Why Real Madrid recorded their worst attendance since before Cristiano Ronaldo joined in Getafe opener

The Santiago Bernabeu has a capacity of over 81,000, yet only 48,466 turned up to see Julen Lopetegui’s side beat Getafe 2-0 on Sunday. So what is behind that low number?
Empty seats: Bale curls an effort at goal during Real Madrid's La Liga opener
AFP/Getty Images
Ben Hayward20 August 2018

Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world. With 13 European Cups, in excess of 100 million fans on Facebook and a greater annual income than any other team, Los Blancos pride themselves on their global appeal. So all of that therefore makes it more surprising that fewer than 50,000 went to watch their opening game in La Liga at the weekend.

Julen Lopetegui’s side beat Getafe 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu with goals from Dani Carvajal and Gareth Bale, but only 48,466 fans were in attendance – their lowest turn-out at home since May 2009 (44,270 against Mallorca), which was before Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival from Manchester United that summer.

Ronaldo’s departure to join Juventus in July is one reason for the low number in Sunday’s game, but there is much more to it than that, with scheduling and summer holidays also to blame for the poor attendance at the Bernabeu’s first league game of 2018-19.

Madrid in August is a ghost town as most locals take their holidays and head to the coast. It is a similar story with Barcelona, with just 52,356 present at Camp Nou on Saturday night for the Catalans’ clash with Alaves.

Even though Barcelona is by the beach, locals leave the Catalan capital in August to head elsewhere on the coast, while the 10.15pm kick-off was also a turn-off for many fans in both games.

Real’s was worse because their match was played on a Sunday night and by the time it had finished, it was Monday. That is hardly ideal for fans travelling from outside the city, from other parts of Spain or even abroad, for children who would not usually be up so late or for adults with work the following morning.

The 4-2 loss to Atletico in the Uefa Super Cup on Wednesday may have deterred some supporters too, while Ronaldo’s exit, a lack of summer signings and a feeling that this season may be one of transition are perhaps other factors in the low figure on Sunday.

In addition, Getafe are one of the sides in La Liga with the fewest supporters and the visiting team did not take many fans to Sunday’s game, despite the fact that the town is just 18 kilometres away from the Bernabeu by road. Jose Bordalas’ side have also been slated by many for so-called negative football or spoiling tactics, which may have been another reason why some neutrals or madridistas decided to stay away.

In Spain, clubs can be fined for failing to fill at least 70 per cent of their stadium, although that measure is unlikely to be applied to the biggest clubs and Madrid’s attendance should rise in the coming weeks anyway as games are scheduled earlier and locals return from their summer break.

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