Real Madrid

Place of Birth: 

Madrid

Date of Birth: 

22 August 1880

Real Madrid was founded on 6 March 1902 during the office of Juan Padrós, but the first real President of the entity was Julián Palacios, the man who undertook the initiative to establish Real Madrid from the remnants of Madrid C.F., the club he presided in 1897.

Born in Madrid on 22 August 1880, Julián Palacios became an avid football fan through his friendship with young Englishmen during his university years. At the age of 20, he got together with some friends who, like him, wanted a distraction from the pessimism that was taking over society after the colonial crisis of the late 19th Century. Football became their best source for escapism and they founded Foot-ball Sky FC. Palacios then decided to link the two football clubs in the Spanish capital into a brand new entity: Madrid CF.

Palacios’ father-in-law, Estrada, provided a plot of land in the outskirts of the city for the team to play in. Julián became the first captain and striker in the Club’s history, but he never thought of football as more than a fun sport. His job as Director of one of the most important printing companies in Madrid kept him on the road most of the time. Nevertheless, he planted the seed from which Real Madrid CF grew.