Few football grounds boast a more prestigious
address than the Bernabeu, lies as it does on the 【M1】______
Castellana, the three-lining highway that runs through 【M2】______
the heart of Madrid.
As Real date back to 1902, when the Sociedad 【M3】______
Madrid Football Club was formed, it was not until
1920 when the club was granted permission to use the 【M4】______
Real (royal) prefix. Work began on the current
stadium in October 1944. The land had been purchased
on three million pesetas; construction costs totalled a 【M5】______
further 38 million, a staggered sum for the time. The 【M6】______
cost of the new stadium led to claims, never proving, 【M7】______
that Real had received financial aid from General
Franco' s government. Under Bernabeu's patronage,
Real Madrid became the greatest club side ever, won 【M8】______
the European Champions Cup a record five times in a
row between 1956 and 1960, a remarkable feat that
is unlikely to be challenged.
Madrid lies, quite literally, at the heart of
Spain. This is no small coincidence that the capital's 【M9】______
leading football club is seen like a symbol of all 【M10】______
things Spanish, just as FC Barcelona is a beacon for the independent Catalan spirit.
【M1】

A.
B.
【M1】