In Atlético Madrid’s Ramshackle Home, an Underdog’s Spirit Thrived

"A stadium is just bricks and mortar…"

Not quite. As a Boston Red Sox fan, I once supported the idea of moving the team out of Fenway Park. I was wrong. Really wrong.

The playing field is not the same as the team, but the team is not quite the same without it.

I hope Atletico does better with their move than West Ham did leaving Upton Park. West Ham virtually lost their home field advantage and this season was like playing 38 away games. Good luck Atletico! Who doesn't love an underdog?

The new stadium will be a boom for Atlético and football, though the team will never have Real Madrid's magic, since money talks. In fact, Real has more star players sitting on its bench than Atlético can field. What Real really has is its manager, who has done wonders for the team, to say the least!

I was lucky enough to catch a game at the Calderon this season... what a special place. Sad to see it go.

As a New York City native whose mother is from Madrid, I have visited the Spanish capital a great many times. The Calderón always reminded me a bit of Shea Stadium — grimy and run down, yet immensely (and to me, inexplicably) beloved.

I am a Yankees and Real Madrid fan, and have generally not been subjected to the years of mediocrity and heartbreak reliably provided by Atlético and the Mets. I understand the attachment that many fans have to the Calderón, but I'm confident that when the new Metropolitano becomes the best place in Madrid to go watch a game — just as Citi Field is in New York — the fans will come around.

If you can't have the best team in town, it helps to have the best stadium.

I lived in Madrid from 2012-2014 as a transplant from Philadelphia, and it was impossible to not fall in love with everything about this team. The similarities between Atleti and our Philly teams are uncanny; the suffering, the agony, the raucous and dilapidated facilities, and the unshakable sense of pride in it all made me feel like Madrid was a place that I would always, in some strange way, be able to call home.

As time goes by, it's becoming more clear to see how difficult those years were for me, and just how much this soccer club was able to keep me grounded. Life is just full of all kinds of surprises.

Aúpa Atleti siempre

The spirit of Athletico is the Calderon. Built in 1966, a stadium that never feels finished; remember, Franco was still in power and how he favored RM. The supporters, the structure are the feel of a tribe railing against the powers that be. Always the underdog; always entertaining. I hope the new stadium keeps that feel and the supporters and club thrive. La Liga play the best football in the world and this move will grow its reputation. Good luck to a great team and a great country, including all regions, Basque and Catalonia.

Thank you, Mr Smith . . . Wonderful article!

In 1982, between the semifinal and consolation match of the World Cup, I traveled from Barcelona to Madrid on an overnight bus to see the Rolling Stones give a concert at the Calderon. The opening act was the J Geils Band.
Got onto the field, about 20 feet from the stage.
What a night!