Real Madrid reportedly are phasing out the ‘Santiago’ from their iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The ground, which was named in 1955 after former player and president Santiago Bernabéu, went through a major renovation and showed off its modernized features earlier this year.
According to *MARCA, the club has started referring to the venue simply as the “Bernabéu” in its commercial dealings, without including ‘Santiago’. Though not officially named as such, the short name for it is now consistently used in promotional materials and branding.
If Real Madrid decided to officially take on the new name, that would have to be ratified by a Shareholders’ Assembly. For now, though, the change seems more strategic than an official rebranding.
This summer it reportedly wants to turn the Bernabéu into an international marketing platform, according to sources-it has big ambitions to stage major events thanks to enhanced facilities, develop merchandising activities with more dynamism, and sell an already name-simplified stadium better with an increased foreign interest.
To the English-speaking mind, this is a nominal change since for years, English speakers have been referring to this stadium as Bernabéu.
