[1] Football was introduced to Madrid at the end of the 19th century when the industrial exchange between the Spanish capital and Great Britain was in full effect.
Football returned to the capital only after almost 20 years, through the academics and students of the Institución Libre de Enseñanza, which included several Cambridge and Oxford University graduates.
[6] For the Spaniards, football meant a distraction from the pessimism that was taking over Spain due to the loss of its last colonies at the end of the 19th century.
[6] Sky began to play matches among its members to promote the new sport in the capital, and soon held its first Board meeting on 5 January 1898, in which the club was officially established and legalized.
Despite being hosted in Madrid, however, the final was ultimately contested by Catalan FC Barcelona and Basque Athletic Club de Bilbao.
[9][better source needed] Real Madrid competes in La Liga and play their home games at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Atlético Madrid, founded in 1903, also competes in La Liga and plays their home games at the Metropolitano Stadium.
The club is well-supported in the city, having the third largest national fan base in Spain and their supporters are referred to as Atléticos or Colchoneros (The Mattressers).