Santiago Bernabéu did not rest on his laurels after the inauguration of the Nuevo Chamartín Stadium. New ideas continued to sprout out, on ways to improve it and adapt it to the club’s growing fan base. In this second construction phase, which began in 1952, the main goal was to increase capacity to 125,000 fans, and equip the installations with the most modern amenities possible.
This new capacity was inaugurated in June of 1954. In 1955 the members with a right to vote unanimously decided to name the ground Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Over the years further work was undertaken to improve the installations. In 1957 it became the world’s best-lit stadium. In 1965 all of the club’s administration and management staff completed their move to the stadium, finally under the same roof, given that since the club’s creation they had been scattered around the city in many different premises.
