Modesty,it seems,is not Real Madrid's strong point. Before going into the interactive area that will explain just how brilliant the world's most successful football team is,there is a sign.
"The Best Track Record of the World"it proclaims,before listing 10 European cups,19 domestic cups,32 league championships and a whole host of other less brag-worthy pieces of silverwear.
Yet for a club with such an aura around it – and the vast roll call of nationalities buying tickets for the self-guided stadium tour is fascinatingly impressive in itself – Real Madrid's home is surprisingly non-palatial.
This comes through being built up in hodge-podge fashion for decades. The Santiago Bernabeu stadium is not a purpose-built superarena,deliberately constructed in acres of wasteland to be surrounded by extravagant walkways and an enormous car park. Space,in fact,is at a premium. The busy main road runs practically next to it with little milling-around space,while residential tower blocks shoot up around three sides of the ground.
Shooting up is something that applies to the stadium,too. It climbs upwards steeply rather than sprawling outwards. The first stop on the tour,after trudging an awful lot of steps,is the third tier of the stands. From there,it's possible to look down on the men kicking a ball around below. But it feels more like you're on top of them than peering from a distance.
Later,when wandering from the changing rooms out on to the pitch,there's a similar feeling – just from the perspective of the players way below.
Real Madrid's glory is not based on having a pretty stadium.
It is by no means a beautiful stadium. Huge,ugly concrete support pillars get undue prominence,and any architectural flair is sacrificed for bums on seats and functionality.