One of my biggest bugbears is when English-language commentators refer to Real Madrid as simply ‘Real’, worse still when pronounced ‘Reel’. In Spain, there are at least 21 clubs with the prefix ‘Real’, so it’s akin to using ‘United’ and ‘City’ for the Manchester clubs with disregard for the many other clubs with the United* or City tag.
Within Spain itself, Real Madrid is often referred to as simply ‘Madrid’ or ‘el Madrid’, while Real Sociedad from San Sebastian is known as ‘La Real’. Madrid weren’t even the first; far from it.
The story of the ‘Real’ prefix
Football first took off in Spain in the final decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century. King Alfonso XIII (who reigned from 1886-1931) was a big fan and even had a football tournament for his coronation – La Copa de la Coronación (Coronation Cup), won by Bizcaya, a team made up of two Bilbao-based clubs that later merged to form Athletic Club de Bilbao. He is also the original ‘Rey’ (King) in La Copa del Rey, Spain’s national cup competition.
The clubs who King Alfonso XIII chose to bestow his patronage could incorporate a crown on their logo and use the prefix ‘Real’.
In order, as far as I can find, these clubs received royal patronage in the following years:
1907 – Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña
1909 – Real Club Recreativo de Huelva
1910 – Real Sociedad
1912 – Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona
1912 – Real Sporting de Gijón
1912 – Real Vigo Sporting Club (now Real Club Celta de Vigo, founded 1923)
1914 – Real Betis Balompié
1915 – Real Unión Club (de Irún)
1916 – Real Sociedad Alfonso XIII Foot-Ball Club (forerunner of Real Club Deportivo Mallorca)
1920 – Real Madrid
1922 – Real Balompédica Linense
1923 – Real Racing Club de Santander
1923 – Real Murcia
1923 – Real Jaén (then Jaén FC and re-formed/re-named later)
1923 – Real Sociedad Gimnástica de Torrelavega
1925 – Real Zaragoza Club Deportivo (forerunner to Real Zaragoza, formed by merger in 1932)
1925 – Real Club Deportivo Oviedo (now Real Oviedo)
1925 – Real Ávila
1925 – Real Stadium Club Avilesino (now Real Avilés Industrial CF)
1924-28 (?) – Real Unión Deportiva (forerunner of Real Valladolid)
1929 – Real Sociedad Deportiva Alcalá
1997 – Real Club Deportivo Carabanchel (by King Juan Carlos, the only recent addition)
So, there are more than 20 clubs with the title ‘Real’, including seven at the time of writing in the 2024/25 La Liga season. That’s more than a third of La Liga with the royal title, so to use ‘Real’ solely for Madrid is a disservice to the other clubs in Spain with royal patronage.
For more on the roots of football in Spain and elsewhere, read my first book, Origin Stories: The Pioneers Who Took Football to the World.
*Fun fact: Sheffield United (1889) is the oldest ‘United’ in world football, when Manchester United was still known as Newton Heath.