Santiago Bernabéu Yeste

Santiago Bernabéu

Santiago Bernabeu in 1971
Personal information
Full name	Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste
Date of birth	(1895-08-06)6 August 1895
Place of birth	Almansa, Spain
Date of death	2 June 1978(1978-06-02) (aged 82)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1911–1927	Real Madrid	51	(46 )
Teams managed
1927–1933	Real Madrid (Director of Football)
1933–1936	Real Madrid (Assistant Manager)
1936–1941	Real Madrid
1943–1978	Real Madrid (President)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste (Spanish pronunciation: [sanˈtjaɣo βernaˈβeu̯ ˈʝeste]; 8 June 1895 – 2 June 1978) was a footballer who played for Real Madrid as a forward, and is one of the most important men in Real Madrid's history. He is generally considered the one to whom much of the credit can be given for transforming Real Madrid into one of the most successful football clubs in Spain and in Europe. The team's current stadium is named in his honour. He was the club's President for 35 years, between September 1943 and June 1977.

Bernabéu was born in Almansa, Spain. His family moved to Madrid when he was very young, and Bernabéu himself joined the Real Madrid junior ranks in 1909 at age 14, after being a regular spectator at their matches for years. Bernabéu wore the captain's armband for years, playing as a striker before retiring from playing in 1927. He continued to be associated with the club until 1935, first as a director, later becoming assistant manager and finally manager of the first team.

With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, professional football ceased to be played in Spain. During the war he fought on the side of the Nationalists as a soldier under the general Agustín Muñoz Grandes.

When the war ended and football began again in Spain, Bernabéu found at Real Madrid what was, for all intents and purposes, a dead club. The old administration (several had been killed or disappeared during the war) and even some of the club's trophies from their early years had been stolen. What's more, at the time the establishment club was Atlético Madrid (renamed Atlético Aviación, the Air-Force's team) and Real Madrid did not initially receive any government help in rebuilding. Bernabéu proceeded to spend the next several months finding and contacting former players, directors, and club members, eventually restructuring the club.