Last night, Finland held Spain to a surprise 1-1 draw in front of a packed El Molinón’ stadium – home of Sporting Gijon. In the latest of our stadium specials, Chris Clements takes a look at...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2013/03/el-molinon-the-perfect-combination-of-history-and-modern-day/
There once was an ugly duckling… Ah, I think you might know the ending of this story! Never mind, bear with me and allow me to tell you about one of Spain’s most welcoming cities and their fa...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/11/cadiz-calling-the-best-new-build-in-spain/
The city of Jerez de la Frontera encapsulates the very essence of Andalucia. It may not be on the tourist trails with the likes of Granada and Sevilla, but what it loses in terms of visitors it m...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/11/the-x-men-origins-football-and-xerez-cd/
Following football in Almeria must be a similar experience to backing an outsider in the Grand National. It may clear a few hurdles, but sooner or later you know that it’s going to come crashin...
It may come as a surprise to many, but Madrid were absent from the birth of football in Spain. The city did not take on its current fatherly duties until the foundation of the RFEF in 1909. With ...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/10/before-the-bernabeu-the-football-stadiums-of-real-madrid/
Real Sociedad may have used three stadiums in its 102 years as a football club, but some 18 years after closing, it is Atotxa that is still viewed as the club’s spiritual home some. Life may h...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/10/big-in-the-basque-country-the-stadiums-of-real-sociedad/
Organised football has been played in the Canarias since the early part of the twentieth century, but with no access to Spanish national competitions, matches were confined to island leagues and ...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/09/island-life-the-story-of-ud-las-palmas/
I have a confession to make. I was, until recently, rather underwhelmed by the Camp Nou. Then early last year I paid a visit and I got it loud and clear. In the couple of hours I spent wandering...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/07/mes-que-un-club-the-history-of-the-magnificent-camp-nou/
Club Deportivo Lugo have always played second or even third fiddle, when the footballing rations have been dealt out in Galicia. Deportivo La Coruna and Celta Vigo are the region’s big-wigs, an...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/07/cd-lugo-and-the-angel-of-the-north/
At the risk of stating the obvious, Barcelona is a brilliant city to watch football. The travelling f is spoiled for choice with the Camp Nou, Mini Estadi and Espanyol’s fabulous new stadium. H...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/06/barcelonas-hidden-gems-estadi-narcis-sala-2/
If you were not aware of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona’s dominance of Spanish football, you could be excused for thinking that Club Atlético de Madrid’s record of nine league titles & nine wi...
EFE Love them or loathe them, there is one inescapable fact about Real Madrid – they have a truly magnificent stadium. From its vantage point on Madrid’s prestigious Castellana, the Estad...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/06/hala-madrid-the-footballing-mecca-of-charmartin/
With Athletic Bilbao set to pack up and move to their new stadium – which has rather fittingly been built next door – Chris Clements says a final look at the history of the iconic San Mame...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/06/exploring-bilbaos-cathedral-of-football/
FCBarcelona.com We are all familiar with the iconic Camp Nou, home and the very heartbeat of the world’s biggest club. But what of the other stadiums has Barça used? Well I’m glad you as...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/06/before-the-camp-nou-the-early-homes-of-fc-barcelona/
Córdoba is a city steeped in history. Through the ages, it has witnessed Roman and Islamic occupation which at the turn of the first millennium made it the largest city in the world. The decl...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/05/cordoba-and-the-estadio-nuevo-arcangel/
Allow me to introduce you to something of a rarity. You see back in the late 1970’s, when football was pre-occupied with short shorts and tight perms, the stadium architects of Spain were un...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/05/spains-stadium-of-pneumonia/
After a gap of 35 years, Granada CF returned to La Primera at the start of this season and this weekend, they face a make or break fixture that will determine the shape of their future, both o...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/05/spirit-of-the-south-granada-cf-and-los-carmenes/
Now let’s be honest. How many of you thought that Levante would be fighting for their first division survival with just two fixtures of the La Liga season remaining? Instead, two favourable res...
I have to confess, I am not a fan of Real Mallorca’s Iberostar Estadio. It’s nothing personal against the club. No, it’s the design, or more specifically the athletics track. The Iberostar,...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/04/island-in-the-sun-the-stadiums-of-rcd-mallorca/
How can I say this politely? Well, it’s like this… Atlético Madrid has played around a bit. There you go, I’ve said it. You see, between its formation in 1903 and moving to their present h...
I can’t help but feel that Real Racing Club de Santander’s Estadio El Sardinero has been getting away with it for too long. You see whenever this slightly stodgy, but functional stadium is p...
It is hardly surprising that most tourists who like football have just one aim in mind when they head for a weekend in Barcelona – a visit to the Camp Nou to watch arguably the greatest team in...
PA IMAGES The Olympic stadium – another bloated, over-budget stadium for the English capital city of London. With the debate over its post-games future still raging, League One side Leyton Orie...
Real Madrid can be under no illusions ahead of this weekend’s trip to the Estadio Reyno de Navarra. Victories over CA Osasuna at their intimidating home stadium are rare and as Barcelona will t...
Multiple clubs in top flight football has for years been the preserve of London & Moscow. Then at the start of the 2011-12 season, Madrid muscled in on the act with not the usual two representati...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/03/exploring-the-stadiums-of-madrid-rayo-vallecano-and-getafe/
We conclude our stadium tour of Catalunya with a look at three stadiums to the west of the region. First up is Lleida, the capital of Catalunya’s most northerly province and a city whose footba...
https://www.centrocampista.com/2012/03/catalunyas-hidden-gems-lleida-reus-and-tarragona/