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Atletico Madrid

Spain

Club Atletico de Madrid, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation: ['klub A'tletiko De Ma'drid""; which translates to "Athletic Club from Madrid") is often referred to simply in the world as Atleti in the world of Spanish and is commonly referred to on a global scale by the name of Atletico Madrid, is a Spanish professional soccer club that is based in Madrid which plays in La Liga. The club plays their home matches in the Metropolitano that is able to accommodate 68,456.

With regards to championships that they have won, Atletico Madrid are the third-highest scoring team in Spanish football, just behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. Atletico have been crowned La Liga on eleven occasions which includes two cup and league titles in 1996; they also won the Copa del Rey on ten occasions as well as Two Supercopas de Espana, one Copa Presidente FEF and one Copa Eva Duarte; in Europe they took home their European Cup winner's cup in the year 1962 they were runners-up between the year 1963 and 1986, they also were UEFA Champions League runners-up in 2014, 1974, and in 2016 and winning in 2014 and 2016, won the Europa League in 2010, 2012 and 2018 and they won their first UEFA Super Cup in 2010 2012, 2010, and 2018, as well as winning the 1974 Intercontinental Cup.

Atletico's home kit consists of red and white vertically striped tops, blue shorts and red and blue socks. This combo has been worn since 1911. Through the years, this club was referred to by many nicknames, such as Los Colchoneros ("The Mattress Makers") because their initial stripe being the same colour as the traditional mattress. In the 1970s, the club were popularly known by the name the Los Indios and some believe this is due to the club's acquisition of many South American players after the restrictions on foreign players' signings were lifted. There are, however, several theories that claim that the name was chosen due to the fact that their venue was "camped" in the banks of the river or simply due to the fact that Los Indios (The Indians) were the long-standing rivals in the game of Los Blancos (The Whites) and is the name given to this club's urban opponents, Real Madrid. Felipe VII King Felipe VI of Spain has served as the official president of the club from 2003.

The club also owned its Indian Super League (ISL) franchise in Kolkata previously known as Atletico de Kolkata and which has won the tournament twice before it was relegated in 2017. it ended its association with the club after Sanjeev Goenka bought its shares. Atletico also shares ownership of Liga MX club Atletico San Luis as well as atletico de Kolkata, as well as the Canadian Premier League club Atletico the Ottawa.

1. History

As below mentioned.

1.1. Foundation and first years (1903–1939)

The club was established on April 26, 1903, as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid by three Basque students from Madrid. The founding members saw the club as a young branch of their former team, Athletic Bilbao which they had witnessed triumph in their first 1903 Copa del Rey Final in the city. In 1904 the club was joined in 1904 by dissident members from Real Madrid. The team started playing in white and blue half-split shirts, the colors that were worn by Athletic Bilbao, but by 1911 they both Bilbao as well as the Madrid teams were wearing their current colors of white and red stripes. It is believed that the change happened because the white and red stripes were the least expensive to manufacture since the same mixture was used to create ticking for mattresses and the cloth that was left over could be easily transformed into football shirt. This led to the nickname of the club, Los Colchoneros.

However, another explanation is that both Athletic Bilbao and Athletic Madrid used to buy Blackburn Rovers Blue and white kit in England. In late 1909, Juanito 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 Sunderland (the club located in the port city that was his departure point towards Spain). Athletic Madrid adopted the red and white shirt which led to them becoming known in the Spanish language as Los Rojiblancos, however, they decided to wear their blue shorts, whereas the Bilbao team changed to black shorts. Athletic Bilbao won the 1911 Copa del Rey Final with the help of a number of 'borrowed' members who were from Athletic Madrid, including Manolon, whom they scored one goal.

The first athletics ground that was The Ronda de Vallecas located in the eponymous working-class zone located on the south of Mexico City. In 1919 the Compania Urbanizadora metropolitana, the company that operated the underground communications system in Madrid--purchased some land close to it, in Ciudad Universitaria. It was in 1921 that Athletic Madrid became independent from parent club Athletic Bilbao and moved into the stadium that was built by the firm, the Estadio Metropolitano of Madrid. The Metropolitano was used until and then they relocated towards the newly constructed Estadio Vicente Calderon. Following the relocation the Metropolitano was destroyed and replaced by university buildings and an office block owned by ENUSA. ENUSA.

In those 1920s Athletic were crowned champions of their first Campeonato del Centro three times. They also were Copa del Rey runners-up in 1921. There, they played the parent team Athletic Bilbao, as they were again in 1926. In the wake of these wins the club was admitted to in the Primera Division of the inaugural La Liga played in the following year. In their first La Liga campaign, the club was led under the direction of Fred Pentland, but after two seasons , they were dropped to the Segunda Division. It was briefly back to La Liga during 1934, however they were then relegated to the relegation in 1936 when Josep Samitier was promoted in the middle of the season from Pentland. It was the Spanish Civil War provided Los Colchoneros a break, as Real Oviedo was ineligible to play due being destroyed in their arena in the bombings. So, each of La Liga and Athletic's relegation were postponed. The latter through a win in a playoff against Osasuna who was the who was the champion in that Segunda Division tournament.

1.2. Athletic Aviación de Madrid (1939–1947)

In 1939, after La Liga had resumed, Athletic had joined forces together with Aviacion Nacional of Zaragoza to form Athletic Aviacion de Madrid. Aviacion Nacional had been founded in 1939 by a group from the Spanish Air Force. They were promised a spot within the Primera Division for the 1939-40 season, but were refused from the RFEF. In the end, the club was merged with Athletic which was wiped out by eight players during the Civil War. The team was given an appearance in the 1939-41 La Liga campaign only to replace Real Oviedo. With famous Ricardo Zamora as manager, the team later was awarded its inaugural La Liga title that season and kept the title until the year 1941. The most famous and popular player of the time was Captain German Gomez whom the club signed by Racing de Santander in 1939. He played for eight seasons with the Rojiblancos up to the 1947-48 season. From his position in the central midfield He formed a legendary midfield that included Machin as well as the legendary Ramon Gabilondo. When he was born in 1941 the decree of Francisco Franco banned teams from using foreign names. Consequently, the club changed its name to Atletico Aviacion de Madrid. At the end of 1947, they opted to remove the military association from its name and decided to settle with its current name, Club Atletico de Madrid. In the same year, Atletico win 5-0 against Real Madrid 5-0 at the Metropolitano the Metropolitano, their most significant win against their rivals from across town to the present.

1.3. Golden age (1947–1965)

Under the leadership of Helenio Herrera and the support from Larbi Benbarek, Atletico won La Liga again in 1950 and 1951. After the removal from Herrera In 1953, the team started to slide in the sands of Real Madrid and Barcelona and for the rest of the 1950s, they were left to fight Athletic Bilbao for the title of third team in Spain.

However, in the 1970s as well as the 1960s Atletico Madrid seriously challenged Barcelona for the second team. It was the year 1957-1958 witnessed Ferdinand Daucik take the reigns of Atletico and led them to second spot within La Liga. The result was Atletico being able to qualify to play in an appearance in the 1958-1959 European Cup since the champions, Real Madrid, were the current European champions. Inspired by Brazilian centre-forward Vava and Enrique Collar, Atletico reached the semi-finals after beating Drumcondra, CSKA Sofia and Schalke 04. In the semi-finals, they faced Real Madrid, who won the first leg 2-1 in the Santiago Bernabeu while Atletico beat Atletico 1-1 on the Metropolitano. The match was decided by a replay, and Real beat Atletico by 2-1 in Zaragoza.

Atletico However, they did get their revenge when, coached by the former Real manager Jose Villalonga They beat Real in two consecutive Copa del Rey finals in 1960 and 1961. The following year, the club took home their first the European Cup Winners Cup by beating Fiorentina 3-1 after replay. This was a significant win for the club as the Cup Winners Cup was the sole significant European cup in which Real Madrid never won. The following year the club reached the 1963 final, but lost to English side Tottenham Hotspur 5-1. Enrique Collar, who was an influential player throughout this period, was alongside middlefielder Miguel Jones and midfielder Adelardo.

The best times for Atletico were accompanied by strong Real Madrid teams. From 1961 to 1980 Real Madrid dominated La Liga and won the league 14 times. In this period it was the only team Atletico provided Real any real challenge and they won La Liga titles in 1966 1970, 1970, 1973 and 1977. They also finished runners-up in 1961, and 1965. The club also had success taking home their first Copa del Rey on three occasions in 1965, 1972 and 1976. In 1965, after they ended up as La Liga runners-up to Real after a gruelling struggle for the title, Atletico were the only team in history to defeat Real on the pitch at Bernabeu for eight years.

1.4. European Cup Finalists (1965–1974)

Atletico has left at the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid and relocated to a new stadium on Manzanares. Manzanares River waterfront, called the Vicente Calderon Stadium which was opened on October 2nd, 1966, and featured the first game of the season against Valencia.

Important players from the era included the now veteran Adelardo and the regular goal scorers Luis Aragones, Javier Irureta and Jose Eulogio Garate, the latter of whom won the Pichichi three times in 1969 in 1970, 1969, and 1971. Through the 70s Atletico has also signed a few Argentine players, including Ruben Ayala Panadero Diaz and Ramon "Cacho" Heredia as well as the 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, the club reached the 1974 European Cup Final.[32] On the way to the Final, Atletico knocked out Galatasaray, Dinamo Bucuresti, Red Star Belgrade and Celtic. In the away portion of the semi-final match against Celtic, Atletico had Ayala, Diaz and substitute Quique all dismissed during an extremely fought match that was described as one the most cynical instances of fouling that the tournament has ever seen. In spite of this, they were able to draw 0-0 that was followed by an 2-0 win in the return leg thanks to goals scored by Garate along with Adelardo. The final match of the match at Heysel Stadium, however, ended in a loss for Atletico. With the Bayern Munich team that included Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoeness, and Gerd Muller Atletico did not perform to their best. Despite the absence of Ayala, Diaz and Quique due to suspension They were ahead in extra-time, with only seven minutes remaining. Aragones was the one to score with his stunning free-kick that appeared like the winner, however in the final minute of the game Bayern defenseman Georg Schwarzenbeck equalized with a spectacular 25-yard strike that caused Atletico goalie Miguel Reina motionless. After a replay, which was played back at Heysel the next day, Bayern won convincingly 4-0 with two goals of Hoeness as well as Muller.

1.5. The Aragonés years (1974–1987)

Following the loss at the 1974 European Cup Final, Atletico hired their former footballer Luis Aragones as coach. Aragones continued to serve as the coach on four occasions from 1974 to 1980, then from 1982 until 1987, and then from 1991 until 1993 , and in 2002 and 2003. His first win came swiftly in the form of Bayern Munich had refused to take part at the Intercontinental Cup because of fixture congestion. Moreover, because of the fact that they were European Cup runners-up, Atletico were chosen instead. The team they faced were Independiente from Argentina and following a loss in the home game with a 1-0 score, they beat the return match 2-0, thanks to goals scored by Javier Irureta and Ruben Ayala. Aragones later led the club to more success during winning the Copa del Rey in 1976 and La Liga in 1977.

In his second stint as manager, Aragones led the club to a runners-up place in La Liga and winning the Copa del Rey and both of them in 1985. He was assisted by Hugo Sanchez, who scored 19 league goals and took home his first trophy, the Pichichi. Sanchez also scored two goals in the cup final , as Atletico defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1. Sanchez was, however, the only player who was at the club for a season before moving over to Real Madrid. Despite losing Sanchez, Aragones went on to guide the club to victory at the Supercopa de Espana in 1985 and then led Atletico towards their first Final of the European Cup, which was an Cup final in 1986. Atletico However, they lost their third consecutive European final losing 3-0 against Dynamo Kyiv.

1.6. The Transition years (1987–2005)

In 1987, the controversial businessman and politician Jesus Gil became club president. He was responsible for running the club (and committed a fraud of misappropriation, securing 95 percent of the shares and not being able to pay one Peseta in the course of Atletico's forced change from a fan-owned into Sociedad Anonima deportiva during the year 1992) up to his departure in May 2003.

Atletico did not win La Liga for 10 years and they were looking for a league win. At the beginning, Gil invested massively, and brought in numerous expensive signings including Portuguese player Paulo Futre, who had just been crowned his first European Cup with Porto.[42] The entire spending, however did not result the two Copa del Rey trophies in 1991 and 1992, as the league title was never won. The closest Atletico got to winning being able to win the La Liga trophy was the 1990-91 season in which they were as runners-up, losing 10 points to Johan Cruyff's Barcelona. The result was that Gil gained a reputation of ruthless conduct due to the way which he governed the club. To ensure that the club was successful in league play Gil hired and dismissed several high-profile head coaches like Cesar Luis Menotti Ron Atkinson, Javier Clemente, Tomislav Ivic, Francisco Maturana, Alfio Basile as well as legendary club player Luis Aragones.

Jesus Gil also closed down Atletico's youth academy in the year 1992 the year 1992. This decision was significant due to the academy's 15-year-old member Raul who consequently left town to become famous internationally alongside the rival club Real Madrid. This move was part of the general Gil-led restructuring of the club's business; Atletico became a Sociedad Anonima deportiva and a corporate entity that was granted a specific legal structure as a result of Spanish corporate law that allowed people to purchase and trade club shares.

The season 1994-1995, the league campaign, Atletico only avoided relegation through a draw on the final date of their season. The result was a managerial change as well as a massive team clearance in the transfer window in summer 1995. Unexpectedly, during the 1995-96 season that followed the newly appointed the head coach Radomir Antic was able to lead the squad comprising former players Toni, Roberto Solozabal, Delfi Geli, Juan Vizcaino, Jose Luis Caminero, Diego Simeone and Kiko and new recruits Milinko Pantic Luboslav Penev Santi Denia, and Jose Francisco Molina finally delivered the much-coveted league trophy as Atletico was awarded the La Liga/Copa Del Rey double.

The following season in 1996-97 saw the club participate at the UEFA Champions League for the first time. With expectations and goals increased The most significant summer signings for the club included forward Juan Esnaider from Real Madrid and Radek Bejbl who had just finished an impressive performance for the Czech Republic at Euro 1996. The two sides were playing, Atletico fell out of the race for league championship before the end of the season. In the Champions League, they were eliminated by Ajax in extra-time in the quarterfinals. In the 1997-98 season the massive spending continued , with the additions to Christian Vieri and Juninho. The success of all three however, did not result in any changes to general Gil strategy. And even though Antic was able to last three seasons as manager but was replaced in 1998's summer by Arrigo Sacchi who was in the hot managerial seat for a mere six months. Antic was back for a brief period in the beginning of 1999, but was replaced by Claudio Ranieri at the close in the course of. In the 2000-99 season proved to be a disaster for Atletico. At the end of December, 1999 Gil as well as his entire board was suspended until investigations into mismanagement of club funds. The the administrator appointed by the government Jose Manuel Rubi running Atletico's day-to-day operations. Following the demotion of club president Jesus Gil and his board the players did poorly and the club fell into a slump. Ranieri announced his resignation after the club was ranked 17th of 20 teams within the top league and headed towards the bottom of the table. Antic was back for his third stint as a coach however, was not able to prevent the inevitable. Although they made it to his Copa del Rey final in 2000, Atletico were relegated second time, after more than 66 years.

Atletico was playing in their Segunda Division, narrowly missing promotion in the 2000-01 year and then taking home the Segunda Division championship in 2002. It was Luis Aragones, in his fourth and final season in charge of Atletico who helped them return into the Primera Division. He also was the coach for the next season and also gave Fernando Torres his La Liga debut.

1.7. Aguirre era (2006–2009)

Atletico signed players in 2006 Atletico in 2006, Atletico signed Portuguese midfielders Costinha and Maniche in addition to Argentine forward Sergio Aguero. In July 2007 Fernando Torres left the club to join Liverpool at EUR38 million. Luis Garcia signed with the club as well in a non-related deal. The club also acquired Uruguay internationally renowned and ex European Golden Boot and Pichichi winner Diego Forlan for roughly EUR21 million from Villarreal. Other additions included Portuguese winger Simao Sabrosa from Benfica for EUR20 million and winger Jose Antonio Reyes from Arsenal in exchange for EUR12 million.

In July 2007 In July 2007, the Atletico board of directors reached an agreement City of Madrid for them to buy the land on which their stadium was built and relocate the club into the City-owned Olympic Stadium. The stadium was sold in the year 2016, and was acquired by Atletico at EUR30.4 million. Madrid had submitted an application for Olympic Games in Olympic Games in 2016. Olympic Games, losing the bid to Rio de Janeiro.

The 2007-08 season was the most successful year for the club over the last decade. The team reached the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup, where they were defeated by Bolton Wanderers. They also reached the quarterfinal stage in the Copa del Rey which they lost by the eventual winners Valencia. In addition, the team ended the season in fourth position and qualified for UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1996-97 season..

On the 3rd of February 2009 Javier Aguirre was dismissed as manager following a disappointing start to the season not winning for six consecutive games. Aguirre later said that this wasn't true and claimed that he had quit through mutual termination, not dismissal. There was a public outrage following his demotion, many of whom believed he was not responsible for Atletico's troubles and the main culprit was the player Diego Forlan. He was adamant about his former manager and stated that "Dismissing Javier was the easy solution and he's not responsible for our issues. The players are the ones to blame as we've been performing well and have made many mistakes." The result was the selection by Abel Resino as the new manager at Atletico.

The success of Atletico continued into the final quarter of the season, when they finished fourth at the top of the league. They also secured an appearance in the playoff stage in the UEFA Champions League. The striker Diego Forlan was crowned with the Pichichi and also took home the European Golden Shoe after scoring 32 goals for Atletico in the same season. Atletico took this domestic success as an occasion to strengthen their team for the coming Champions League season. They replaced goalkeeper Leo Franco with David de Gea from the youth ranks, and hired an exciting young prospect Sergio Asenjo from Real Valladolid. Atletico also acquired Real Betis defender and Spanish international Juanito via an unpaid transfer. Despite pressure from the big clubs to sell their star player Aguero as well as Forlan, Atletico remained committed to maintaining their attacking team in the hope for a successful season in the new year.

It was the 2009/10 season started poorly, however, with a number of defeats and goals scored. On 21 October, Atletico were hammered 4-0 by English club Chelsea during Chelsea in the Champions League group stage. The loss caused the Atletico management to announce the Manager Abel Resino was forced to quit. After the club failed to sign Danish former player Michael Laudrup, Atletico Madrid made it official that the manager for the remainder of the season was Quique Sanchez Flores..

1.8. La Liga and European successes (2009–)

Following the appointment in the form of Sanchez Flores as coach in October 2009, Atletico improved in many of their games. Atletico was unable to catch up within La Liga during the 2009-10 season which saw them finish in ninth position. However, they were able finishing third the 2010 UEFA Champions League group stage, and then subsequently joined into the Europa League in the round of 32. Atletico went on to win the Europa League, beating English teams Liverpool in the semi-finals and eventually Fulham during the semi-final that was played at the HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg on the 12th of May, 2010. Diego Forlan scored twice, the first being to win the extra time in the final minute in which Atletico defeated Fulham 2-1.

This was for the first time in it was the 1961-1962 European Cup Winners Cup that Atletico was able to claim the European title. They also made it to finals in the Copa del Rey final on the 19th of May, 2010 when they played Sevilla however they defeated 2 to 0 to Sevilla at Camp Nou in Barcelona. With the success of having won in the Europa League, they qualified for the 2010 UEFA Super Cup against Inter Milan, winners from this year's 2009-10 UEFA Champions League. The game was played at Stade Louis II, Monaco on 27 August 2010. Atletico beat the hosts 2-0 thanks to goals scored by Jose Antonio Reyes and Sergio Aguero, Atletico's first victory during this year's UEFA Super Cup.

Atletico was a bit disappointing in the 2010-11 season, finishing seventh place in the League and then being eliminated at the last quarterfinals stage of the Copa del Rey and in the first round of the Europa League. This eventually led to the management departure of coach Sanchez Flores before the conclusion of the season. He was replaced by former Sevilla coach Gregorio Manzano. Manzano was able to secure an ultimate Europa League place for Atletico. Manzano his own replacement was by Diego Simeone in December of 2011, following poor form at the top of La Liga.

Simeone was the one who led Atletico towards their second Europa League win in the three years since the competition was first introduced. Atletico defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the final on May 9 at the National Arena in Bucharest with two goals scored by Radamel Falcao, and one from Diego. By winning the Europa League again, Atletico qualified for the 2012 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea was the winner of last year's Champions League. The game took place in Stade Louis II, Monaco on August 31, 2012, and Atletico defeated Chelsea 4-1 with an triple by Falcao in the first period. On May 17, 2013, Atletico defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in the Copa del Rey Final in a thrilling game in which both teams ended with 10 players. It ended a 14-year 25-match streak of defeats that began in the Madrid derby. It was the year 2012-13 ended the season with three awards in less than one year.

On May 17, 2014, a game at Camp Nou against Barcelona secured the La Liga title for Atletico which was their first title since 1996, and their first time since 2003-04 that they have not that was won from Barcelona as well as Real Madrid.[80A week later, Atletico faced city rivals Real Madrid in their first Champions League final since 1974 and the first final game between two sides that hail from the same region. They scored a lead in the first half thanks to Diego Godin and held the lead until the third half of injury-time, in which Sergio Ramos headed into the net via a corner. The game went into extra time with Real ended up winning 4-1. Atletico was able to reach a third Champions League final in three seasons in 2015-16 and again faced Real Madrid, and lost to them on penalties following the match ended in a draw.

This club had their final home match in the Vicente Calderon Stadium on the 21st of May, 2017. which led to the club moving to a brand new home, the newly renovated Wanda Metropolitano located in the eastern part of Madrid.

The team took home their 3rd Europa League title in nine years when they beat Marseille in the final 3-0 at the Stade de Lyon in Lyon thanks to the brace of A. Griezmann as well as a strike scored by captain of the club Gabi in what was to be his last game with the club. Atletico also won a second UEFA Super Cup following a 4-2 win over Real Madrid 4-2 at the beginning of the campaign at Lillekula Arena in Tallinn. On the 22nd of May in 2021, a 1-2 victory on the Jose Zorrilla Stadium against Valladolid was the final nail in the coffin of Atletico the La Liga title for Atletico 7 years later than their previous win.

2. Rivalries

As below mentioned.

2.1. Real Madrid

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are clubs with distinct identity and distinct destiny. The Santiago Bernabeu stadium of Real Madrid is proudly soaring over Paseo de la Castellana in the affluent Chamartin area of northern Madrid the former stadium of Atletico was the less glitzy Vicente Calderon was located in the center-south area of Madrid 1.8 kilometers away from the city's centre in the barrio for working class of Arganzuela. In the past, Real Madrid have long been viewed as an established club. On the other hand, Atletico Madrid were always identified with the sentimiento of rebeldia which is a feeling of rebellion. However, in the first Francisco Franco years it is Atletico which was considered to be the most popular team of the regime. They were part of the military air force (renamed Atletico Aviacion), until the regime's preference shifted toward Real Madrid in the 1950s.

Certainly the state of dictatorship sought to gain political power from The Real Madrid's European Cup trophies at a period that Spain was a nation that was largely unpopular internationally "Real Madrid is the greatest ambassador we've ever had" the foreign minister of Franco, Fernando Maria de Castiella. This perception has been a significant influence on the identity of the city's footballers that have been able to tap into the general consciousness. In this context, Atletico fans were probably the original creators, and the most frequently singing of the song that is which is to the Real Madrid anthem, "Hala Madrid, hala Madrid El equipo del gobierno, the verguenza of the pas", "Go Madrid Go Madrid the team of the government shame for the country."

Up until recently, Atletico Madrid had struggled with the derby in a significant way with a 14-year winless streak that lasted into this year 2012-13. It ended, however, on May 17, 2013 when Atletico defeated their city rivals 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu in the 2013 Copa del Rey Final that continued on the 29th of September, 2013 after they scored an 1-0 win, this time on the Bernabeu.

2.2. FC Barcelona

While not as well-known as the Derbi Madrileno however, a long-standing rivalry has been established among Atletico Madrid as well as Barcelona and is also considered to be one among the "Classics" of Spanish football. The rivalry was once lopsided to Barcelona, which was a Catalan club, the rivalry has been a fierce one since the start of the decade and was characterized by events like that of the Champions League knockout phase where Atletico Madrid defeated Barcelona as well as the controversial removal of French forward Antonio Griezmann from the Madrid club to the Catalan club in the year 2019 (and his return later in 2021 despite Barcelona's financial woes) as well as the surprising decision to transfer Luis Suarez to Atletico in 2020, a move that resulted in the Uruguyan player play a pivotal part in the team's championship run. But, according to the rules of history and current events the most intense rivalry is the one that exists with the " merengues" neighbors.

3. League record

Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1928–29 1 6th Quarter-finals
1929–30 1 10th Round of 32
1930–31 2 3rd Round of 32
1931–32 2 5th Round of 16
1932–33 2 2nd Round of 16
1933–34 2 2nd Round of 32
1934–35 1 7th Quarter-finals
1935–36 1 11th Round of 32
1939–40 1 1st Round of 16
1940–41 1 1st Quarter-finals
1941–42 1 3rd Quarter-finals
1942–43 1 8th Quarter-finals
1943–44 1 2nd Semi-finals
1944–45 1 3rd Quarter-finals
1945–46 1 7th Quarter-finals
1946–47 1 3rd Round of 16
1947–48 1 3rd Quarter-finals
1948–49 1 4th Quarter-finals
1949–50 1 1st Quarter-finals
1950–51 1 1st Quarter-finals
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1951–52 1 4th Round of 16
1952–53 1 8th Semi-finals
1953–54 1 11th Round of 16
1954–55 1 8th Round of 16
1955–56 1 5th Runners-up
1956–57 1 5th Round of 16
1957–58 1 2nd Round of 16
1958–59 1 5th Quarter-finals
1959–60 1 5th Winners
1960–61 1 2nd Winners
1961–62 1 3rd Round of 32
1962–63 1 2nd Quarter-finals
1963–64 1 7th Runners-up
1964–65 1 2nd Winners
1965–66 1 1st Quarter-finals
1966–67 1 4th Quarter-finals
1967–68 1 6th Semi-finals
1968–69 1 6th Quarter-finals
1969–70 1 1st Did not participate
1970–71 1 3rd Semi-finals
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1971–72 1 4th Winners
1972–73 1 1st Round of 32
1973–74 1 2nd Semi-finals
1974–75 1 6th Runners-up
1975–76 1 3rd Winners
1976–77 1 1st Round of 16
1977–78 1 6th Quarter-finals
1978–79 1 3rd Round of 64
1979–80 1 13th Semi-finals
1980–81 1 3rd Round of 16
1981–82 1 8th Quarter-finals
1982–83 1 3rd Round of 64
1983–84 1 4th Round of 16
1984–85 1 2nd Winners
1985–86 1 5th Quarter-finals
1986–87 1 7th Runners-up
1987–88 1 3rd Quarter-finals
1988–89 1 4th Semi-finals
1989–90 1 4th Round of 16
1990–91 1 2nd Winners
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1991–92 1 3rd Winners
1992–93 1 6th Round of 16
1993–94 1 12th Round of 16
1994–95 1 14th Quarter-finals
1995–96 1 1st Winners
1996–97 1 5th Quarter-finals
1997–98 1 7th Round of 16
1998–99 1 13th Runners-up
1999–2000 1 19th Runners-up
2000–01 2 4th Semi-finals
2001–02 2 1st Round of 64
2002–03 1 12th Quarter-finals
2003–04 1 7th Quarter-finals
2004–05 1 11th Semi-finals
2005–06 1 10th Round of 16
2006–07 1 7th Round of 16
2007–08 1 4th Quarter-finals
2008–09 1 4th Round of 16
2009–10 1 9th Runners-up
2010–11 1 7th Quarter-finals
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2011–12 1 5th Round of 32
2012–13 1 3rd Winners
2013–14 1 1st Semi-finals
2014–15 1 3rd Quarter-finals
2015–16 1 3rd Quarter-finals
2016–17 1 3rd Semi-finals
2017–18 1 2nd Quarter-finals
2018–19 1 2nd Round of 16
2019–20 1 3rd Round of 32
2020–21 1 1st Round of 64
2021–22 1 3rd Round of 16
2022–23 1    

  • 86 seasons in La Liga
  • 6 seasons in Segunda División

4. Honours

Please see detail below.

4.1. Domestic competitions

  • La Liga
  • Winners (11): 1939–40, 1940–41, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1995–96, 2013–14, 2020–21
    • Copa del Rey
    Winners (10): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1995–96, 2012–13
    • Supercopa de España
    Winners (2): 1985, 2014
    • Copa Presidente FEF
    Winners (1): 1947
    • Copa Eva Duarte
    Winners (1): 1951

4.2. International competitions

  • European Cup / UEFA Champions League
  • Runners-up (3): 1973–74, 2013–14, 2015–16
    • European Cup Winners' Cup
    Winners (1): 1961–62
    Runners-up (2): 1962–63, 1985–86
    • UEFA Europa League
    Winners (3): 2009–10, 2011–12, 2017–18
    • UEFA Super Cup
    Winners (3): 2010, 2012, 2018
    • Intercontinental Cup
    Winners (1): 1974

4.3. 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

5. 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 (1971–72) and the UEFA Super Cup (2009–10). Starting with the 1999–00 relegation Atlético did not qualify for European competitions for seven years, but from the 2007–08 season, it has taken part in either the Champions League or the UEFA Europa League every year, enjoying success in both competitions.

hideAtlético Madrid's season-by-season record in international competitions
1 Group stage. Highest-ranked eliminated team in case of qualification, lowest-ranked qualified team in case of elimination.
Intercontinental Cup / FIFA Club World Cup
Season   Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final / 3rd pos.
1974–75   Argentina Independiente
UEFA Super Cup
Season   Final
2010   Italy Inter Milan
2012   England Chelsea
2018   Spain Real Madrid
European Cup / UEFA Champions League
Season Preliminary stages Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1958–59    Drumcondra  CSKA Sofia  Schalke 04  Real Madrid
1966–67    Malmö FF  Vojvodina
1970–71    Austria Vienna  Cagliari  Legia Warsaw  Ajax
1973–74    Galatasaray  Dinamo BucureÈ™ti  Red Star Belgrade  Celtic West Germany Bayern Munich
1977–78    Dinamo BucureÈ™ti  Nantes  Club Brugge
1996–97    Widzew Łódź 1  Ajax
2008–09    Schalke 04  Marseille 1  Porto
2009–10    Panathinaikos  Porto 1
2013–14    Porto 1  Milan  Barcelona  Chelsea Spain Real Madrid
2014–15    Olympiacos 1  Bayer Leverkusen  Real Madrid
2015–16    Galatasaray 1  PSV Eindhoven  Barcelona  Bayern Munich Spain Real Madrid
2016–17    Rostov 1  Bayer Leverkusen  Leicester City  Real Madrid
2017–18    Chelsea 1
2018–19    Club Brugge 1  Juventus
2019–20    Lokomotiv Moscow 1  Liverpool  RB Leipzig
2020–21    Red Bull Salzburg 1  Chelsea
2021–22    Porto 1  Manchester United  Manchester City
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Season Preliminary stages Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1961–62    Sedan  Leicester City  Werder Bremen  Carl Zeiss Italy Fiorentina
1962–63    Hibernians  Botev  Nürnberg England Tottenham Hotspur
1965–66    Dinamo Zagreb  Universitatea Cluj  Borussia Dortmund
1972–73    Bastia  Spartak Moscow
1975–76    Basel  Eintracht Frankfurt
1976–77    Rapid Wien  Hajduk Split  Levski Sofia  Hamburger SV
1985–86    Celtic  Bangor City  Red Star Belgrade  Uerdingen Soviet Union Dynamo Kiev
1991–92    Fyllingen  Manchester United  Club Brugge
1992–93    Maribor  Trabzonspor  Olympiacos  Parma
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League
Season Preliminary stages Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
1963–64    Porto  Juventus
1964–65    Servette  Shelbourne  RFC Liège Bye  Juventus
1967–68    Wiener SC  Göztepe
1968–69    Waregem
1971–72    Panionios
1974–75    KB  Derby County
1979–80    Dynamo Dresden
1981–82    Boavista
1983–84    Groningen
1984–85    Sion
1986–87    Werder Bremen  Vitória
1988–89    Groningen
1989–90    Fiorentina
1990–91    Politehnica TimiÈ™oara
1993–94    Hearts  OFI
1997–98    Leicester City  PAOK  Dinamo Zagreb  Aston Villa  Lazio
1998–99    Obilic  CSKA Sofia  Real Sociedad  Roma  Parma
1999–00    Ankaragücü  Amica  VfL Wolfsburg  Lens
2007–08    Vojvodina  Erciyesspor  Copenhagen 1  Bolton Wanderers
2009–10    Galatasaray  Sporting CP  Valencia  Liverpool England Fulham
2010–11    Aris 1
2011–12    Strømsgodset  Vitória  Celtic 1  Lazio  BeÅŸiktaÅŸ  Hannover 96  Valencia Spain Athletic Bilbao
2012–13    Académica 1  Rubin Kazan
2017–18    Copenhagen  Lokomotiv Moscow  Sporting CP  Arsenal France Marseille
UEFA Intertoto Cup
Season   Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
2004–05    Fastav Zlín  OFK Beograd Spain Villarreal
2007–08

5.1. UEFA club coefficient ranking

As of 18 September 2020
Rank Team Points
1  Bayern Munich 111.000
2  Barcelona 106.000
3  Real Madrid 105.000
4  Atlético Madrid 103.000
 Juventus
 

6. Players

As below mentioned.

6.1. Current Squad

As of 9 July 2022.

 
No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  URU José Giménez (3rd captain)
4 MF  CTA Geoffrey Kondogbia
5 MF  ARG Rodrigo De Paul
6 MF  ESP Koke (captain)
7 FW  POR João Félix
8 FW  FRA Antoine Griezmann (loan from Barcelona)
10 FW  ARG Ángel Correa
11 MF  FRA Thomas Lemar
12 DF  BRA Renan Lodi
13 GK  SVN Jan Oblak (vice-captain)
 
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF  ESP Marcos Llorente
15 DF  MNE Stefan Savić (4th captain)
17 DF  DEN Daniel Wass
18 DF  BRA Felipe
19 FW  BRA Matheus Cunha
21 MF  BEL Yannick Carrasco
22 DF  ESP Mario Hermoso
23 DF  MOZ Reinildo Mandava
MF  BEL Axel Witsel
FW  BRA Samuel Lino

6.2. Other players under contract

 
No. Pos. Nation Player
GK  CRO Ivo Grbić
DF  ESP Manu Sánchez
DF  ARG Mariano Gómez
DF  ARG Nehuén Pérez
DF  COL Santiago Arias
MF  MAR Abde Damar
MF  ESP Ismael Gutiérrez
MF  ESP Josep Calavera
MF  ESP Mario Soriano
MF  ESP Rodrigo Riquelme
 
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  ESP Saúl
MF  ESP Vitolo
FW  ESP Álvaro Morata
FW  ESP Borja Garcés
FW  ESP Cedric Teguia
FW  ESP Germán Valera
FW  POR Marcos Paulo
FW  ESP Sergio Camello
FW  ESP Víctor Mollejo
 

6.3. Reserve team

 
No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  ESP Christian Gómez
2 DF  ESP Sergio Camus
3 DF  ESP Marco Moreno
4 DF  ESP Diego Espejo
5 DF  ESP Joan Rojas
6 DF  ESP Verde
7 FW  ESP Davo Fernández
8 MF  ESP Alberto Moreno
9 FW  ESP Carlos Martín
10 FW  ARG Giuliano Simeone
11 FW  ESP Luis Ángel Forcén
12 FW  ESP Santi Miguélez
 
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK  ESP Antonio Gomís
14 DF  ESP Fran González
16 DF  ESP Joel Arumí
17 FW  ESP Alberto Salido
18 FW  ESP Jordi Ferrer
19 MF  ESP Alberto Soto
20 MF  ENG Teddy Sutherland (on loan from Cartagena)
21 MF  VEN Nando Gutiérrez
22 MF  ESP Mini
24 DF  ESP Adrián Corral
26 MF  ESP Javi Serrano
FW  ESP Mario Musy

6.4. Out On Loan

 
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  URU Juan Sanabria (at Atlético San Luis until 30 June 2023)
FW  ARG Giuliano Simeone (at Zaragoza until 30 June 2023)
 

7. Staff

Please see below for the details.

7.1. Technical staff

Position Staff
Head coach  Diego Simeone
Assistant manager  Nelson Vivas
Assistant manager  Gustavo López
Goalkeeper coach  Pablo Vercellone
Fitness coach  Oscar Ortega
Physiotherapists  Iván Ortega
 Jesús Vázquez
 Esteban Arévalo
 David Loras
 Felipe Iglesias Arroyo
Rehabilitation physios  Óscar Pitillas
 Alfredo Jarodich
Technical assistant Team  Carlos Menéndez
 Daniel Castro
Team delegate  Pedro Pablo Matesanz
Head of medical department  José María Villalón
Club doctor  Gorka de Abajo
Doctor  Óscar Luis Celada
Technical team  Cristian Bautista
 Dimcho Pilichev
 Fernando Sánchez Ramírez
 Mario Serrano
 

7.2. Coaches

Manager Nationality From To M W D L GF GA Win%[1] Honours Notes
Manuel Ansoleaga  Spain 1921 1922 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Campeonato Regional Centro  
Urbano Iturbe  Spain 1922 1923 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Vince Hayes  England 1923 1924 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ramón Olalquiaga  Spain 1924 1925 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Campeonato Regional Centro  
Fred Pentland  England 1925 1926 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Antonio de Miguel  Spain 1926 1927 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Julián Ruete  Spain 1927 1927 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Fred Pentland  England 1927 1929 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Campeonato Regional Centro  
Ángel Romo  Spain 1929 1930 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Rudolf Jeny  Hungary 1930 1932 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Javier Barroso  Spain 1932 1932 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Walter Harris  England 1932 1933 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Manuel Anatol  Spain 1933 1933 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Arcadio Arteaga  Spain 1933 1933 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Fred Pentland  England 1933 1935 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Josep Samitier  Spain 1935 1936 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ricardo Zamora  Spain 1939 1940 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga, 1 Campeonato Regional Centro  
Ramón Lafuente  Spain 1940 1940 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ricardo Zamora  Spain 1940 1946 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga, 1 Supercopa de España  
Emilio Vidal  Spain 1946 1948 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Supercopa de España  
Lino Traioli  Argentina 1948 1949 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Helenio Herrera  Argentina 1949 1953 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 2 La Liga, 1 Supercopa de España  
Ramón Colón  Spain 1953 1953 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Benito Díaz  Spain 1953 1954 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Jacinto Quincoces  Spain 1954 1955 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Antonio Barrios  Spain 1955 1957 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ferdinand Daučík  Czechoslovakia 1957 1959 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Villalonga  Spain 1959 1962 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 2 Copa del Rey, 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup  
Rafael García "Tinte"  Spain 1962 1963 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)   Lost against Tottenham Hotspur the final of the UEFA Cup Winners´ Cup of 1962–63
Adrián Escudero  Spain 1963 1963 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Sabino Barinaga  Spain 1963 1964 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Otto Bumbel  Brazil 1964 1965 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Copa del Rey  
Domènec Balmanya  Spain 1965 1966 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga  
Otto Glória  Brazil 1966 1968 55 24 15 16 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)   League matches only. Replaced 18/03/1968, after md 25
Miguel González  Spain 1968 1969 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Marcel Domingo  France 1969 1971 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga  
Max Merkel  Austria 1971 1973 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga, 1 Copa del Rey  
Juan Carlos Lorenzo  Argentina 1973 1974 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)   Lost against Bayern Munich in a replay in the European Cup final of 1974
Luis Aragonés  Spain 26 November 1974 30 June 1978 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga, 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Intercontinental Cup  
Héctor Núñez  Uruguay 1978 1978 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Aragonés  Spain 1978 1978 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ferenc Szusza  Hungary 1978 1979 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Aragonés  Spain 1 July 1979 17 March 1980 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Jesús Martínez Jayo  Spain 1980 1980 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Marcel Domingo  France 1980 1980 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Luis García Traid  Spain 1980 1981 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Cid  Spain 1981 1981 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Luis García Traid  Spain 1981 1982 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Aragonés  Spain 5 August 1982 25 July 1986 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Supercopa de España Lost against Dynamo Kyiv the final of the UEFA Cup Winners´ Cup of 1985–86.
Vicente Miera  Spain 1986 1986 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Jesús Martínez Jayo  Spain 1986 1987 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Aragonés  Spain 3 February 1987 30 June 1987 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
César Luis Menotti  Argentina 1 July 1987 20 March 1988 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Ufarte  Spain 1988 1988 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Antonio Briones  Spain 1988 1988 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Maguregi  Spain 1988 1988 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Antonio Briones  Spain 1988 1988 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ron Atkinson  England 1988 1989 12 6 3 3 (n/a) (n/a) 50.00    
Colin Addison  England 1989 1989 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Antonio Briones  Spain 1989 1989 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Javier Clemente  Spain 1 July 1989 27 February 1990 32 15 8 9 (n/a) (n/a) 46.88    
Antonio Briones  Spain 1990 1990 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Joaquín Peiró  Spain 1 February 1990 30 June 1990 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Iselín Santos Ovejero  Argentina 1990 1990 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Copa del Rey  
Tomislav Ivić  Yugoslavia 1990 1991 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Aragonés  Spain 10 June 1991 31 January 1993 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Iberian Cup  
Ramón Heredia  Argentina 1993 1993 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Jair Pereira  Brazil 1993 1993 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Ramón Heredia  Argentina 1993 1993 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Emilio Cruz  Spain 1993 1993 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Luis Romero  Spain 1994 1994 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Iselín Santos Ovejero  Argentina 1994 1994 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Jorge D'Alessandro  Argentina 21 March 1994 30 June 1994 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Francisco Maturana  Colombia 1 July 1994 1 November 1994 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Jorge D'Alessandro  Argentina 1 November 1994 20 February 1995 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Alfio Basile  Argentina 26 February 1995 4 June 1995 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Carlos Sánchez Aguiar (int.)  Spain 10 June 1995 30 June 1995 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Radomir Antić Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 1 July 1995 30 June 1998 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) 1 La Liga, 1 Copa del Rey  
Arrigo Sacchi  Italy 1 July 1998 14 February 1999 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Carlos Sánchez Aguiar (int.)  Spain 15 February 1999 23 March 1999 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Radomir Antić Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 24 March 1999 30 June 1999 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Claudio Ranieri  Italy 1 July 1999 3 March 2000 38 9 11 18 (n/a) (n/a) 23.68    
Radomir Antić Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia 4 March 2000 16 May 2000 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)   Descend to the Second Division
Fernando Zambrano  Spain May 2000 October 2000 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Marcos Alonso  Spain October 2000 April 2001 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
García Cantarero  Spain April 2001 June 2001 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Luis Aragonés  Spain 25 June 2001 22 July 2003 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)   Returns the team to the First Division
Gregorio Manzano  Spain 23 July 2003 25 May 2004 44 17 12 15 (n/a) (n/a) 38.64    
César Ferrando  Spain 1 July 2004 30 June 2005 52 22 13 17 (n/a) (n/a) 42.31    
Carlos Bianchi  Argentina 1 July 2005 12 January 2006 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
José Murcia  Spain January 2006 June 2006 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Javier Aguirre  Mexico 1 July 2006 2 February 2009 120 52 33 35 182 139 43.33    
Abel Resino  Spain 3 February 2009 23 October 2009 31 14 8 9 (n/a) (n/a) 45.16    
Santi Denia (int.)  Spain 24 October 2009 25 October 2009 (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a) (n/a)    
Quique Sánchez Flores  Spain 26 October 2009 30 June 2011 102 42 23 37 164 132 41.18 1 UEFA Europa League, 1 UEFA Super Cup  
Gregorio Manzano  Spain 1 July 2011 22 December 2011 28 13 5 10 45 35 46.43    
Diego Simeone  Argentina 23 December 2011 Present 571 336 133 101 947 440 58.84 2 La Liga, 2 UEFA Europa League, 2 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Supercopa de España Lost the 2014 and 2016 UEFA Champions League finals to arch-rivals Real Madrid

7.3. Presidents

  • 1. Enrique Allende (1903)
  • 2. Eduardo de Acha (1903–07)
  • 3. Ricardo de Gondra (1907–09)
  • 4. Ramón de Cárdenas (1909–12)
  • 5. Julián Ruete (1912–19)
  • 6. Álvaro de Aguilar (1919–20)
  • 7. Julián Ruete (1920–23)
  • 8. Juan de Estefanía (1923–26)
  • 9. Luciano Urquijo (1926–31)
  • 10. Rafael González (1931–35)
  • 11. José L. del Valle (1935–36)
  • 12. José María Fernández (1936–39)
  • 13. Francisco Vives (1939)
  • 14. Luis Navarro (1939–41)
  • 15. Manuel Gallego (1941–45)
  • 16. Juan Touzón (1946–47)
  • 17. Cesáreo Galindez (1947–52)
  • 18. Marqués de la Florida (1952–55)
  • 19. Jesús Suevos (1955)
  • 20. Javier Barroso (1963–64)
  • 21. Vicente Calderón (1964–80)
  • 22. Ricardo Irezábal (1980)
  • 23. Alfonso Cabeza (1980–82)
  • 24. Antonio del Hoyo (1982)
  • 25. Agustín Cotorruelo (1982)
  • 26. Vicente Calderón (1982–87)
  • 27. Francisco Castedo (1987)
  • 28. Jesús Gil (1987–2003)
  • 29. Enrique Cerezo (2003–)

7.4. Current board

  • President: Enrique Cerezo Torres
  • Chief Executive Officer: Miguel Ángel Gil Marín. Owner of the club, he holds 56% of the stock. He is the son of former club president Jesús Gil.

8. Recent seasons

Season Div. Pos. Pld W D L GF GA Pts Cup Europe Notes
2002–03 1D 11th 38 12 11 15 51 56 47 Quarter-final      
2003–04 1D 7th 38 15 10 13 51 53 55 Quarter-final      
2004–05 1D 11th 38 13 11 14 40 34 50 Semi-final     Final UEFA Intertoto Cup
2005–06 1D 10th 38 13 13 12 45 37 52 Round of 16      
2006–07 1D 7th 38 17 9 12 46 39 60 Round of 16      
2007–08 1D 4th 38 19 7 12 66 47 64 Quarter-final UC Round of 32*  
2008–09 1D 4th 38 20 7 11 80 57 67 Round of 16 UCL Round of 16 Forlán won the Pichichi and Golden Shoe with 32 goals.
2009–10 1D 9th 38 13 8 17 57 61 47 Final UEL Winner UCL – Out in Group stage
2010–11 1D 7th 38 17 7 14 62 53 58 Quarter-final UEL Group stage Win UEFA Super Cup
2011–12 1D 5th 38 15 11 12 53 46 56 Round of 32 UEL Winner 12 wins in a row in European competitions
2012–13 1D 3rd 38 23 7 8 65 31 76 Winner UEL Round of 32 Win UEFA Super Cup
2013–14 1D 1st 38 28 6 4 76 25 90 Semi-final UCL Final Final Supercopa
2014–15 1D 3rd 38 23 9 6 67 29 78 Quarter-final UCL Quarter-final Win Supercopa
2015–16 1D 3rd 38 28 4 6 63 18 88 Quarter-final UCL Final  
2016–17 1D 3rd 38 23 9 6 70 27 78 Semi-final UCL Semi-final  
2017–18 1D 2nd 38 23 10 5 58 22 79 Quarter-final UEL Winner UCL – Out in Group stage
2018–19 1D 2nd 38 22 10 6 55 29 76 Round of 16 UCL Round of 16 Win UEFA Super Cup
2019–20 1D 3rd 38 18 16 4 51 27 70 Round of 32 UCL Quarter-final Final Supercopa
2020–21 1D 1st 38 26 8 4 67 25 86 Round of 64 UCL Round of 16  
2021–22 1D 3rd 38 21 8 9 65 43 71 Round of 16 UCL Quarter-final Semi-final Supercopa

Note: Atlético reached the 2007–08 UEFA Cup Round of 32 as qualified from the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

9. Stadium and facility

The club's home games are played at the Wanda Metropolitano, which was increased from a capacity of 20,000 seats (when it was called La Peineta) to 68,000 following Madrid's unsuccessful attempt to stage the 2016 Summer Olympics. After the renovation to the arena, renovated stadium hosted its first ever competition match, featuring Atletico against Malaga CF, during which the team's Antoine Griezmann scored the first goal in the stadium.

9.1. Training ground

The training grounds of the club are located at the Ciudad Deportiva Atletico de Madrid located in Majadahonda approximately 20 km to the west of Madrid. The ground is maintained with artificial grass and patches, and also an exercise facility. The youth and senior squads train in the club's facilities.

Atletico also runs a sports academy at the Ciudad Deportiva del Nuevo Cerro del Espino in Majadahonda. Atletico also has its own academy located in Bucharest, Romania it's first academy in Europe.

9.2. Pakistani Academy

In October, Atletico De Madrid announced their first academy in Pakistan that was located at Lahore which is the very first European football club in Pakistan. In April of 2019 they announced the "Football Schools Program" located in Lahore. In October of 2019, Atletico De Madrid conducted talent in Lahore.. Then, in February of 2020 the Pakistan Football Federation announced the 2020-21 Football Federation League in which Atletico Madrid Lahore was included in Group C. It was designated an official Pakistani soccer club. It played its first match with Hazara Coal and won by two goals.

10. 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.

The club's main shirt sponsorship by the government of Azerbaijan between 2012 and 2014, featuring the slogan 'Land of Fire', was condemned by Reporters Without Borders, 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".

Previously, the club was sponsored by Columbia Pictures, 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. 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 2002 to 2005.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt Sponsors
1980–1986 Meyba None
1986–1989 Puma None
1989–1990 Mita
1990–1993 Marbella*
1993–1994 Antena 3
1994–1996 Marbella*
1996–1997 Bandai/Tamagotchi
1997–1998 Marbella*
1998–1999 Reebok
1999–2000 None
2000–2001 Idea
2001–2002 Nike
2002–2003 Century
2003–2005 Columbia Pictures**
2005–2011 KIA
March–May 2012 Rixos Hotels (Liga only, except v. R. Madrid)
May–December 2012 Huawei
2012–2014 Azerbaijan Land of Fire
2014–2015 Baku 2015
2015– Plus500
2018– Hyundai (co-sponsor)
2019– Ria Money Transfer (co-sponsor)
  • (**) – 2003–05 Columbia Pictures (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.)

11. Supporters

The supporters from celebrities Joaquín Sabina, Belén Esteban, Birgitte V. Gade, Leiva, Álvaro Bautista, Dani Martin, Ana Rosa Quintana, Javier Bardem, Sara Carbonero, Pablo Iglesias Turrión, El Langui, Pedro Sánchez, Luis de Guindos, Rosendo Mercado, José Tomás, Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, David Muñoz, Will Smith, Harrison Ford, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Matt Damon, 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.

12. Notable players

Adelardo holds the club's official appearance record, wearing the Atlético shirt in 551 matches from 1959 to 1976, while Adrián Escudero has the record for most goals in La Liga with 150. João Félix is the club's most expensive signing at €126 million, and at €120 million Antoine Griezmann is the club's biggest sale.

 
Most appearances
No. Name Apps Ref.
1 Adelardo Rodríguez 553  
2 Koke 545  
3 Tomás Reñones 483  
4 Enrique Collar 470  
5 Carlos Aguilera 456
6 Isacio Calleja 421  
7 Gabi 417
8 Fernando Torres 404  
9 Diego Godín 389
10 Luis Aragonés 368  
Most goals
No. Name Goals Ref.
1 Luis Aragonés 172  
2 Adrián Escudero 169  
3 Paco Campos 158  
4 Antoine Griezmann 141  
5 José Eulogio Gárate 136  
6 Fernando Torres 129
7 Joaquín Peiró 125
8 Adelardo Rodríguez 113  
9 Enrique Collar 105
10 José Juncosa 103