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Lazio and Marseille. They also have bad relations and constant incidents with a former section of the group called Suburbios Firm.
Celebrities
Joaquín Sabina,
Belén Esteban, Birgitte V. Gade,
Leiva,
Álvaro Bautista, Omar Hittini,
Ana Rosa Quintana,
Javier Bardem,
Sara Carbonero,
Pablo Iglesias Turrión
Pablo Iglesias Turrión (; born 17 October 1978) is a Spanish political scientist and former politician. During his political career, he served as Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain, Second Deputy Prime Minister and as Ministry of Social Aff ...
, El Langui,
Pedro Sánchez,
Luis de Guindos,
Rosendo Mercado, José Tomás, Cayetano Martínez de Irujo,
David Muñoz,
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...
,
Harrison Ford,
Halle Berry,
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
,
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
,
Vin Diesel,
Charlize Theron and
Karl-Anthony Towns are all fans of the club. Atlético is also supported by
King Felipe VI, who became Honorary President of the club in 2003.
Atlético Madrid became one of the most popular sports clubs in the world with a large international fanbase. As of 06 Oct 2024, Atlético ranked 16th place in the top 20 most popular sports clubs on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
in the world:
Notable players
Koke has worn the Atlético shirt in more than 680 matches since 2009, while
Antoine Griezmann has the club's record for most goals with 197.
João Félix is the club's most expensive signing at €126 million, and at €120 million Antoine Griezmann is the club's biggest sale.
.
See also
*
Atlético Madrid B
*
Atlético Madrid (youth)
*
Atlético Madrid Femenino
*
Atlético Ottawa
*
Atlético San Luis
*
Atlético San Luis Premier
*
Atlético San Luis (women)
*
Jamshedpur FC
*
Tata Football Academy
*
List of world champion football clubs
Notes
References
External links
*
Atlético de Madridat
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
Atlético de Madridat
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atletico Madrid
Atlético Madrid
1903 establishments in Spain
Association football clubs established in 1903
Copa del Rey winners
Dalian Wanda Group
Football clubs in Madrid
La Liga clubs
Military association football clubs
Multi-sport clubs in Spain
Segunda División clubs
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