Vicente Calderón Stadium

Estadio Vicente Calderón
Map
Full nameEstadio Vicente Calderón
Former namesEstadio Manzanares
(1966–71)
LocationArganzuela, Madrid, Spain
Coordinates40°24′6.19″N 3°43′14.18″W / 40.4017194°N 3.7206056°W / 40.4017194; -3.7206056
Capacity62,000[1]
Field size105 m × 70 m (115 yd × 77 yd)
Construction
Broke ground3 August 1959; 65 years ago (1959-08-03)
Opened2 October 1966; 58 years ago (1966-10-02)
Renovated1972, 1982
Closed28 May 2017; 7 years ago (2017-05-28)
Demolished13 February 2019–6 July 2020
ArchitectJavier Barroso
Miguel Ángel García Lomas
Tenants
Atlético Madrid (1966–2017)

The Vicente Calderón Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Vicente Calderón [esˈtaðjo βiˈθente kaldeˈɾon]) was the home stadium of Atlético Madrid from its completion in 1966 to 2017, with a seating capacity of 54,907. It was located on the banks of the Manzanares, in the Arganzuela district of Madrid, Spain.

The stadium was originally called the Estadio Manzanares, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, in honour of their long-term President Vicente Calderón.[2] The stadium closed in 2017 after the conclusion of the 2016–17 season, with Atlético Madrid moving to Metropolitano Stadium for the following season. Demolition began in 2019 and completed the following year.

The original capacity from 1966 was 62,000 people. For the 1982 World Cup it was decided to add another 4000 seats, so the capacity from 1982 to 2001 was 66,000. After 2001 downsizing of the stadium started in small steps until its closing in 2017, when it stood with just below 55,000 seats.

A notable, and rather spectacular feature of the Vicente Calderón, was that the M-30 dual carriageway, running from the South Node Toledo Bridge, passed below one of the main stands.

History

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Construction of a new stadium to replace El Metropolitano originally began in 1959, but came to a halt following financial problems. The ground eventually opened in 1966 as the Estadio del Manzanares, being renamed Vicente Calderón in 1972.[3] The Stadium had a capacity of 62 000 people seated when opened in 1966. For the World Cup there was called for even more people in the Stadium, so by 1982 the capacity was 66 000 people. The 66 000 capacity was kept until 2001 when downsizing started in small steps at a time.

Departure of Atlético

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The final match at the stadium was on 28 May 2017, between a past and present Atlético side and a world XI.[4]

Both Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones played here in 1988 and 1981. Bruce Springsteen had an attendance of 70 000 People on August 2, 1988. The Rolling Stones had attendance of 68 000 people. The Springsteen concert and the Springsteen Concert in Camp Nou in front of 95 000 people were the fastest selling tickets ever in the history of Spain. On 23 September 1992 Michael Jackson held a sold-out concert as part of his Dangerous World Tour to 54,907 people. During his stay in Madrid, he visited numerous hospitals where sick children were kept who needed treatment and help for diseases and other conditions that were discovered during birth. Mexican pop group RBD recorded their Hecho en España DVD on 22 June 2007 during their Tour Celestial at the stadium. This tour spawned eight concerts throughout Spain.

Location

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The Estadio Vicente Calderón was located on the banks of the Manzanares river. The closest metro station to the grounds was Pirámides, located on Line 5.[5]

Copa del Rey finals

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The stadium hosted the final of the Copa del Rey (also previously known as the Copa del Generalísimo) on 14 occasions: 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2017.

1982 FIFA World Cup

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The stadium hosted three games in the 1982 FIFA World Cup:

Date Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round
28 June 1982 [6]  Austria 0–1  France Group D (second round)
1 July 1982[7]  Austria 2–2  Northern Ireland
4 July 1982[8]  Northern Ireland 1–4  France
Panoramic view of the stadium

References

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  1. ^ "Vicente Calderón". Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Vicente Calderón Stadium". AtléticodeMadrid. Archived from the original on 3 November 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  3. ^ "El tortuoso traslado del Atlético al Manzanares" [The tortuous transfer of Atlético to Manzanares]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 1 October 2016. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  4. ^ Patricia Cazón (28 May 2017). "Atlético Madrid say final farewell to the Calderón". AS. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Estadio Vicente Calderón". The Stadium Guide. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Austria-France". 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain. FIFA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Austria-Northern Ireland". 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain. FIFA. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  8. ^ "France-Northern Ireland". 1982 FIFA World Cup - Spain. FIFA. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
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