A FAMOUS stadium has been transformed into a public park following its closure in 2017.
The esteemed ground had witnessed some glorious nights throughout the years that saw the previous owners climbing up the ranks from a mid-table club to Champions League regulars.
The Vicente Calderon Stadium used to host Atletico Madrid’s home matches for 50 years ever since it opened in 1966.
Atletico enjoyed a lot of success at their former home until their departure eight years ago.
Atleti won six LaLiga titles and seven Copa del Rey trophies during their time at the ground.
But the Madrid giants moved eight years ago to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Vicente Calderón used to be very popular due to its unique design as a motorway ran underneath it.
But it ended up getting demolished shortly after its closure with the procedure taking about a year and a half until its completion.
Since Atletico moved to Wanda Metropolitano, the stadium was removed and replaced by a public park named after the club.
The Atletico de Madrid Park is now consisted of trees and a 700m treadmill for amateur runners.
But Atletico fans are reminded of the stadium’s history with a carved-in-stone ball at the exact same place where the centre of the pitch used to be and a time capsule buried underground.
There’s also a commemorative plaque with the picture of the legendary stadium and “1966-2017” inscribed on it.
At its peak Vicente Calderon had a capacity of 66,000 – over 5,000 more than Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium – but it was later reduced to 54,907 in order to allow for it all to be seating.
Read the full article here
