In September 2018 Real Madrid president Florentino Perez announced that the Spanish club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium would undergo a major renovation and on Tuesday he revealed more details about the mega-project.
A four-year remodelling plan of the Bernabeu will start this summer and it is described by Perez as “one of the great future projects for Real Madrid”.
Real’s stadium will remain at an 80,000 capacity and the team will continue to play there, the BBC reports.
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The venue will include new leisure and entertainment facilities and Marca says that the major facelift will see the Bernabeu become “one of the most futuristic stadiums in the world”.
A retractable roof will feature alongside commercial spaces and a 360-degree screen. The areas outside of the stadium will also be upgraded with a large square on the Castellana of more than 20,000sqm and another of 5,500sqm on the corner of Padre Damián.
In a statement the club said that Rafael Salgado Street will become pedestrianised and “the whole environment will be improved in an operation that will extend over 66,000sqm”.
Perez said: “This event is the definitive start of the countdown to launch an authentic architectural innovation in our stadium.
“A Santiago Bernabeu stadium that will become a great avant-garde and universal icon. Located in the heart of Madrid, it will be the best stadium in the world. We are facing one of the great projects of the future for Real Madrid and, of course, it will be also for the city of Madrid.
“Our future naturally involves a new Santiago Bernabeu stadium, a reference of the 21st century. A modern stadium, with maximum comfort and safety, with state-of-the-art technology, where fans can experience unique sensations and also be a new and important source of income for the club.
“This great project will become a key piece for the Real Madrid of the future. More modern, more comfortable, safer and designed for entertainment, with new areas of leisure and catering and where the most advanced technology will be key for fans to live new experiences.”
After being given the go-ahead by the Madrid city council last week, 90mins reports that the cost of the new Santiago Bernabeu plan is expected to be between €525m (£448.3m) and €575m (£491m).
AS says that the stadium revamp is “officially due for completion in October 2022. However, it is thought to be more likely that it will take four to five years”.
