The Santiago Bernabéu played host to the presentation of the National Football League (NFL) game scheduled to be held in our stadium this year. The Miami Dolphins will be one of the teams involved in the first ever official American Football game to be held on Spanish soil. The event was attended by club president Florentino Pérez; the Europe and Asia Pacific Director of the NFL, Brett Gosper; executive vice-president and Global Marketing Director of the Miami Dolphins, Pri Shumate; the mayor of Madrid, Jose Luis Martínez-Almeida; and the Community of Madrid’s Councillor for Culture, Tourism and Sport, Mariano de Paco.

The Real Madrid president was first to say a few words: “It’s a huge honour for us that a competition with the prestige and stature of the NFL has chosen the Bernabéu as a place to call its home. It’s a source of immense pride for all of us, the madridistas, residents of Madrid and Spanish people in general, knowing that Madrid and the Bernabéu will be broadcasting to the world all that is represented by one of the biggest sports in the United States.”

A global sports venue
“The NFL will take the leading role in an event with worldwide appeal. It will do so at a Bernabéu that has been transformed in order to play host to this excitement, and in order to continue being a truly global sporting venue. A stadium that has set the benchmark in state-of-the-art architecture and engineering, ready for any challenge it is faced with.”

A huge sporting fiesta
“The Bernabéu is the prestige of Real Madrid. It’s prestigious for Madrid and for all of Spain. That means an awful lot to all of us, and it’s also a great responsibility, knowing the leaders of the NFL have chosen our country, our city and our stadium to broadcast one of the greatest sporting competitions in the world across the globe.”

Brett Gosper: “We couldn’t be more excited to play here”
“We’re delighted to be able to play at the Bernabéu. Thank you so much for being our partners on this adventure. We want to share this sport with the world and we couldn’t be more excited to play a game here next season. Madrid is a global centre of culture, art, entertainment and tourism.”

Pri Shumate: “It’s an honour for the Miami Dolphins to play at such an iconic stadium”
“Many thanks to Real Madrid for hosting us at this amazing place. It’s an honour for me to be here on behalf of the Miami Dolphins. We could not be happier to be organising the first ever NFL game in Spain at such an iconic stadium, at this beautiful home. This puts us in a unique position to bring new fans to American football.”

José Luis Martínez-Almeida: “Madrid has the best venue for the best competition”
“We’re going to be the best of the six cities set to host international NFL games. And none of this would have been possible without Madrid’s greatest window to the world, which is Real Madrid. This club has shown great commitment to the city with the renovation work on the Santiago Bernabéu, helping to create infrastructure that allows us to host events that otherwise would never have come here. We have the best venue for the best competition.” 

Mariano de Paco: “This will be one of the greatest sporting events on an international scale”
“It’s a pleasure to be here at this emblematic stadium to present what will be one of the greatest sporting events on an international scale. We’re getting the chance to enjoy and event that reflects the tight-knit collaboration between two communities, Spain and North America, who hold a shared view as sport as a driver for social, economic and cultural development.