Links With The Past: Vicente Calderón Stadium Model
This model of the 55,000 seater Vicente Calderón is on display in the reception area of King Power Stadium. It was presented to the Club by our UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final opponents Atlético Madrid in April 2017.
Completed in 1966, the Vicente Calderón replaced Atlético’s old Metropolitan Stadium, where Leicester City had played Atlético Madrid in the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961.
It was renamed the Vicente Calderón Stadium in 1972 in honour of a former club president. The stadium hosted 14 Copa del Rey finals.
City centre-half John O’Neill played there for Northern Ireland in a match against France in the 1982 World Cup finals. Leicester also played there in a UEFA Cup tie against Atlético in 1997.
Famous for its red and white striped layout of seats, designed to reflect Atlético’s red and white striped shirts, the Vicente Calderón Stadium was the first Spanish stadium to attain the five star UEFA Elite Stadium status.
This model is of particular significance because, despite resistance from some Atlético fans, the stadium was demolished at the end of the 2016/17 season.
Atlético’s new home is the renovated 68,456 seater Metropolitano Stadium, also known as the Wanda Metropolitano. It was the venue for the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. It is also the place where the Spanish Copa del Rey finals are staged.