Real Madrid have won 35 La Liga titles, 19 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 12 Spanish Super Cups, 2 UEFA Cups and 4 UEFA Super Cup. They hold the record with 14 European Cup/Champions League wins. In worldwide competitions, they have achieved a record 7 club world championships.
Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has never been relegated from La Liga, the top league of Spanish football. Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception.
The word "Real" in the club's name is the Spanish term for "royal", and was given by the King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in their club badge.
Real Madrid's home ground is the 80,354-seater Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in downtown Madrid, where it has played since 1947.
Real Madrid is currently managed by Zinedine Zidane, and features players such as Luka Modric and Eden Hazard.
In the early 2000s Madrid assembled one of the most famous club sides ever, the team that was known as the "Galacticos". President Fiorentino Perez's philosophy was to buy the biggest stars in the world and he did so in style; Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, David Beckham and Roberto Carlos joined the homegrown Raul at the Bernabeu.
Raul holds the record for most Real Madrid appearances, having played 741 first-team matches from 1994 to 2010. Manuel Sanchis Jr is second, having played 711 times. Cristiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid's all-time top goalscorer, with 450 goals.
The team have a number of nicknames, including Los Blancos (The Whites), Los Merengues (The Meringues) and Los Vikingos (The Vikings).
The club won the European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the 7-3 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960. The legendary Alfredo di Stefano hit a hat-trick and Ferenc Puskas scored four times. After these five consecutive wins, Real was permanently awarded the original cup and earned the right to wear the UEFA badge of honour.
