Talking all things Real at the Bernabéu - Looking for clues between myth and business plan

Bayern take on Real Madrid again in April, 50 years on from first encounter in 1976. The Spanish club are in transition but always pose a real threat. A members’ magazine '51' search for clues between myth and business plan right in front of the Bernabéu.

When a father takes his sons to the football stadium, he wants to cheer on his team and create memories that everyone will remember for decades to come. But 60 minutes before kick-off, Miguel Fuentes and his sons Pablo, 12, and Alvaro, 10, really don't know what to expect at the Bernabéu. "The season has been full of ups and downs, like a rollercoaster," says the 40-something from a northern suburb of Madrid. All three are die-hard ‘Hinchas’ - Spanish for Real Madrid fans and have been club members for years. On a Sunday evening at the end of March, they're waiting in the queue to get in to watch the derby against Atlético Madrid. The aim is to stay in touch with Barcelona in the table, defend their city dominance and stay in the flow ahead of the most important phase of the season. But there's not much sign of the confidence Real Madrid fans in Spain are known for - and that's with just under two weeks to go till the Champions League quarter-final against FC Bayern, the ‘Clásico Europeo’, as the game is known in Spain.

No fixture has been contested more often in the Champions League

No encounter has taken place more often in the Champions League than Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich. Since their first meeting 50 years ago, in March 1976, the record champions of Spain and Germany have faced each other almost 30 times in European competition. But if you ask around the football scene in Madrid, you'll hear unfamiliar undertones: frustration, uncertainty, perhaps even nervousness. "The team just isn't working properly," says Miguel Fuentes worriedly. Although Real brought in yet another superstar in the form of Kylian Mbappé on a free transfer - rumoured signing-on fee: €150 million - the team never really got going again following the departure of midfield motors Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić. In January, the club sacked Xabi Alonso after a defeat in the Super Cup final against Barcelona. The headline in the sports newspaper AS read: "A story that began as a fairytale and ended as a nightmare." Under his successor Álvaro Arbeloa, the team have put in some brilliant performances, such as the two Champions League round of 16 wins against Manchester City, but also a surprising Copa del Rey defeat against second division side Albacete. There have been dream goals and blunders, applause alternating with boos, and repeated criticism of president Florentino Pérez, who has been at the helm for over two decades. Where will Real be in spring 2026? Is the glamour of the Los Blancos fading or are they about to go on one of their dreaded runs when it matters most?

Event venue with an underground greenhouse

On matchday, fans stream into the streets around the Paseo de la Castellana hours before kick-off, lighting purple flares and singing "Hala Madrid". For almost 80 years, the Bernabéu has been an institution in the city like the Almudena Cathedral or the Gran Vía. Nowadays, with its stainless steel panelling and amorphous shape, it looks more like a futuristic event venue than a conventional football stadium where tradition is celebrated. Following the refurbishment, it's considered the "most modern stadium in the world", according to the local press. The pitch can be completely recessed into an underground greenhouse to create space for large concerts. During the week, an artificial turf is laid so tourists visiting the Bernabéu with its museum, fan store and restaurants can take photos without a patch of bare concrete where their favourite team normally plays. The renovation cost €1.3 billion, almost three times as much as originally planned. The stadium is intended to generate revenue beyond match operations, enabling the club to keep pace with European rivals such as PSG or Man City, who are owned by billionaires and oil-producing states. The queues for the derby are packed with tourists. German, Italian, English and Arabic can be heard. Scarves and jerseys are new, either from the fan store or from one of the countless street stalls around the stadium.

Real in transition?

When it comes to the commercial side of the Pérez era, Jorge Longarela is happy. "Real Madrid are better off than ever before," says the board member of the Real fan club umbrella organisation in the Madrid region. Longarela comes from a family "where everyone has always been a Real fan" and heads up the Peña Madridista in the Carabanchel neighbourhood, which has around 90 members. "We follow the best club in the world, we pay a lot of money for tickets - so you should be able to demand a lot," says the 48-year-old insurance clerk, explaining why resentment spreads more quickly in the stands than at other Spanish clubs. Longarela believes Real are in transition. "There are rumours that this is Florentino Pérez's last term as president," he says. And he doesn't exactly sound sad.

Because in March 2026, Real seemed more vulnerable than in many previous years. There are questions about the internal balance, the inconsistent results. Teams travelling to the Bernabéu are no longer automatically afraid of the 80,000 fans, but believe they can get something from the game.

What Bayern and Real have in common

Miguel Ángel López is no exception. In Spanish football, you’re either a Madridista or a die-hard anti-Madridista - there's nothing in between. López belongs to the second type and has two membership cards in his wallet, both of which have a special relationship with Real. "Atlético Madrid and FC Bayern," he says proudly. The 61-year-old pensioner has been a Bayern fan since the 1970s, when FCB supplanted Real on the throne of Europe and won the European Cup three times in a row. With a gleam in his eye, he shows off the signed autograph cards he was sent from Munich decades ago - Beckenbauer, Augenthaler. López has been an official Bayern member since 2009.

"Bayern are the Bestia Negra"

López firmly believes Bayern will knock Los Blancos out of the Champions League this year. The inconsistencies in their performances this season are too great. "Bayern have always been Real Madrid’s Bestia Negra," he says, clearly enjoying what his Atlético have never achieved. "The fans are used to their club always winning. And if it doesn't work out, they're depressed for days, looking for someone to blame." But Bayern and Real have one thing in common, he confesses: "Both clubs never admit defeat. Not until the last minute."

The Reds in Madrid

Seasoned Bayern fans have certainly experienced many incredible evenings at the Bernabéu. The victories in 1976 and 1987, when Bayern stopped the great Madrid in the semi-finals, the triumphs in 2001 and 2012, the drama in 2024 - every Bayern team aiming for the ultimate title have to prove themselves against the Spanish giants sooner or later. Until well into the 21st century, the Munich men were downright feared in Madrid and proudly bore the title Bestia Negra, as they call their fearsome opponents in Spain. Even if the most recent knockout ties have been more of a ‘white curse’, given Real have knocked Bayern out of the competition four times in a row since 2014.

Bestia Negra is also the name of the Bayern fan club in the Spanish capital. Around 30 members, mostly German expats and a few Spaniards, belong to it. They watch the games together in sports bars, go to the stadium when Bayern come to Madrid or travel to Munich for home games. Like Daniel Gern, the spokesman for the Bestia Negra, who already has his ticket for the quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena. To warm up, the 49-year-old from the Rhineland-Palatinate has arranged to meet up with four other Bayern fans in an Irish pub less than ten minutes away from the Bernabéu, to scout the opposition and get in the mood for the next European classic together.

Not a fully-fledged team

They are all avowed anti-Madridistas here, but they also pay tribute to the European record champions. “Legends” - this word comes up again and again. Bayern against Real has always been "a meeting of equals," says Thomas Kress (50), who is originally from Franconia. Nevertheless, he believes that Los Blancos under Pérez are strongly focused on global marketing. His fan club pal Daniel agrees: "Unlike Bayern, the club has hardly retained anything original. Sometimes the squad seems more like a collection of big names than a fully-fledged team.”

Good chance of victory against Real

This year, the five are certain Bayern have a good chance of beating Madrid. The Munich side are enjoying an excellent season, the Spaniards a mixed one. “But it now looks as if Real have bounced back in recent weeks," Gern points out. In fact, they recorded five wins and just one defeat in March. His prediction: "1-1 in the first leg in Madrid, 2-1 in the return leg in Munich. Bayern to go through." But he doesn't sound 100 percent sure. How could he, given the images currently flickering across the screen? Real are behind in the derby, captain Fede Valverde is shown a red card, but they still win 3-2 in the end. "You must never forget that Real Madrid are Real Madrid," says Gern, shaking his head. It's one of the old adages in Spanish football. For anti-Madridistas, it's a curse - you lose even when you don't deserve to. For Madridistas like Miguel Fuentes and his sons, it's a reason to never give up hope. "When Real Madrid are suffering the most, we often progress the furthest,” says Fuentes.

Real legend Emilio Butragueño (62) on magical European Cup nights and encounters with Bayern: