ABSTRACT
Antonio: ‘How were we born? It is important to remember that at the headquarters of the Basque-Navarre Society on 8 April 1903, the first page in the history of Club Atlético de Madrid was written as an initiative of a group of students from Bilbao who were studying to be mining engineers at the university of Madrid. Club Atlético de Madrid was thus born into the university community as a “branch” of Athletic Bilbao and was initially known as Athletic Club de Madrid. The relationship between the clubs was such that they decided not to play official matches against one another because they were considered to be the same club. The club’s first president was Enrique Allende, who stepped down within the first year of the club’s existence to be replaced by Eduardo de Acha. In 1921, the club severed all ties with Athletic Bilbao after it began to operate independently. In 1923, the club built its first stadium, the Metropolitano.
