On 26 April 1903 a group of Basques living in Madrid founded a "branch" of their beloved Athletic Bilbao. Atlético de Madrid turns 124 on 26 April 2027. From that branch grew Real Madrid's eternal rival.

Basque students in the capital

The founders were supporters from Biscay living in the capital, among them Ramón de Arancibia, brothers Ignacio and Ricardo Gortázar, and Manuel de Goyarrola. They were joined by fellow students from the School of Mining Engineers.

Inspired by Athletic's 1903 Cup win, they named the club Athletic Club (Sucursal de Madrid), the "Madrid branch". The team gained its own legal status in 1907 and became fully independent in 1924.

Blue and white, like Blackburn

Few people know that the first shirt was not red. The team wore a shirt that was half white and half blue with blue shorts, like England's Blackburn Rovers.

The change came almost by chance. Juan Elorduy went to England to bring back Blackburn shirts, could not find any, and came home with the red-and-white stripes of Southampton.

The new shirts were shared with Athletic Bilbao, and the Madrid side first wore them on 22 January 1911. The blue shorts became permanent in 1921.

Why "Colchoneros"

The best-known nickname, "Colchoneros", means "mattress makers". According to the popular explanation, mattresses of the era were covered in red-and-white striped fabric, just like the shirt.

The players are also called "Rojiblancos" and "Indios", "the Indians". Sources disagree on the latter: some link it to the South American players of the 1970s, others to the "rivalry" between Indians and the "Whites", meaning Real Madrid.

The bear and the strawberry tree

In 1917 the club got its own crest, with the bear and the strawberry tree, the symbol of Madrid. In 1939, after an agreement with the Air Force club, it became Athletic Aviación Club and the crest changed.

In 1947 it took its current name, Club Atlético de Madrid, and a crest similar to the 1917 one. After a 2016 redesign, members voted in 2023 to bring back the historical crest, which has been worn again since 1 July 2024.

Great moments in stripes

The first European trophy was the 1962 Cup Winners' Cup. In 1974 the team lost the European Cup final to Bayern after a replay, but Bayern declined to play in the Intercontinental Cup and Atlético won it against Independiente.

In 1996, under Radomir Antić, it won the double. Under Diego Simeone, appointed in December 2011, came the league titles of 2014 and 2021 and the Europa Leagues of 2012 and 2018, following the one in 2010.

It also reached two more Champions League finals, in 2014 and 2016, losing both to Real Madrid. Its homes have been the 1923 Metropolitano, the Vicente Calderón from 1966 to 2017 and, since 2017, the new Metropolitano.

The legends in stripes

Adelardo holds the record with 550 appearances, while Luis Aragonés became an icon as both player and coach. History was also written by Paulo Futre, Diego Forlán with his 2009 Golden Shoe, and Fernando Torres, who became captain at 19.

In the modern era Antoine Griezmann, the team's top scorer for five seasons in a row, and captain Koke became the faces of Simeone's Atlético.

Celebrate with us

From a branch set up by Basque students and a batch of Southampton shirts, Atlético grew into one of Europe's great powers. Happy 124th birthday, Colchoneros!

See our Atlético de Madrid jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, 2018 – Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC0 1.0.