The Seven Wonders of European Football

Football is everywhere in Europe, everywhere where the hearts still beats, everywhere where the people still breathe. Seemingly, as long as the Earth turns and man lives, football will be a major source of entertainment. This is somehow related to the nature of man.

For example, I feel better when I am in Istanbul’s Inonu Stadium than when I am in my office or home. This article is about the wonders of football. If you think that I am going to talk about players, you are wrong. This is about the stadiums where the heart of football is. There are many wonderful stadiums in Europe, but only seven of them are included.

1. Wembley Stadium (United Kingdom)

   

It is located in London. It is primarily used for the matches of England’s National Team and the final match of FA Cup. It is used for not only football matches but also concerts and other sporting events. The capacity of Wembley is approximately 90000. It is the largest stadium in the world every seat under cover.



2. Old Trafford Stadium United Kingdom)

   

It is the stadium of famous British football club Manchester United. They are also known as “Red Devils”. It was designed by famous Scottish architect Archibald Leitch. Old Trafford has a capacity of 76212 seats. It was opened in 1910 but it was restored many times. It witnessed the final matches of FA Cup, Champions League semifinal matches of Red Devils and World Cup organizations.



3. Giuseppe Meazza (Sansiro) Stadium (Milano)

   

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   It is the home stadium of A. C Milan and F. C Internazionale which are the two most successful teams of Italy in both nationwide and worldwide. It takes his name from famous Italian player Giuseppe Meazza. It witnessed the final matches of Italy League, Italy Cup, Italy Super Cup, final and semifinal matches of European Champions League and UEFA Cup. The capacity of San Siro is 82955. Many famous singers (Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana, Robbie Williams, etc.) and music groups (Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Duran Duran, Genesis, Ligabue, etc.) gave concerts in San Siro.

   

4. Roma Olympic Stadium (Roma)

   

It is the football stadium where Roma, Lazio and Italian National Team play their matches. It was built in 1936 in Roma. The capacity of Roma Olympic Stadium is 82307. It witnessed 1960 Summer Olympics, 1987 World Athletics Championships and 1990 Fifa World Cup. It is announced that Roma Olympic Stadium is the host of Champions League final in 2009.



5. Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid)

   

It is the stadium of famous Spanish football club Real Madrid. It takes this name from the club president of Real Madrid in 1950’s. It has a capacity of 80400. It hosted the European Cup finals in 1957, 1969 and 1980, European Championship final in 1964 and Fifa World Cup final in 1980. Santiago Bernabeu is the heart of Madrid.



6. Camp Nou (Barcelona)

   

It is the stadium of famous Catalan football club F. C Barcelona. It was constructed in1957. With the capacity of 98772, it is one of the 5-star rated stadiums of UEFA. It hosted European Champions League final and semifinal matches. Michael Jackson, U2, Frank Sinatra, Julio Iglesias, Bruce Springsteen and Luciano Pavarotti gave concerts in Camp Nou. Especially Frank Sinatra’s concert in Nou Camp was unforgetable.



7. Stade De France (Paris)

   

It is the home of France’s National Team. It is located in Saint-Dennis which is one of the inner suburbs of Paris. It’s construction costs 285 million pounds and it has a capacity of 80000. It hosted 2003 World Championship in athletics, 1999 World Cup in rugby. It also hosted 1998 Fifa World Cup final match between France and Brazil teams. In this match, France defeated Brazil by three goals.