It’s been at least five years since I came with this idea of watching a live Real Madrid game at Santiago Bernabéu. And even though I haven’t watched the three-peat players, which was part of my original
idea, I finally made it to the Bernabéu. Let me tell you how it happened.
It’s been a while since my girlfriend and I were planning a trip to Europe. As we postponed last year due to different reasons, we decided to go this year. So, I waited for the La Liga calendar to be announced. As Brazilians, anything below 10ºC is too cold for us, so the winter months were not an option. Then, I looked for two consecutive games happening in the Bernabéu: Barcelona on October 26 and Valencia on November 1.
I didn’t have any idea how difficult it was to buy tickets, especially for more important games. I read a couple of articles on Reddit about people’s experiences. Many people say it’s almost impossible to buy from Real Madrid — they usually sell out just a few minutes after going on sale. So, the only option to many people is buying through resale platforms, such as StubHub or Viagogo.
When I saw the prices for El Clásico, however, I was shocked. Remember, I needed two tickets. Moreover, there are reports about people that did not receive tickets, neither were their tickets refunded despite promises from the platforms. In reality, there were too many variables. I had no prior experience buying tickets in this way, neither did I have experience attending a game at the Bernabéu. My girlfriend is not a football person, so she sure liked more the option of attending only one game. These games were months ahead and they were not really confirmed. Considering this, my first thought, therefore, was to minimize the risk and to only go for the Valencia game.
Then, after a couple of weeks, I changed my mind — when would I be back for another game? A trip from Brazil to Madrid is not only expensive, but it’s also time consuming. It’s a 10 hour. More importantly, if I had the chance to watch a big match like El Clásico, I should go for it. As would later hear from a Sweden Madridista in the line waiting for the gates to be open — “Once in a lifetime”. So, I bought the El Clásico tickets at the end of August. This was a good decision, as in the week of the game, it was at least €200 more expensive.
We arrived in Madrid on October 24. Our peaceful walk in to the City was interrupted when I noticed I had missed a StubHub email sent early in October asking for my personal data so the tickets could be transferred to me. But there was no link in which I should provide the request information and the email was sent from a no-reply account. Not really sure if that made a difference, but I had two chats with StubHub Support for this reason. I was reassured the seller was one of most reliable ones in the platform and everything was in order. Their support was indeed very good.
On Saturday, we went to visit El Retiro Park and Prado Museum. As we were leaving the museum, I finally received the desired email — “Your tickets are ready”. It consisted of two links that redirected to Real Madrid’s purchase platform (if I remember correctly). In the end, I downloaded two pkpass files that I then opened using Google Wallet or the Tickets app.
I had the tickets!! But were they valid? The links really suggest they were solid, but nothing assured to me that I was the only one having those tickets. And, in case you are wondering, I paid way more than €135. But truth be told, everything was as fine as possible, so we enjoyed a good pasta for lunch at Oven Mozzarella Restaurant, followed by a tasteful espresso at Nubra Coffee Roasters — brewed on a Slayer espresso machine, using its signature shot style with a long pre-infusion and more than 40 seconds of brewing time.
Match day arrived. The atmosphere was indeed way different from the past two days. Many people were wearing Real Madrid shirts in the streets. At Plaza Mayor, there was a big Real Madrid King Kong and also a Mario Bros dressed up with a Real Madrid jersey chanting Hala Madrid y Nada Mas with tourists. At the time, we just didn’t know if it’s the typical thing for any Real Madrid game or if it’s special due to El Clásico.
The Metro was also full of people going to the Stadium. At 2:30 p.m. we arrived. Around the stadium, we could hear fans chanting. There were many people waiting for the team bus to arrive. In the line to enter gate 64, I had a talk with a guy from Sweden, who also bought the tickets through resale. He had a couple experiences with resale tickets, including watching a Roma game a week before.
When the gates opened, I passed the security control and, to my surprise, the tickets validation only happened after we’d gone up a bunch of stairs. At Maracanã, for instance, in a Brazil vs Chile game, the validation is near the street level and the stairs are only available after the validation, which is done using facial recognition. At the Bernabéu, the validation is done by reading the tickets’ QR Codes.
I could barely believe it when I got in. Stakes were high, but everything worked out. A mix of happiness and relief settled in — but soon turned into pure awe. From section 526, I had an incredible view of the stadium, the seats covered with the tifo, and for a moment I just stood there. I made it. I was in the Bernabéu for El Clásico!
There were still stairs to go up. When I finally reached my place, a guy using the Blue jersey was seated on it and I went to talk to him. We could see he was nervous. He had also bought the tickets through resale and it was also his first time at the Bernabéu. His tickets even had different name on it, a common thing using resale tickets — more on that later. I helped him to find his seat, which was in the section 620.
My girlfriend and I seated in the last row of the stadium, meaning there was no one behind us. We were as high as one can be in the Bernabéu. In any case, the view was outstanding, even if a bit high indeed.
The Bernabéu is absolutely stunning. The moment the Fly Emirates ad came on, we got a glimpse of just how impressive its audiovisual experience really is.
Before the kick-off, I talked to a Spanish guy seating on my left side. We discussed the line-up — if it would be Arda or, as reported by Real Madrid TV, Jude that would play as RW or if Alonso would change to a 4 midfielders formation.
Then, finally, the game was about to begin. And the players entered the pitch with the Real Madrid anthem:
The first half was really good to watch live. It was a plus that Real Madrid attacked in the side I was. It impressed me how high-up in the pitch we were pressing Barcelona’s build-up:
Later, the Spanish guy and I noticed that Alonso swapped players positions, putting Camavinga in the right side. The Spanish guy was definitely pissed off with Vinicius being more slow in the defensive side, especially later on in the second half.
Vini’s reaction when he was subbed out was impossible to miss. It appeared on the stadium’s big screens, and anyone who spoke Portuguese understood exactly what he said. The game could have been a bit more calmer in the second half had Kylian Mbappe converted his penalty (or if any of the ruled-out goals were valid). The last minutes were tense, with the Spanish guy on his knees — especially after the referee added ten minutes of extra time — but it all ended in a nice, convincing win.
After the game, my girlfriend and I went to the Official store, but it was so crowded that we decided to come back later as we knew we would. But one thing is rather curious: there are no fitting rooms in the store. We watched a fan desperately trying to pull a pair of pants over his own.
In the next day, we went to Paris and we returned to Madrid on Friday for the Valencia game. I was definitely calmer, as I already been there. And it wasn’t just me — everything was more calm. We could barely say there would be a game later in the match day. And the tickets only arrived on the day of the game. And it arrived in a different way: I just downloaded a PDF file with both tickets on it. They also had other names on it. If that was the case for El Clasico, I bet I would have been more worried about their validity given my lack of experience.
Around the stadium, everything was relaxed, there were less people and fans weren’t chanting. Our view this time was definitely better. Not only could I see the pitch clearly, but I also had a perfect view of the Grada fans. In the previous game, I could hear them loud and clear, but even though I was sitting above them I couldn’t actually see them. They put on a spectacle of their own.
The game itself also started a little more calm. Real Madrid looked shy at the beginning. But as the game progressed, we could see Real Madrid were dominant and Valencia were being clearly outplayed — they couldn’t keep the ball longer than a few seconds. To highlight one moment, look to our insane view of Carreras’ goal:
At the end of the game, a nice Belgium couple approached me to take a picture of them. We had a nice talk. I think they were the only ones I met who bought tickets from the Real Madrid website. But they complained about the view of the pitch — despite being advertised, they didn’t have a clear view and they had to switch to another spot.
I also couldn’t resist taking a picture with the Brazil NT shirt too:
The whole experience was unforgettable — two games, two days I’ll never forget. An incredible atmosphere with a solid win against Barcelona and a 4–0 thrashing of Valencia. In both matches, we could have scored even more.
I’m not sure the Real Madrid anthem will ever sound the same again. Every time I hear it or it plays in my head, I’m right back there to those amazing days at the Bernabéu.
Now, I’m already wondering: which Champions League knockout game I will go to next?
