Real Madrid’s plan to renovate the Santiago Bernabeu approved by the city of Madrid

Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez’s plan to renovate the Santiago Bernabéu have been in the works for almost 13 years now. Wednesday, the city of Madrid council finally approved the major renovations to the home of Los Blancos, and the construction is set to begin sometime this summer. Ben Sundock gives you the details.

I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I’ve been following this story since back in October when the plans for the stadium originally were announced. Then, it was all speculation. Now, it is confirmed that these amazing renovations will take place to the stadium beginning this summer, according to ESPNFC.

The Madrid Commission for Sustainable Urban Development (what a name) approved the €400 million plan Wednesday, although the go-ahead to begin work on the stadium will be granted after the council meets on May 30.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the mock-ups of the renovations make the stadium look a lot more like a spaceship than a stadium. The plans were put on hold after the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid denied the initial mock-ups that were submitted back in October. Finally, the two sides have come to an agreement.

The old plan included building a hotel into part of the stadium, but the city was against the idea. What remains is a modern, silver wrap around the stadium that will feature digital boards much like the outside of Bayern Munich‘s stadium, the Allianz Arena.

The renovation will benefit everyone, with a retractable roof in the plans, in order to prevent rain, and reduce noise on matchdays to the citizens living immediately around the stadium.

To fund the enormous project, a company will be sponsoring the construction and will have their name adorned on the side of the stadium. Although, Perez has yet to announce who the company is.

The Marca article also includes mock-ups of what will be projected on the exterior of the stadium, and wow, if I were to walk up to the stadium and see highlights of Zinedine Zidane in his prime, I would geek.

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After the council meeting early next week, renovations are expected to begin as soon as this summer. However, the project will not be completed until the summer of 2019, with the work being done only during the off-season in order to not inconvenience fans attending the matches.

Real Madrid deserves a renovation to their home, as it is beginning to look a bit dated on the exterior. It has been their home for over 70 years now, and it’s just time to pull the trigger on a massive overhaul.

I can’t wait to see what the stadium will look like in person once it’s updated, so you can bet I’ll be keeping a close watch on the process as it happens!