Santiago Bernabéu has changed its name. The decision has been led by Florentino Pérez out of commercial purposes. Hehas decided to change the name of the well-known Real Madrid stadium, now calling it simply Bernabéu. So far, the changes have only been noticed in some marketing and merchandising actions, as Marca has surprisingly discovered.
We find examples in various actions recently taken by Real Madrid. For instance, the website of the stadium is now called Bernabéu, just like its official social media profile. The Tour has been renamed Tour Bernabéu, the same with the gift Florentino offered at the Christmas meetings: a model of the stadium with "Bernabéu".
What Madrid seeks by shedding the name of its founder from the stadium is to present a more modern image through a shorter name. The idea is that, in a not-too-distant future, a sponsor will give its name to Bernabéu, placing its company name before the surname. If this were to happen, the members would have to approve it in an Assembly, which hasn't happened so far.
Florentino Pérez wants to fully exploit the commercial aspect of the remodeled stadium, trying to get as much money as possible with its renovation. The name change to Bernabéu has a clear motive: to facilitate the arrival of a potential sponsor willing to invest a lot of money. Such a goal could have been fulfilled years ago with a failed sponsorship.
Florentino Pérez Makes the Decision: Farewell to Santiago Bernabéu
A few years ago, with Florentino Pérez leading Real Madrid, he had the opportunity to give Santiago Bernabéu a sponsor. A fund from Abu Dhabi called IPIC was going to name it for 20 years, agreeing to pay 400 million euros for its sponsorship. The intention was clear: to pay for the renovations with funds from an external source.
However, this possibility fell through when it was already set, and Florentino Pérez claimed those 400 million euros. However, Real Madrid lost the arbitration and ended up with nothing. Now, with the name change to Bernabéu, what the club seeks is to attract a much more renowned sponsor to unite historic brands.
This idea is not yet advanced, although it's true that the change from Santiago Bernabéu is a giant step to carry out.