“Team Name”: History, Squad, Rivalries, Honours & Future Plans

Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D., simply known as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. The club wears their traditional red and white vertically striped shirts and earned the nickname Colchoneros (“The Mattress Makers”) as it resembles a mattress. They call the 70,692-strong Riyadh Air Metropolitano their home.

Atletico are one of the most successful teams in Spain and are part of the famed “Big Three”. The club saw incredible success in the mid-1900s. Through Diego Simeone, they are in one of the strongest phases yet. They have, however, fallen painstakingly close on the Champions League stage. With renewed fire in their eyes, Rojiblancos are taking on the Club World Cup to prove their might in front of the world.

Atletico Madrid: Key Facts

Atletico Madrid are one of the oldest clubs in Spain. In their century-long history, they have seen many incredible highs along with miserable lows. Let us take a look at everything there is to know about the club.

Atletico Madrid Sponsors & Net Worth

Atletico Madrid are the third wealthiest team in all of Spain. They are worth a staggering $1.7 billion according to Forbes after the 23/24 season. However, there is an astronomical difference between them and the second-richest club in Spain. This makes them underdogs despite boasting significant resources than the others.

Their major source of revenue is the broadcasting revenue they receive. Thanks to their popularity worldwide, they are getting game time and equal revenue. A global fan base also helps them boost other sources of revenue through partnerships. A bumper naming rights deal with Riyadh Air made their newly built stadium a profitable and self-sustaining structure as well.

Atletico Madrid Rivalries

Derbies

Atletico Madrid has an epic rivalry with neighbours Real Madrid. Real Madrid was always seen as the establishment club, whereas Atletico Madrid was seen as a rebel club that appealed more to the working class.
Real Madrid’s incredible success when Spain was under dictatorial reign fuelled the rivalry more, as Atletico Madrid became a relief for others to turn to. However, Atletico Madrid has an inferior record in the derby as Real dominated them a lot in the previous century. They won only 60 times, as Real Madrid beat them 117 times and drew the fixture 63 times.
Their record has significantly improved after the turn of the millennium as they can compete more against their neighbours. These games often provide crunchy tackles, nasty altercations, and fan violence that often results in riots and even ugly incidents like racism. These make it one of the most heated derbies in the world.
They also share an intense rivalry with Barcelona, thanks to being in contention for trophies always. Though it was lopsided till the 2010s, the record has been much better for Atletico recently.

Atletico Madrid Trophies & Achievements

Atletico Madrid dominated regional competitions in the 1920s. They were seen as a respectable force. A league title was needed to assert their domination on the national stage. They lifted their first league title in 1940. They followed it up with continued success throughout that period by winning leagues, the Copa del Rey, and other titles like the Supercopa and the Copa Eva Duarte.

Diego Simeone revived the club’s fortunes by winning two league titles seven years apart in 2014 and 2021. He also led them to two Europa Leagues, along with a few cup trophies.

History of Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid was founded by three Basque students living in Madrid in 1903. They saw the new club as a branch of their team, Athletic Bilbao. Players from clubs annexed by Real Madrid began joining Atletico. The club wore blue and white shirts initially, but switched to red and white like Bilbao. Their shirts were easy to make and were made from leftover cloth from mattress making, earning them the name Los Colchoneros.
Another version is that a board member purchased football kits from England on his travels and brought them back home. The red and white kit was Southampton’s, making them get the nickname Los Rojiblancos. The club competed in the regional competitions and played at the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid, which they built on their own. During this time, they became independent from the parent club, Athletic Bilbao, as well.
Repeated success in the regional Campeonato del Centro competition earned them an invitation to the inaugural Primera Division- La Liga in 1928. The club suffered multiple relegations shortly after it struggled to stand out among other top clubs. But they always found a way to bounce back.
Post the Spanish Civil War, the club took a new form, becoming Athletic Aviacion de Madrid by merging with Aviacion Nacional of Zaragoza. The club lost multiple players tragically in the war, and this was a way of getting back to normalcy for them.
The club hired the legendary Ricardo Zamora, who kept them afloat in 1939. They went on to win the league in an unlikely fashion in 1940. The incredible success wasn’t a flash in the pan as they repeated their triumph in 1941. The captain, German Gomez, alongside fellow midfielders Machin and Ramon Gabilondo, were instrumental in the club dominating the league.
After dropping the military association name, the club obtained their current name in 1946. The following period was their golden era as they accumulated maximum trophies between 1947 and 1965. Helenio Herrera was at the helm by driving them to back-to-back La Liga titles. They battled very hard for the tag of the second-best team in the land. Real Madrid quashed their continental dream by beating them in the semis in the 1959 European Cup.
Atletico had their revenge by beating Real in two successive Copa del Rey finals in 1960 and 1961. Jose Villalonga was the architect as they won their first European trophy, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, beating Fiorentina 3-0 in 1962. They challenged Real Madrid’s authority severely by winning 4 titles between 1961 and 198,0 as their rivals won 14 titles.
The club also moved to the famous Vicente Calderon in 1966. The new core had star forwards like Luis Aragones, Javier Iruerta, Jose Eulogio Garate, Ruben Ayala, Panadero Diaz, and Ramon Heredia. Argentine coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo led them to the La Liga title in 1973, and they heartbreakingly lost the 1974 European Cup final.
The club was on a downward trajectory after that period, as they even suffered a shock relegation. Jesus Gil’s presidency at the club meant coaches were hired and fired in quick succession as they pursued a league title. It yielded them a couple of Copa del Rey titles.
After coming close to relegation in 1995, they cleared their entire squad. A surprise league and cup double was achieved by coach Radmir Antic.
A financial mismanagement scam rocked the club in 1999 as President Gil was suspended. It affected their performance on the field as the club were relegated after 66 years in the top flight. However, they bounced back quickly by winning the Segunda Division after a couple of seasons.
The club then took time to establish itself as a top institution again. They developed world-class players and sold them for profit. Fernando Torres was a prime example. They also signed stars such as Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero before flipping them for profit. Atletico were knocked out of the Champions League in 2010. It turned out to be a blessing as they dropped into the Europa League and won the competition, beating Fulham in the final.
They hired ex-player Diego Simeone to turn around their fortunes in the league. Simeone took over the club in a position of uncertainty and had a huge task on his hands. The Argentine was an all-action midfielder known for his mentality. He translated it into his players as they made them a side famed for their defensive resilience.
He led them to a Copa del Rey title and Europa League title before fulfilling their dream of a league title in 2014. Antoine Griezmann became one of the world’s best players under Simeone’s tutelage. They kept Real Madrid and Barcelona at arm's length in their incredible league campaign. However, they lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid as Sergio Ramos scored an epic 93rd-minute equaliser to force extra time.
The club were beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League finals yet again in 2016. A move to the newly refurbished Wanda Metropolitano in 2017 boosted their credentials. However, they remained third best behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. Simeone got his hands on Luis Suarez, who was booted out of Barcelona.
The Uruguayan legendary striker became an important part of the team as Simone put in a league-winning run again. This time, the team established a 10-point lead by January but was pegged back by a loss of form. Suarez got his act together as he scored key goals during the final matchdays to win the league title in 2021.
That was their last title as the club faced several narrow defeats in all competitions. They received an invitation to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The club backed Simeone well recently by spending big on the likes of Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Alexander Sorloth, and Robin le Normand. They are expected to compete and win the league again.

Future Goals

Atletico Madrid often lags behind Barcelona and Real Madrid when it comes to competing in the league. Despite an increased spending spree, they are falling short of glory thanks to their two eternal rivals. Diego Simeone has no intention of leaving the club heading into his 15th season in Madrid.
The manager needs to refresh his ideologies a lot to beat the young blood coming in. Champions League success remains elusive as the club agonisingly short multiple times. In uncertain times, the board still backed the manager as they strive for success soon