Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a football club that plays in La Liga. The club was formed in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, and played its first competitive match on 13 May 1902, when it lost 3–1 in the semi-final of the Campeonato de Copa de S.M. Alfonso XIII against FC Barcelona.[1] Real Madrid played against other local clubs in various regional tournaments, that served as qualifiers for the Copa del Rey, from 1902 to 1940. In 1929, the club became one of the founding members of La Liga, Spain's first national league. As of 2024, Real is one of only three clubs never to have been relegated from the top level of Spanish football, the others being Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona.[2][3]
From 1902 to 1929, Real won the Copa del Rey five times and the regional championship 15 times. Real Madrid had a successful start in La Liga, finishing second in the competition's first season, and winning the league in 1932 for the first time. In the 1947–48 season, Madrid finished eleventh, which remains, as of 2024, the club's lowest final position.[4] Real Madrid won La Liga four times and the European Cup five times during the 1950s. However, the most successful period for the club in terms of domestic titles was the 1960s, when Real Madrid won eight league championships. It won its first double of league championship and national cup in 1962. Real is also the only Spanish football team to win five consecutive titles, a feat which it has achieved on two occasions (1960–65 and 1985–90).[5]
Real Madrid is the most successful club in UEFA competitions, winning 25. The club first participated in European competition during the 1954–55 season, when it played in the Latin Cup. It won its first major European title, and the inaugural European Cup, during the 1955–56 season. Real Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup, and a further nine titles, the last of which was in 2022, holding the record for the most victories in the tournament. The club won the UEFA Cup during the 1984–85 season and retained the trophy the following year.[6]
The club has won La Liga 36 times, the Copa del Rey 20 times, the Supercopa de España 12 times, the Copa de la Liga once, the Copa Eva Duarte once, the European Cup/Champions League 15 times, the UEFA Cup twice, the European/UEFA Super Cup five times, the Intercontinental Cup three times and the FIFA Club World Cup five times.[7] The table details the club's achievements in the early regional championships and in all national and international first team competitions for each completed season since the club's formation in 1902.
The club won at least one trophy for seventeen consecutive seasons (from 1953–54 to 1969–70), a record in Spanish football. Its most recent trophy came in 2024 with a 15th Champions League.
- ^ Luís Miguel González. "Pre-history and first official title (1900–1910)". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
- ^ Luís Miguel González (28 February 2007). "A spectacular leap towards the future (1921–1930)". Real Madrid. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
- ^ "Classic club – Athletic Bilbao". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
- ^ "Historical data: Evolution 1928/2011: Real Madrid". Liga de Fútbol Profesional. Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ Tejedor Carnicero, José Vicente (21 May 2009). "Spain – List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ "Real Madrid CF – Trophy cabinet". Real Madrid. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
- ^ "Trophies". Real Madrid. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2010.