It still hurts the supporters of Atlético Madrid that they had to leave their beloved Estadio Vicente Calderón. But this illustrious club is so deeply rooted in the Spanish capital, that there are still lots of football hotspots to discover.
Far out of town (nearby airport Barajas) and hypermodern. It's not the stuff football purists get excited for, to be fair. But the Wanda Metropolitano really has its charm. The roof construction makes the stadium impressive and recognisable. You can also find many classy details around the stadium. The atmosphere is also surprisingly good for such a large stadium. The stands are close to the pitch and the acoustic is great. The name of the street (Avenida de Luis Aragonés) is historically justified, but also the giant bronze bear from the club crest is beautiful, right in front of the main entrance. (The bear picks from a strawberry tree, just like in Madrid's coat of arms.)
Even though the stadium is brand new and located in a mostly empty area, there are still some bars nearby on the western side of the stadium. Cross the Avenida de Luis Aragonés and walk towards the city. El Rincon de Calderón (Calle de Etruria) is a small diner in the club's colours, just like Gastro Atléti (Calle la Ilíada). Bar Akelarre and Bar Manolo are simple bars, but you feel the love for football and the rojiblanco in everything.
The demolition of the legendary Estadio Vicente Calderón, which has fully disappeared now, meant the demise of a lot of bars around the Paseo de los Melancólicos as well. One of those was is Taberna El Chiscón de la Ribera (Calle San Epifanio 7), across the street from the old stadium.
Still, this whole area is qualified as holy ground for Atlético fans, and this place in particular too. This was the cafe where supporter Margarita Luengo once picked a bouquet of carnations from a vase. Twelve white and twelve red flowers. At a corner kick, she threw them lovingly to Milinko Pantic, her favourite player. It resulted immediately in a goal. Still to this they, at every home game the old lady lays down a bouquet of carnations near the corner flag, a tradition that has moved with the club to its new stadium too.
It's a famous anecdote: When Fernando Torres once struggled with his form at Atlético Madrid, he once went to grab a hamburger at Hamburgueria Don Oso (Calle de Meléndez Valdés, Madrid). Suddenly, he started scoring again. Superstitious as he was, Don Oso became a fixed ritual for El Niño Fernando Torres when he wasn't scoring. The diner, part of a small chain, still exists. It's not quite haute cuisine, but for anyone who's down for some fast food, it's really recommended.
Don't be surprised if you walk into famous Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez at La Mano de Pablo, an Uruguayan restaurant at Calle de Frómista 14 in Madrid. An affordable and typical meat restaurant. Diego Godín loved to come here as well, during his spell at Atlético.
Atlético Madrid player Marcos Llorente, who came from arch-rivals Real Madrid and is a great-nephew from Real legend Francisco 'Paco Gento', is into food as well. 'Naked & Sated' is a small chain of businesses where you can eat healthy food. The chance of bumping into Llorente isn't very high, but he really is a business partner in these good restaurants. They have three locations, with the one at Calle Estébanez Calderón close to Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
A really popular restaurant under (former) players of Real and Atlético is Restaurante Asador Casa Juan, on Calle de la Infanta Mercedes. Look out for the enormous amount of pictures on the wall (or when you're at home, their Instagram feed). We truly recommend a visit, in particular for the outstanding meat here.
If you want to spot players of Atlético on a night out? Try the expensive restaurant Ten Con Ten, a little north of the city centre.
You can easily buy tickets for upcoming games on the website of Atlético Madrid. The lower you sit, the more impressive the Wando Metropolitano is.
The Wanda Metropolitano is on the eastern edge of Madrid, along the ring road of the Spanish capital, so you can easily get there by car. Our choice is the metro: metro line 7 stops right in front of the stadium, at station Metropolitano.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
