El Wankdorfstadion: One of the great historical temples of football

Last update 7 May, 2024 por Alberto Llopis

El Wankdorfstadion: Uno de los estadios más emblemáticos de su época

A muchos jóvenes aficionados al fútbol puede que el estadio Wankdorfstadion not say much. But perhaps those who are older will remember as one of the most emblematic venues in the footballing history. Located in Bern, in the heart of the Swiss capital, the Wankdorf Stadium was built in the far 1925 in order to host the matches of the Swiss selection.

Accommodating 22.000 viewers in its infancy, en 1939 el estadio sufriría una de sus tres grandes transformaciones como la creación desus dos torres de ángulo, authentic flagship enclosure for years, which they will also allow it to expand its capacity to 39.000 throats. Even though, sin duda, would be 1954, the year that marked a before and after in one of the most traditional stadiums around the world of football. The fact that FIFA finally to Switzerland would grant him the final phase of World Cup 1954 It triggered a new remodeling that would take him to host up 64.000 personas.

Fue la sede de ‘La Batalla de Berna’

I live in this world championship, sin duda, the Wankdorftadion two of the most memorable games in the history of football. The thrilling quarter-final between Hungría and Brazil, también llamado la Batalla de Berna, which ended with victory after multiple expulsions Central, hard tickets and even launches bottles between players, in which, according to the correspondent of The Times was the party with the most cruel blows ever seen on a field, and the final swilling between the Hungarian combined and Germany that ended the surprising German victory in what is known as the “Miracle of Bern” and it marked the end of four years of invincibility of the Magyars.

La famosa final de Berna de los postes cuadrados

No sólo de fútbol de selecciones vivió el estadio Wankdorfstadion. He 31 de mayo de 1961, The stadium was hosting a party that would change the history of football. The final of the European Cup between Barcelona and Benfica win would end Luso 3-2 in a match where the Catalans would crash up to four balls to clubs and would removal by FIFA of square posts by round, in order to avoid unpredictable reject.

A final with such big names in the blaugrana breast as Sándor Kocsis, Luis Suárez, Antoni Ramallets or Ladislao Kubala, but were unable to overcome a fierce header by Mario Luso set Coluna or José Águas who would add their first European Cup history. Of course Barcelona would have his revenge on the premises, when in 1989 conquer the Cup Winners Cup in the first year of Cruyff before the Italian Sampdoria thanks to goals from Julio Salinas and Lopez Rekarte.

El Wankdorfstadion fue derruido en 2001

Un plebiscito en la ciudad de Berna supuso la aprobación de su derrumbe en 2001 and the construction of a new stadium: el Stade de Suisse, build in 2005 con el objeto de acoger la Eurocopa de 2008, where he hosted the opening match.

El estadio con capacidad para 32.000 claims to combine the essence of the old stadium and the novelty of one of the most modern complexes in Europe . A clock on the outside mark the memory of the exact minute of the match when German team scored the third goal in the already mentioned “Miracle of Bern”. Inside, the seats, all covered, in black and yellow, They give a unique gloss, which it is broken with a red armchair: one created in honor of the legendary Swiss goalkeeper Walter Eich and has the honor to be covered each meeting with an important personality.

Are the very special things in a stadium that day also serves to celebrate succulent friendly matches, where the best teams in the world takes major economic pillars. After the end, is Switzerland, lest we forget. En 2020, recuperó su nombre y fue llamado Estadio Wankdorf.