The Vicente Calderón Stadium ( es, Estadio Vicente Calderón ) was the home stadium of Atlético Madrid from its completion in 1966 to 2017, with a seating capacity of 54,907 and located on the banks of the Manzanares, in the Arganzuela district of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, Spain. The stadium was originally called the ''Estadio Manzanares'', but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, in honour of their long-term President Vicente Calderón. The stadium closed in 2017 after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season, with Atlético Madrid moving to Metropolitano Stadium for the following season. Demolition began in 2019 and completed the following year. A notable, and rather spectacular feature of the Vicente Calderón, was that the M-30 dual carriageway, running from the South Node Toledo Bridge, passed below one of the main stands.

History

Construction of a new stadium to replace El Metropolitano originally began in 1959, but came to a halt following financial problems. The ground eventually opened in 1966 as the Estadio del Manzanares, being renamed Vicente Calderón in 1972.

Departure of Atlético

The final match at the stadium was on 28 May 2017, between a past and present Atlético side and a world XI. Vicente-Calderon-030612-1.jpg, North external view of the stadium. Estadio Vicente Calderón, 2014.JPG, South external view of the stadium. Vicente-Calderon-1-070910.jpg, Northwest internal view of the stadium. Estadio Vicente Calderón - 02.jpg, South end stand view of the stadium. Demolición del estadio Vicente Calderón (21 de julio de 2019, Madrid) 01.jpg, Demolition of the stadium (July 2019) On September 23, 1992,

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

held a sold-out concert as part of his

Dangerous World Tour The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson to promote his eighth studio album '' Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various charities including Jack ...

to 54,907 people. During his stay in Madrid, he visited numerous hospitals where sick children were kept who needed treatment and help for diseases and other conditions that were discovered during birth. Bruce Springsteen played at the Vicente Calderon in front of 62.000 people on August 2, 1988.

Location

The Estadio Vicente Calderón was located on the banks of the Manzanares river. The closest metro station to the grounds was Pirámides, located on Line 5.

Copa del Rey finals

The stadium hosted the final of the

Copa del Rey The Campeonato de España–Copa de Su Majestad el Rey, commonly known as Copa del Rey or simply La Copa and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–36) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–76), is an annual knockout footb ...

(also previously known as the ''Copa del Generalísimo'') on 14 occasions:

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

, 1974,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, 1986,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, 2005,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

1982 FIFA World Cup

The stadium hosted three games in the 1982 FIFA World Cup:

References

External links

Estadios de EspañaStadium Guide ArticleStadium photos at World Stadiums
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vicente Calderon Atlético Madrid Football venues in Madrid Sports venues completed in 1966 Sports venues demolished in 2020 1982 FIFA World Cup stadiums Buildings and structures in Arganzuela District, Madrid 1966 establishments in Spain 2020 disestablishments in Spain