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104-558: In 2010, Wang Jianlin , a Chinese businessman donated a billion yuan (US$ 156 million) to the city of Nanjing for its reconstruction. This is reported to be the largest single personal donation ever made in China. In December 2015, the modern replica and surrounding park were opened to the public. The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, originally called the Great Bao'en Temple, was designed during

208-736: A European titles. They also reached the Copa del Rey finals on 19 May 2010, where they faced Sevilla , but lost 2–0 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona . By winning the Europa League, they qualified for the 2010 UEFA Super Cup against Inter Milan , winner of the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League . The match was played at the Stade Louis II , Monaco on 27 August 2010. Atlético won 2–0 with goals from José Antonio Reyes and Agüero, making it

312-592: A deal with FIFA to launch the China Cup , in which national football teams compete in Nanning , Guangxi each year. Wang has been the economic consultant for Yunnan province , as well as a construction consultant of the Guiyang government, and was named "honorable citizen" of Changchun , and "outstanding contributor" to the construction of Dalian . As of November 2020, Wang is estimated by Forbes to have

416-406: A dramatic impact at the club, as he played a pivotal role in their unexpected La Liga title triumph, seven years after the 2013–14 win. He scored 17 goals in his first 19 La Liga matches, helping Atlético establish a 10-point lead by January. Although the team wavered later in the season, Suárez's relentless competitive drive proved decisive, as he netted crucial goals in the final two games to secure

520-522: A draw on the last day of the season. This prompted another managerial change along with a wholesale squad clearance during the summer 1995 transfer window. Somewhat unexpectedly, in the following 1995–96 season, newly arrived head coach Radomir Antić , with a squad including holdovers Toni , Roberto Solozábal , Delfí Geli , Juan Vizcaíno , José Luis Caminero , Diego Simeone and Kiko , as well as new acquisitions Milinko Pantić , Lyuboslav Penev , Santi Denia and José Francisco Molina finally delivered

624-505: A former player and member of the board of Athletic Madrid, went to England to buy kits for both teams but failed to find Blackburn kits to purchase; he instead bought the red and white shirts of Southampton (the club from the port city which was his embarkation point back to Spain). (Official position of both Southampton FC and Athletic Club). Athletic Madrid adopted the red and white shirt, leading to them being known as Los Rojiblancos , but opted to keep their existing blue shorts whereas

728-549: A formidable force. As a player, Simeone was known as a fierce, all-action midfielder; he brought the same relentless, win-at-all-costs mentality to Atlético as manager. His focus was on building a strong defence, anchored by teenage Chelsea loanee goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Uruguayan centre-back Diego Godín . The results were immediate, as Simeone's first six games in charge featured six clean sheets. According to Spanish football writer Andy West, Atlético fans came to quickly to embrace Simeone, especially in light of his role as

832-645: A free transfer. Despite pressure from big clubs to sell star players Agüero and Forlán, Atlético remained committed to keeping their strong attacking base in the hopes for a successful new season. The 2009–10 season, however, began poorly with many defeats and goals conceded. On 21 October, Atletico were hammered 4–0 by English club Chelsea in the Champions League group stage. This defeat led Atletico's management to announce that manager Abel Resino had to leave. After failing to sign Danish former footballer Michael Laudrup , Atlético Madrid announced that

936-599: A net worth of US$ 14.4 billion, making him one of the richest men in China. Wang Jianlin was born on 24 October 1954, in Cangxi County , Guangyuan , Sichuan , as the oldest of five sons. His father Wang Yiquan was a peasant who fought for Mao Zedong 's People's Liberation Army during the Long March (October 1934–October 1935). Retired from the army just before the Korean War , his father, working for

1040-624: A period of uncertainty, having appointed five managers in less than three years and allowing young talents, namely Agüero and de Gea, to leave for the Premier League . The team was sitting 10th in La Liga at the time of Simeone's appointment, after losing four of their last five games. The appointment of Simeone was seen as a risk, who was relatively inexperienced and previously only had European managerial experience with Italian underdogs Catania . However, he swiftly transformed Atlético into

1144-485: A pivotal player in their 1995-96 league and cup double. Simeone led Atlético to their second Europa League win in the three years since its creation; Atlético beat Athletic Bilbao 3–0 in the final on 9 May 2012 at National Arena in Bucharest with two goals from Radamel Falcao and one from Diego . By winning the Europa League again, Atlético qualified for the 2012 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea , winners of

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1248-544: A reprieve, as Real Oviedo was unable to play due to the destruction of their stadium during the bombings. Thus, both La Liga and Athletic's relegation were postponed, the latter by winning a playoff against Osasuna , champion of the Segunda División tournament. By 1939, when La Liga had resumed, Athletic had merged with Aviación Nacional of Zaragoza to become Athletic Aviación de Madrid . Aviación Nacional had been founded in 1937 by three aviation officers of

1352-463: A result, went across town to later achieve worldwide fame with rivals Real Madrid. The move came as part of the overall Gil-initiated business restructuring of the club; Atlético became a Sociedad Anónima Deportiva , a corporate structure benefiting from a then-recently introduced special legal status under Spanish corporate law, allowing individuals to purchase and trade club shares. In the 1994–95 league campaign, Atlético only avoided relegation via

1456-477: A second Champions League final in three seasons in 2015–16 , again facing Real Madrid, and lost on penalties after a 1–1 draw. The club played their last home game at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on 21 May 2017, thereby moving to a new home, the refurbished Wanda Metropolitano in eastern Madrid. In 2018, they won their third Europa League title in nine years by beating Marseille 3–0 in

1560-459: A stake in the company prior to the IPO of Dalian Wanda which appreciated to over $ 1.1 billion when the company was listed. These relatives include Qi Qiaoqiao , the sister of Xi Jinping , as well as the daughter of Wen Jiabao . However, Wang's personal motto is “stay close to the government and distant from politics.” He believes entrepreneurs should be "close" to the government and "clear" from

1664-711: A superb, curling free-kick that looked like the winner, but in the last minute of the game, Bayern defender Georg Schwarzenbeck equalized with a stunning 25-yarder that left Atlético goalkeeper Miguel Reina motionless. In a replay back at Heysel two days later, Bayern won convincingly 4–0, with two goals each from Hoeneß and Müller. Shortly after the defeat in the 1974 European Cup Final , Atlético appointed their veteran player Luis Aragonés as coach. Aragonés subsequently served as coach on four separate occasions, from 1974 to 1980, from 1982 to 1987, once again from 1991 until 1993 and finally from 2002 to 2003. His first success came quickly as Bayern Munich had refused to participate in

1768-548: Is a Chinese business magnate , investor and philanthropist . He is the chairman, founder, and majority shareholder of the Dalian Wanda Group , one of China's foremost conglomerate companies, which is also well known for being China's largest real estate development company and the world's largest movie theater operator. He previously owned 17% of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid . In 2016, Wang reached

1872-401: Is a follower of Buddhism , although he considers himself not religious. Owing to his years of military service, he lives with military discipline. He is also noted for singing Tibetan and Mongolian folk songs. His hobbies are collecting art and singing karaoke. In December 2015 Wang bought 15a Kensington Palace Gardens , London, for £80 million. The house was previously lived in by

1976-579: Is married to Lin Ning ( Chinese : 林宁 ; pinyin : Lín Níng ), and has a son, Wang Sicong ( Chinese : 王思聪 ; pinyin : Wáng Sīcōng ; born 1988), educated at Winchester College and University College London in the UK. Wang Sicong is currently a board member of the Wanda Group and a venture capitalist in China through his Beijing-based private equity fund, Prometheus Capital (普思投资). Wang

2080-664: The El Derbi Madrileño . They also share a rivalry with Barcelona . Felipe VI , the King of Spain , has been the honorary president of the club since 2003. Atlético are one of the most successful Spanish clubs, having won 11 La Liga titles, including a league and cup double in 1996. Further domestic trophies include 10 Copa del Rey titles, two Supercopas de España , one Copa Presidente FEF and one Copa Eva Duarte . They have also won numerous titles in Europe , including

2184-532: The City of Madrid to sell the land where their stadium was located and move the club to the City-owned Olympic Stadium . The stadium changed hands in 2016 and was bought by the club for €30.4 million. Madrid had applied to host the 2016 Olympic Games , losing out to Rio de Janeiro . The 2007–08 season proved to be the most successful season for the club in the past decade. The team reached

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2288-660: The Ciudad Universitaria . In 1921, Athletic Madrid became independent of parent-club Athletic Bilbao and moved into a 35,800-seater stadium built by the company, the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid . During the 1920s, Athletic won the Campeonato del Centro three times and were Copa del Rey runners-up in 1921, where they faced parent club Athletic Bilbao, as they would again in 1926. Based on these successes, in 1928 they were invited to join

2392-834: The Cotonou Agreement are not counted against non-EU quotas due to the Kolpak ruling . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Source: Atlético Madrid Since 2002, Enrique Cerezo Torres serves as

2496-467: The European Cup with Porto . All the spending, however, only brought in two consecutive Copa del Rey trophies in 1991 and 1992 as the league titles proved elusive. The closest Atlético came to the La Liga trophy was the 1990–91 season when they finished runners-up by 10 points to Johan Cruyff 's Barcelona . In the process, Gil developed a ruthless reputation due to the manner in which he ran

2600-756: The European Cup Winners' Cup in 1962 , the UEFA Europa League in 2010 , 2012 and 2018 , and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010 , 2012 and 2018 , as well as the 1974 Intercontinental Cup . In the UEFA Champions League , Atlético reached the final in 1974 , 2014 and 2016 . The club was founded on 26 April 1903 as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid by three Basque students living in Madrid . These founders saw

2704-472: The European Cup Winners' Cup , beating Fiorentina 3–0 after a replay. This achievement was significant for the club, as the Cup Winners' Cup was the only major European trophy that Real Madrid never won. The following year, the club reached the 1963 finals, but lost to English side Tottenham Hotspur 5–1. Enrique Collar , who continued to be an influential player during this era, was now joined by

2808-596: The Harvard Business School , and Wang's business philosophy on Wanda's real estate, resort, and movie units. Atl%C3%A9tico Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkluβ aˈtletiko ðe maˈðɾið] ; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético , is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga . The club play their home games at

2912-570: The Intercontinental Cup because of fixture congestion, and as European Cup runners-up, Atlético were invited instead. Their opponents were Independiente of Argentina and, after losing the away leg 1–0, they won the return leg 2–0 with goals from Javier Irureta and Rubén Ayala . Aragonés subsequently led the club to further successes in the Copa del Rey in 1976 and La Liga in 1977 . During his second spell in charge, Aragonés led

3016-541: The Metropolitano , their biggest win over their cross-town rivals to date. Under Helenio Herrera and with the help of Larbi Benbarek , Atlético won La Liga again in 1950 and 1951 . With the departure of Herrera in 1953, the club began to slip behind Real Madrid and Barcelona and for the remainder of the 1950s were left to battle it out with Athletic Bilbao for the title of third team in Spain. However, during

3120-684: The New York Stock Exchange in December. He flew in leading Hollywood celebrities Leonardo DiCaprio , Kate Beckinsale , and John Travolta to help launch a US$ 8 billion mini- Hollywood in the coastal city of Qingdao in January 2014. Wanda Group acquired the landmark Edificio España building in Madrid , Spain, in March 2014 from Grupo Santander for "about a third less than the €389 million that Banco Santander paid in 2005, at

3224-515: The Riyadh Air Metropolitano , which has a capacity of 70,692. Founded on 26 April 1903 as Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid, the club have traditionally worn red and white vertical striped shirts, being known as Los Colchoneros ("The Mattress Makers") and Los Rojiblancos (“The Redwhites”). The club became Atlético de Madrid in 1946 and began a long-standing rivalry with Madrid neighbours Real Madrid , with whom they contests

Porcelain Tower of Nanjing - Misplaced Pages Continue

3328-574: The Seven Wonders of the World . After this exposure to the outside world, the tower was seen as a national treasure by both locals and other cultures around the world. In 1801, the tower was struck by lightning and the top four stories were knocked off, but it was soon restored. The 1843 book, The Closing Events of the Campaign in China by Granville Gower Loch, contains a detailed description of

3432-549: The Shenyang Military Region in 1970. After 17 years in the army, in 1986 Wang started working as the office administrator for the Xigang District in the city of Dalian . In 1988, using a $ 80,000 loan, he took over the small property developer Xigang Residential Development. In 1992, as the company went public as one of the first in a pilot program, he was promoted to general manager and changed

3536-664: The Spanish Air Force . They had been promised a place in the Primera División for the 1939–40 season, only to be denied by the RFEF , and since they did not want to go through the whole divisional climb up, this club merged with Athletic, whose squad had lost eight players during the Civil War, including the team's star, Monchín Triana , who was shot dead. At that time, Real Oviedo also had its field destroyed by

3640-703: The finals at the Stade de Lyon in Lyon , courtesy of a brace from Griezmann and a goal from club captain Gabi in what would be his last match for the club. Atlético also won another UEFA Super Cup after beating Real Madrid 4–2 at the outset of the following season at the Lilleküla Arena in Tallinn . On 25 September 2020, Atlético signed Luis Suárez from Barcelona. One of the world's best strikers, Suárez made

3744-473: The previous season's Champions League . The game was played at the Stade Louis II, Monaco on 31 August 2012; Atlético won 4–1, including a hat-trick by Falcao in the first half. On 17 May 2013, Atlético beat Real Madrid 2–1 in the Copa del Rey final in a tense match where both teams finished with ten men. This ended a 14-year and 25-match winless streak in the Madrid derby . The 2012–13 season saw

3848-546: The "Classics" of Spanish football. Once lopsided in favor of the Catalan club, this rivalry has become competitive since the early 2010s, marked by events such as the 2016 Champions League knockout phase where Atletico Madrid upset Barcelona, the controversial departure of French striker Antoine Griezmann from the Madrid club to the Catalan club in 2019 (and his subsequent return in 2021 amid Barcelona's financial struggles), and

3952-551: The 128th richest person in the world, with US$ 8.6 billion . In August 2013, he was listed as the wealthiest person in China with a net worth of US$ 14.2 billion by Bloomberg . In September 2013, his net worth rose to US$ 22 billion , according to numbers of the Hurun Report. According to the Hurun Report , in 2014 he was the 25th richest person in the world with US$ 25 billion . In 2015, Bloomberg listed him as

4056-453: The 1950s. Certainly, the dictatorial state sought to make political capital out of Real Madrid's European Cup trophies at a time when Spain was internationally isolated; "Real Madrid are the best embassy we ever had", said Franco's foreign minister Fernando Maria de Castiella. Such perceptions have had an important impact on the city's footballing identities, tapping into the collective consciousness . In this vein, Atlético fans were probably

4160-492: The 1960s and 1970s, Atlético Madrid seriously challenged Barcelona for the position of second team. The 1957–58 season saw Ferdinand Daučík take charge of Atlético, where he led them to second place in La Liga. This resulted in Atlético qualifying for the 1958–59 European Cup since the winners, Real Madrid, were the reigning European champions. Inspired by Brazilian centre-forward Vavá and Enrique Collar , Atlético reached

4264-400: The 1970s, Atlético also recruited several Argentine players, signing Rubén Ayala , Panadero Díaz and Ramón "Cacho" Heredia as well as coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo . Lorenzo believed in discipline, caution and disrupting the opponents' game, and although controversial, his methods proved successful—after winning La Liga in 1973 , the club reached the 1974 European Cup Final . On the way to

Porcelain Tower of Nanjing - Misplaced Pages Continue

4368-714: The Bilbao team switched to new black shorts. Athletic Bilbao won the 1911 Copa del Rey Final using several 'borrowed' players from Athletic Madrid, including Manolón who scored one of their goals. Athletic's first ground, the Ronda de Vallecas , was in the eponymous working-class area on the south side of the city. In 1919, the Compañía Urbanizadora Metropolitana—the company that ran the underground communication system in Madrid—acquired some land, near

4472-640: The Champions League or the UEFA Europa League every year, enjoying success in both competition. Spanish teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country. Also, players from the ACP countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific that are signatories to

4576-882: The China Folk Chamber of Commerce; vice chair of the China Enterprise Confederation and the China Enterprise Directors Association; vice chair of the China General Chamber of Commerce; vice-chair of the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University . In 2011, he donated US$ 197 million to charitable causes, such as underwriting the restoration of an ancient temple in Nanjing . In 2014-2015 he donated US$ 200,000 for

4680-819: The Chinese Communist Party . Wang is a delegate to the Chinese National People's Congress . He was twice named CCTV 's "Economic Person of the Year". He is the vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce , and has been a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since 2008. He is vice chair of the China Charity Confederation; vice chair of

4784-458: The Copa del Rey on three occasions in 1965 , 1972 and 1976 . In 1965, when they finished as La Liga runners-up to Real after an intense battle for the titles, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years. In 1966, Atlético left the Estadio Metropolitano de Madrid (which was demolished and was replaced with university buildings and an office block belonging to

4888-654: The European stage regularly since its 1958–59 European Cup debut, subsequently entering the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup ( 1961–62 ), the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup ( 1963–64 ), the UEFA Cup ( 1971–72 ) and the UEFA Super Cup ( 2009–10 ). Starting with the 1999–00 relegation Atlético did not qualify for European competition for seven years, but from the 2007–08 season , it has taken part in either

4992-466: The Final, Atlético knocked out Galatasaray , Dinamo București , Red Star Belgrade and Celtic . In the away leg of the semi-finals against Celtic, Atlético had Ayala, Díaz and substitute Quique all sent off during a hard-fought encounter in what was reported as one of the worst cases of cynical fouling the tournament has seen. Because of this approach, they managed a 0–0 draw, followed by a 2–0 victory in

5096-399: The Primera División of the inaugural La Liga played the following year. During their debut La Liga campaign, the club was managed by Fred Pentland , but after two seasons they were relegated to Segunda División . They briefly returned to La Liga in 1934 but were relegated again in 1936 after Josep Samitier took over in mid-season from Pentland. The Spanish Civil War gave Los Colchoneros

5200-412: The Santiago Bernabéu in the 2013 Copa del Rey finals , and continued on 29 September 2013 when they won a 1–0 victory, again at the Bernabéu. The two faced each other in the 2014 and 2016 UEFA Champions League finals , with Real Madrid winning both matches. Although less famous than the Derbi Madrileño, a historic rivalry exists between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona , which is also considered one of

5304-409: The Segunda División, narrowly missing out on promotion in 2000–01 season before winning the Segunda División championship in 2002. It was again Aragonés, in his fourth and last spell as manager of Atlético, who brought them back to the Primera División. Aragonés also coached the team during the next season, and gave Fernando Torres his La Liga debut. Torres came through the academy of the club and

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5408-535: The UEFA Champions League. Striker Diego Forlán was crowned with the Pichichi and also won the European Golden Shoe after scoring 32 goals for Atlético that season. Atlético saw this domestic success as an opportunity to reinforce their squad for the upcoming Champions League season. They replaced veteran goalkeeper Leo Franco with David de Gea from the youth ranks and signed promising youngster Sergio Asenjo from Real Valladolid . Atlético also acquired Real Betis defender and Spanish international Juanito on

5512-422: The Ukrainian billionaire, Leonard Blavatnik , who rented it during lengthy works on the house he owns opposite. In July 2016, Wang released his book, The Wanda Way: The managerial philosophy and values of one of China's largest companies . The book was published globally by LID Publishing. The book includes his renowned 2013 China Central Television Voice interview, his speech and question-and-answer session to

5616-497: The broadcasting rights to the Golden Globe Awards , the Academy of Country Music Awards , and the New Year countdown celebrations in New York. Wanda already owns Legendary Entertainment , co-producer of films such as Jurassic World , and U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings . The Economist has called Wang "a man of Napoleonic ambition", citing his military background in the PLA, where he rose from border guard to regimental commander. He enforces "iron discipline" in

5720-434: The central-south of Madrid 1.8 km from the city center in the working class barrio of Arganzuela . Historically, Real Madrid have long been seen as the establishment club. On the other side, Atlético Madrid were always characterized by a sentimiento de rebeldía , a sense of rebellion. They were associated with the military airforce (renamed Atlético Aviación), until the regime's preferences moved towards Real Madrid in

5824-452: The change came about because red and white striped tops were the cheapest to make, as the same combination was used to make ticking for mattresses , and the unused cloth was easily converted into football shirts. This contributed to the club's nickname, Los Colchoneros . However, another explanation is that both Athletic Bilbao and Athletic Madrid used to buy Blackburn Rovers ' blue and white kits in England. In late 1909, Juan Elorduy ,

5928-417: The club finish with three trophies in a little over a year. On 17 May 2014, a 1–1 draw at the Camp Nou against Barcelona secured the La Liga title for Atlético, their first since 1996, and the first titles since 2003–04 not won by Barcelona or Real Madrid. One week later, Atlético faced city rivals Real Madrid in their first Champions League final since 1974, and the first played between two sides from

6032-444: The club president, whereas Miguel Ángel Gil Marín (son of former club president Jesús Gil ) serves as chief executive officer. After a 2021 capital increase , Gil Marín, Cerezo and incoming investor Ares Management Corporation hold a 66.98% of the shares by means of 'Atlético HoldCo'. Israeli businessman and billionaire Idan Ofer , owns 33% of Atlético Madrid's stakes. Atlético co-owns Liga MX club Atlético San Luis , and

6136-403: The club to a runners-up finish in La Liga and a winner's medal in the Copa del Rey , both in 1985. He received considerable help from Hugo Sánchez , who scored 19 league goals and won the Pichichi . Sánchez also scored twice in the cup finals as Atlético beat Athletic Bilbao 2–1. Sánchez, however, only remained at the club for one season before his move across the city to Real Madrid. Despite

6240-559: The club's first win in the UEFA Super Cup . Atlético had a comparatively disappointing 2010–11 season, finishing only seventh in the League and being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey and the group stage of the Europa League . This ultimately led to the departure of manager Sánchez Flores before the conclusion of the season, who was replaced with ex-Sevilla manager Gregorio Manzano . On 23 December 2011, Atlético appointed their former Argentine player, Diego Simeone , as manager in place of Manzano. The club were in

6344-407: The club, Griezmann was Atlético's top scorer for five consecutive seasons. He established himself as a world-class player at Atlético, also shining on the international stage as he finished as the top scorer at UEFA Euro 2016 and earned the tournament's best player award. That same year , he placed third in the Ballon d'Or rankings, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo . Atlético reached

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6448-401: The club. In pursuit of league success, he hired and fired a number of high-profile head coaches, including César Luis Menotti , Ron Atkinson , Javier Clemente , Tomislav Ivić , Francisco Maturana and Alfio Basile , as well as club legend Luis Aragonés. Gil also closed down Atlético's youth academy in 1992, a move that would prove significant due to 15-year-old academy member Raúl who, as

6552-414: The company ENUSA) and moved to a new home in the Manzanares river waterfront, the Vicente Calderón Stadium , which was inaugurated on 2 October 1966 with a fixture against Valencia. Significant players from this era included the now-veteran Adelardo and regular goalscorers Luis Aragonés , Javier Irureta and José Eulogio Gárate , the latter winning the Pichichi three times in 1969, 1970 and 1971. In

6656-478: The first Super cup in Spanish football after beating RCD Español, the 1940 Copa del Generalísimo winners, in a two-legged game that ended in a 10–4 aggregate victory, including a 7–1 trashing in the second leg at Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas . On 14 December 1946, the club decided to drop the military association from its name, and shortly after, on 6 January, it settled on its current name of Club Atlético de Madrid . Also in 1947, Atlético beat Real Madrid 5–0 at

6760-427: The forestry service, and mother Qin Jialin settled in a village in Jinchuan County , Sichuan, where their son would grow up. His given name at birth was originally 建林 which can be translated as 'forest builder'. Wang became a soldier at age 15, lying about his age, and made his way up in the army ranks quickly, becoming a commander at age 27. During his time in the army, he served in Chengdu , before being sent to

6864-491: The government as well. "If the government never talk to entrepreneurs, they'll never know what entrepreneurs want to invest, develop or solve." In 2010, Wang donated a billion yuan (US$ 156 million) to the city of Nanjing for reconstruction of the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing . This is reported to be the largest single personal donation ever made in China. Wang Jianlin has been ranked prominently in worldwide billionaire lists for years. The previous year, Forbes ranked him

6968-408: The height of Spain's construction boom". Previously, Dalian Wanda had taken on billion-dollar hotel development projects in London and New York, as well as property projects in India. In 2014, he acquired land at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills , California to build the American headquarters named "One Beverly Hills" of his entertainment company. In January 2015, it was reported that he

7072-412: The league title contention early while, in the Champions League, they were eliminated by Ajax in extra-time in the quarter-finals. Before the 1997–98 season, the heavy spending continued with the signings of Christian Vieri and Juninho . All of the success, however, produced little change in the overall Gil strategy, and although Antić survived three consecutive seasons in charge, he was replaced during

7176-403: The league. Torres had been at Atlético since the age of 11 and his precocious talent led to him becoming the club's youngest ever captain at the age of just 19. In 2006, Atlético signed Portuguese midfielders Costinha and Maniche , as well as Argentine forward Sergio Agüero . In July 2007, Torres left the club for Liverpool for €38 million, while Luis García signed for the club at

7280-448: The likes of midfielder Miguel Jones and midfield playmaker Adelardo . Atlético's best years coincided with dominant Real Madrid teams. Between 1961 and 1980, Real Madrid dominated La Liga, winning the competition 14 times. During this era, only Atlético offered Real any serious challenge, winning La Liga titles in 1966 , 1970 , 1973 and 1977 and finishing runners-up in 1961 , 1963 and 1965 . The club had further success winning

7384-441: The loss of Sánchez, Aragonés went on to lead the club to success in the Supercopa de España in 1985 and then guided them to the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1986 . Atlético, however, lost their third successive European finals, this time 3–0 to Dynamo Kyiv . In 1987, controversial politician and businessman Jesús Gil became club president, running the club (and committing a fraud of misappropriation by seizing 95% of

7488-452: The much sought-after league titles as Atlético won the La Liga / Copa del Rey double. The next season, 1996–97, saw the club take part in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. With expectations and ambitions raised, the most notable summer transfer signings were striker Juan Esnáider from Real Madrid and Radek Bejbl , who was coming off a great showing for Czech Republic at Euro 1996 . Playing on two fronts, Atlético fell out of

7592-605: The name to Dalian Wanda. His conglomerate company owns over 21.57 million square meters of prime commercial real estate across the Chinese mainland, consisting of 168 Wanda Shopping Plazas, 82 luxury hotels, 213 cinemas, 99 department stores, and 54 karaoke centers. The company has also became the world's largest theatre owner in 2012 when it acquired AMC Theatres . He bought out the American-based AMC Entertainment for US$ 2.6 billion . He listed it on

7696-422: The new club as a youth branch of their childhood team, Athletic Bilbao who they had just seen win the 1903 Copa del Rey Final in the city. In 1904, they were joined by dissident members of Real Madrid . They began playing in blue and white halved shirts, the then colours of Athletic Bilbao, but by 1910, both the Bilbao and Madrid teams were playing in their current colours of red and white stripes. Some believe

7800-537: The new manager for the rest of the season would be Quique Sánchez Flores . With the arrival of Sánchez Flores as coach in October 2009, Atlético improved in many of their competition. Atlético continued to lag somewhat in La Liga during the 2009–10 season , finishing in ninth position, but managed to finish third in their 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage and subsequently entered the Europa League in

7904-537: The originators, and are the most frequent singers, of the song, sung to the tune of the Real Madrid anthem, "Hala Madrid, hala Madrid, el equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país" , "Go Madrid, go Madrid, the government's team, the country's shame." Until recently, Atlético Madrid had struggled significantly in the derby, carrying a 14-year winless streak into the 2012–13 season . This spell ended, however, on 17 May 2013 after Atlético beat their city rivals 2–1 at

8008-990: The porcelain and created a mixture of green, yellow, brown and white designs on the sides of the tower, including animals, flowers and landscapes. The tower was also decorated with numerous Buddhist images. Fragments of the original tower may exist in the Calcutta Museum , presented by the Geological Survey of India, 7 August 1877. A small fragment belongs to the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah, Georgia. 32°4′49.26″N 118°43′48.78″E  /  32.0803500°N 118.7302167°E  / 32.0803500; 118.7302167 Wang Jianlin Wang Jianlin ( Chinese : 王健林 ; pinyin : Wáng Jiànlín ; born 24 October 1954)

8112-450: The previous decade. For a full history see; List of Atlético Madrid seasons Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are clubs with contrasting identities and different fates. While Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu proudly rises on the Paseo de la Castellana in the wealthy Chamartín neighbourhood of northern Madrid, Atlético's former stadium, the less glamorous Vicente Calderón , stood in

8216-592: The reign of the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424); its construction began in the early 15th century. On 25 March 1428, the Xuande Emperor ordered Zheng He and others to supervise the rebuilding and repair of the temple. The construction of the temple was completed in 1431. It was first discovered by the Western world when European travelers like Johan Nieuhof visited it, sometimes listing it as one of

8320-450: The removal of club President Jesús Gil and his board, the players performed poorly and the club floundered. Ranieri handed in his resignation with the club sitting 17th out of 20 in the league table and heading towards relegation. Antić, returning for his third coaching stint, was unable to prevent the inevitable. Despite reaching the Copa del Rey final in 2000, Atlético were relegated second time after 66 years. The club spent two seasons in

8424-626: The restoration of the Electric Fountain in Beverly Hills, California. In 2017 he donated CNY 20 million to help 2017 Sichuan landslide victims, it was speculated that he empathized especially with the region having grown up in Ngawa Prefecture himself. Wang maintains a close relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. The New York Times reported in 2015 that relatives of high-ranking Party officials amassed

8528-421: The return leg with goals from Gárate and Adelardo. The finals at Heysel Stadium , however, was a loss for Atlético. Against a Bayern Munich team that included Franz Beckenbauer , Sepp Maier , Paul Breitner , Uli Hoeneß and Gerd Müller , Atlético played above themselves. Despite missing Ayala, Díaz and Quique through suspension, they went ahead in extra-time with only seven minutes left. Aragonés scored with

8632-545: The rich list as his real estate empire and movie theatre chains both sharply declined in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . Forbes ranked him outside the top 10 in its 2020 list of Richest Chinese Billionaires with an estimated net worth of $ 14 billion. As of 30 November 2022, Forbes ranked him 39th in China Rich List and 138th its 2022 World's Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $ 7.9 billion. He

8736-520: The richest person in Asia with US$ 9.9 billion . According to Forbes , in 2016 he was the richest person in Asia with US$ 28.7 billion . A year later, Forbes ranked him 18th in its 2017 World's Billionaires list, making him the richest man in China with a net worth of US$ 31.3 billion . However, on 14 May, Jack Ma overtook Wang Jianlin as the richest man in China, thanks to Ma's Alibaba Group's increases in stock prices. In 2020, Wang tumbled down

8840-411: The round of 32 in the UEFA Cup , where they were defeated by Bolton Wanderers . They also reached the quarter-finals round of the Copa del Rey , where they were beaten by eventual champions Valencia . More significantly, the team finished the league season in fourth place, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1996–97 season . On 3 February 2009, Javier Aguirre

8944-472: The round of 32. Atlético went on to win the Europa League, beating English teams Liverpool in the semi-finals and eventually Fulham in the finals held at HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg on 12 May 2010. Diego Forlán scored twice, the second being an extra-time winner in the 116th minute, as Atlético won 2–1. It was the first time since the 1961–62 European Cup Winners' Cup that Atlético had claimed

9048-409: The same city. They took a first-half lead through Godín and led until the third minute of injury time, when Sergio Ramos headed in an equaliser from a corner; the match went to extra time, and Real ultimately won 4–1. Antoine Griezmann , who had a standout season in La Liga and featured at the 2014 FIFA World Cup , joined Atlético from Real Sociedad on 28 July 2014. During his first stint with

9152-420: The same time in an unrelated transfer. The club also bought Uruguay international and former European Golden Boot and Pichichi winners Diego Forlán for roughly €21 million from Villarreal . Other additions included Portuguese winger Simão Sabrosa from Benfica for €20 million and winger José Antonio Reyes from Arsenal for €12 million. In July 2007, the Atlético board reached an agreement with

9256-586: The semi-finals after beating Drumcondra , CSKA Sofia and Schalke 04 . In the semi-finals, they met Real Madrid, who won the first leg 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu while Atlético won 1–0 at the Metropolitano . The tie went to a replay and Real won 2–1 in Zaragoza. Atlético, however, gained their revenge when, led by former Real coach José Villalonga , they defeated Real in two successive Copa del Rey finals in 1960 and 1961 . In 1962, they won

9360-470: The shares while failing to effectively pay a single Peseta during the Atlético's forced conversion from fan-owned club to Sociedad Anónima Deportiva in 1992) until his resignation in May 2003. Atlético had not won La Liga for ten years and were desperate for league success. Right away, Gil spent heavily, bringing in a number of expensive signings, most notably Portuguese winger Paulo Futre , who had just won

9464-477: The still-existent 84-metre-tall (276 ft), eleventh-century Liaodi Pagoda in Hebei or the no-longer-existent 100-metre-tall (330 ft), seventh-century wooden pagoda of Chang'an . The tower was built with white porcelain bricks that were said to reflect the sun's rays during the day, and at night as many as 140 lamps were hung from the building to illuminate the tower. Glazes and stoneware were worked into

9568-499: The summer of 1998 with Arrigo Sacchi , who himself only remained in the managerial hot seat for less than six months. Antić then returned briefly in early 1999 only to be replaced with Claudio Ranieri at the end of the season. The 1999–2000 season proved disastrous for Atlético. In December 1999, Gil and his board were suspended pending an investigation into the misuse of club funds, with government-appointed administrator José Manuel Rubí running Atlético's day-to-day operations. With

9672-626: The surprise move of Luis Suárez to Atlético in 2020, a move which saw the Uruguyan star play a crucial role in the team's championship run. However, by tradition and current affairs, the greatest rivalry is that which exists with its " merengues " neighbors. 1939–40 , 1940–41 , 1949–50 , 1950–51 , 1965–66 , 1969–70 , 1972–73 , 1976–77 , 1995–96 , 2013–14 , 2020–21 2001–02 1959–60 , 1960–61 , 1964–65 , 1971–72 , 1975–76 , 1984–85 , 1990–91 , 1991–92 , 1995–96 , 2012–13 2009–10 , 2011–12 , 2017–18 Atlético has played at

9776-562: The title. The final game of the title-winning season was on 22 May 2021, a 2–1 win at the José Zorrilla Stadium against Valladolid . On April 16, 2024, the team qualified to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup for first time in club's history, despite being eliminated in the 2023–24 Champions League , as Barcelona were also eliminated, and Atlético were the higher ranked Spanish club in the UEFA four-year ranking. Statistics from

9880-638: The tower as it existed in the early 1840s. In the 1850s, the area surrounding the tower erupted in civil war as the Taiping Rebellion reached Nanjing and the rebels took over the city. They smashed the Buddhist images and destroyed the inner staircase to deny the Qing enemy an observation platform. American sailors reached the city in May 1854 and visited the hollowed tower. In 1856, the Taiping razed

9984-401: The tower to the ground either in order to prevent a hostile faction from using it to observe and shell the city or from superstitious fear of its geomantic properties . After this, the tower's remnants were salvaged for use in other buildings, while the site lay dormant until later rebuilding. The tower was octagonal , with a base of about 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter. When it was built,

10088-440: The tower was one of the largest buildings in China, rising up to a height of 79 metres (259 ft) with nine stories and a staircase in the middle of the pagoda, which spiraled upwards for 184 steps. The top of the roof was marked by a golden pineapple. There were original plans to add more stories, according to an American missionary who in 1852 visited Nanjing. There are only a few Chinese pagodas that surpass its height, such as

10192-458: The war, so it was decided to give up its place to another team, and that finals spot was contested by Aviación and Osasuna , in a match in Valencia on 26 November 1939, which Aviación won 3–1. With the legendary Ricardo Zamora as manager, the club subsequently won their first La Liga title that season and retained the titles in 1941 . The most influential and charismatic player of these years

10296-539: The workplace, where employees are fined when they violate the company's conservative dress code . Despite his age, he has a "trim figure". At the age of 15, Wang started his 17-year service with the People's Liberation Army, initially as a border guard before rising to become a regimental commander. In 1976, he joined the Chinese Communist Party . He served as deputy to the 17th National Congress of

10400-418: Was a hot prospect in Spain; in his first season in the league, 2002–03 , he scored 13 goals in 29 appearances. In July 2003, soon after his takeover of the club, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich offered £28 million for Torres, which was rejected by Atlético. In the 2003–04 season , Torres continued his success as he scored 19 league goals in 35 appearances, making him the joint third-highest scorer in

10504-510: Was buying a 20 percent stake in the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid for €45m . He sold his stake to Quantum Pacific Group for an undisclosed fee in 2018. In 2016, Wang launched a direct competition with Disney by declaring that he wants to make sure Shanghai Disneyland Park doesn't make any money in China by launching over a dozen competing amusement parks. In November 2016 Wang's Dalian Wanda Group announced plans to acquire Dick Clark Productions for about US$ 1 billion , giving it

10608-421: Was dismissed from his post as manager after a poor start to the season, going without a win in six games. He later claimed that this was not accurate, and that he had left by mutual termination rather than through sacking. There was public outrage after his dismissal, many believing he was not the cause of Atlético's problems, namely player Diego Forlán. He backed his former manager and said that, "Dismissing Javier

10712-578: Was the captain Germán Gómez , who was signed from Racing Santander in 1939. He played eight consecutive seasons for the Rojiblancos until the 1947–48 campaign . From his central midfield position, he formed a legendary midfield alongside Machín and Ramón Gabilondo . In mid-1940, a decree issued by Francisco Franco banned teams from using foreign names and the club became Atlético Aviación de Madrid . In September 1940, Atlético Aviación won

10816-407: Was the easy way out, but he was not the cause of our problems. The players are to blame because we have not been playing well and we have been committing a lot of errors." This led to the appointment of Abel Resino as Atlético's new manager. Atlético's success continued in the latter half of the season when they placed fourth once again in the league table, securing a position in the playoff round of

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