The ‘Salón Bernabéu’ is born

In a place in La Mancha whose name I will always want to remember, Almansa, Yesterday a beautiful, heartfelt and emotional tribute was paid in honor of Santiago Bernabéu, who was the legendary president of Real Madrid between 1943 and 1978. Just this Thursday was the 44th anniversary of his death and for this reason, both the city council of the aforementioned La Mancha town and the Almansa Madrid supporters’ club organized a beautiful tribute whose star moment was the inauguration, at the Hotel Blu, of the ‘Salón Santiago Bernabéu’whose plaque defines the unforgettable president as “the most universal Almanseño”.

The mayor of Almansa, Javier Sánchez Roselló, stressed that for them “everything that is done in our city to give status to the figure of Don Santiago is little. This is a first step and there will be much more because everything that is done in his memory is fair and deserved.”

His only great-nephew, Ignacio Bernabéu, felt the affection of the Almanseños and he was grateful for this charming photographic museum dedicated to Don Santiago: “He laid the foundations for this great Madrid that now continues to give us joy and glory in Europe with Florentino in the Presidency. Hopefully the stadium will always carry his surname”.

Paco Bonet, a veteran madridista sent to the event who played in white between 1982 and 1986, highlighted “the human figure of a man who had the courage to invent the European Cup and push our club to the top”. Beside him, Pepe Giménez nodded excitedly, president of the Almansa supporters club for 42 years and who has now celebrated half a century since its creation. “Until the last day of my life I will fight so that all the greatness that Don Santiago was is recognized so that Madrid is the most loved and admired club in the world”. At the Hotel Blu there is a mandatory stop from now on to learn more about the president who marked an almost unrepeatable era.

The museum: photographs with the phrases that mark its personality

The images of Santiago Bernabéu in ‘his’ Hall show phrases that reflect the strong personality of the La Mancha president. The most notorious shows his strong character: “Anti-Madridism is the price that must be paid for having more Leagues than anyone in Spain and more Cups than anyone in Europe”. The event was attended by the supporters clubs of Alpera, Caudetana, Mariano (the oldest in the club), Don Santiago (Albacete), La Gran Familia de Hellín and a crown from Real Madrid itself. And it was the supporters clubs of Athletic Club and Barça.

La Peña La Gran Familia organized a mass in his memory yesterday afternoon in the Madrid parish of San Francisco de Sales.