Places to watch football in Madrid

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Places to watch football in Madrid.

Madrid is one of the most passionate cities for football in all of Europe. Only within the last three years it has become the 'capital' as far as European football is concerned, with those two finals in Lisbon and in Milan, players of the two principal and most well known teams of the city: 'Real Madrid' and the 'Atlético de Madrid'.

Here, in the city of Madrid, these two teams are the teams that people are the most interested in, causing a rivalry that is noticeable when these two teams play. Also, there is usually quite a lot of people from Barcelona, although a lot less. In short and in the end, we are in the capital of Spain; here there are people from places around the rest of the country, so it is normal that this mix of culture characteristics exists, which is also noticeable in the football teams that people prefer. Furthermore, it is also normal for the tourists (or foreigners that live in Spain) to pass through the bars and watch the matches, the majority of them being from Barcelona. In part thanks to the incredible numbers that have carried on following this team during the last few years.

Enjoying that here in Madrid some days you can go to see the derby of the capital, Real Madrid against Atlético de Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. I am going to talk about all these places that are really cool places to enjoy an afternoon of football, to the height of all those fortunate enough to be able to pay the entrance fee to attend the football match in the stadium. Because, although it is the best option for all the footballers, there are times that if you go to the matches in a good pub with good company, the games can be enjoyed just as much as if you were in the stadium. At least because it is cheaper.

For me, personally I love watching the matches in Irish pubs. Normally it is where it is most atmospheric (and where you can drink the best beers). The only downfall is that they are usually more expensive than the classic tapas bars. However, apart from these Irish pubs, I am also going to talk about some other places which are better chains of bars in which you can watch the football with a good atmosphere and a very good price.

And the most important of all, if you are from a team that you are to assume that in whichever bar that you are you are going to be surrounded by people from other teams that will shout and will cheer up all his own, so you have to respect everyone from the other teams. What is certain is that I am from Real Madrid.

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O'Neill's Irish Pub

I will start with the Irish pub that to me seems the best in Madrid and not only to watch the football as I have said before (click this link to read). This pub is very close to the 'Plaza del Sol' in Madrid, specifically on 'Calle de los Príncipes'. It takes only 5 minutes to walk there.

The location of this pub is particularly good since you can find it roughly 10 minutes from the 'Plaza de Cibeles y Neptuno', so it is the perfect place for the fans of Atlético de Madrid or Real Madrid to watch the game and then to go and celebrate the victory if it is a final or a very important game.

The pub is cool. It has two floors that they open for big occasions, when they sense that more people are going to go for whatever reason and the important football games are usually one of them.

In terms of the screens, there are lots distributed around the whole pub and one them is a giant projector screen. Essentially, wherever you are in the pub you are going to be able to see a screen, even if it's not perfectly. So, even if you arrive late it's not a problem because you will definitely be able to find some place where you can see the match, even if it is standing without being supported.

The atmosphere in the pub in any game is usually unbeatable. It is a very international pub, so they usually put on matches of all types and lots of leagues of football. To watch a watch a Champions match here is cool because you can nearly always find yourself with people from other teams. French, German and lots of Englishmen, above all, they are the ones that usually congregate in the pub to give it this international atmosphere that I talk of.

I usually go to this pub to watch matches during the big occasions and my best experience watching a match here was during the match between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid during the Champions final 2014 in Lisbon. Never in my life have I shouted as much as this night, which is why I said that watching a match in a pub of this style is the most similar to watching it at the football pitch. The pub was full of as many people as it could fit and when Sergio Ramos scored the final goal of the match all the Real Madrid supporters hugged each other, without knowing each other, without even knowing that were next to each other.

So for this reason and many more, it is my favorite pub to watch football matches.

La Fontana de Oro

This is another pub that is of a similar style to the previous one although with a less Anglo Saxon name and to tell you the truth, not such a good atmosphere. It is like an Irish pub but done in the Spanish style.

It is quite similar in terms of size as it has two floors but the difference with O'Neill's is that here the screens are only in the upstairs part and there is not as many as in order to be able to see the matches from wherever you are.

Another factor that differentiates the two pubs is that in the Fontana there are not so many places where you can sit down, it is more a place where you stand drinking a pint of beer whilst you watch the game. There are people that don't like this and prefer to watch the football sat down and something a little more relaxed. However, when I get nervous I can't avoid needing to be on my feet moving about all the time.

So this pub is another one of my favorites to watch another class of matches, for those who live with too much tension to be sat down and relaxed.

It is located just next to Plaza del Sol, it is a place that is usually very full, mainly by tourists and foreign people in general since they it looks directly at the metro station where it is.

In terms of pints it is a little cheaper than other pubs but at the end of the day, it has the same prices as the majority of pubs and bars in the center of Madrid, then it is quite expensive.

Plaza de Cibeles - Source

James Joyce Irish Pub

Before I have said that O'Neill's pub was perfect for going towards Neptuno or Plaza de Cibeles to the celebrate the victory of a final for the supporters, but in respect to proximity with these two famous squares James Joyce Irish pub takes the lead.

You will find it located in the middle of 'Calle Alcalá', once you have passed the square at the end of Alcalá, a few meters from the Plaza de Cibeles.

It is quite a small pub compared to the other two pubs that I have spoken about before now for watching football. However, its smaller size is a great measure of your love for watching the football games. Being so small, you are a lot closer to the other people, so that football stadium atmosphere of hundreds of people can be felt all around you and it is something that is preserved in this charming Irish pub. Of course with a lot less people though.

This was the pub that I tried to enter when the Champions final 2014 between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid was on, in order to be just next to the Plaza de Cibeles in case Real Madrid won the match. But it was so full of people that it was impossible to even get inside to see if it had space. It was packed.

It is a pub in which you are going to find a huge footballers spirit, so it very recommendable. They sell pints for the same price as all the other pubs.

Molly Malone's Irish Pub

This pub has more or less the same tone as the others that I have spoken about before now, however, the only difference is that you won't find it in the middle of the centre of Madrid. It is involved in the Malasaña neighborhood, specifically number 10 on 'Calle Manuela Malasaña'.

It has been made to look a little like the 'Fontana de Oro' in terms of the concept of an Irish pub carrying a more Spanish vibe. Also, they sell Mahou as the pints and there is nothing more Spanish than this, the truth.

It is smaller than all the others that have spoken about previously but its charm resides in being a very intimate pub, very 'neighborhood'. It is not very international, it is most frequently visited by Spanish people in general.

In terms of prices there is nothing to add. The price of the drinks in Madrid are much like those in the center, in truth.

Penalti Lounge bar

This bar was one of my most recent discoveries in the city of Madrid and one of the ones that surprised me the most, ultimately for the innovative format that they have.

There are two in Madrid: one located in Moncloa and the other in Tirso de Molina. I have only been able to go to the one in Moncloa but I imagine that there is not much difference between the two. Except from the size I suppose.

In any case, the bar, as its name indicates, is very well thought out to watch football. However, the thing that caught my attention is that football is not the only thing that it cares about, as they also have an offer that they have on offer. It is an offer to spend the afternoon eating and drinking without stopping.

The offer to watch the football consists of a special menu thought out to go with watching the matches. You can be there for an hour and half (having previously booked) on a table with all the people you want, with a menu of food and a free bar of jugs of beer until the football match ends (or the other group of people who have reserved the table for after arrives).

The offer is very good, the food is delicious and the beer that they put on the table is Estrella Damm. And the best thing is that they don't ration with the beer, instead they are outstanding at making sure that the table is not missing beer at any moment. All of this at a very reasonable price: 12 euros per person.

The atmosphere is also quite good because the good thing is that in every part there is always people watching the football, shouting and singing at the goals.

Real Madrid supporters bonus: Toñín bar, 'El Torero'

This is a bar where one of the most historic Real Madrid group congregates. What is more, on the walls there are numerous photos and objects hanging, dedicated to the biggest personalities related with Real Madrid.

There is also an enormous photo of Santiago Bernabéu on the wall inside so you can feel like you are in the stadium and objects like a bullfighter cape with the Real Madrid shield on it (it is a typical tradition that the captain of the Real Madrid team pretends to fight with a cloak every time a trophy is won). There are also newspaper clippings of when the club has been the headline because a player has gone to the bar to celebrate a trophy and even a shirt signed by Raul himself, who was captain of Real Madrid for many years.

This is a bar purely for Real Madrid supporters, it is the atmosphere that it rings and that it wants there to be. So, although it is not prohibited, if you are not a Real Madrid fan then you are going to uncomfortable here.

Maybe the worse part is the location because you would hope that a bar like this would be close to Santiago Bernabéu or at least the central zone in Madrid. However, it is more like a neighborhood bar that you will find in the Entrevías area, in other words, it is practically by the jurisdiction of the Vallecas neighborhood.

In any case, it is a very friendly and fun bar to watch a Real Madrid game. Also, the prices are very cheap in comparison to other bars that you can visit. For only 2. 50 euros you can have half a liter of beer from the barrel or for 1. 10 euros you can have a can of a third of Mahou or which ever type of refreshment you like. And, of course, with every drink that you order it will include a typical Spanish tapa. Here, being a typical bar, the drink will be accompanied with some cheese, chorizo, patatas bravas... these types of things.

Bonus low cost: 'Mecado Provenzal de Argüelles'

I know that this place is one the few food chains in Madrid where they put the football on in the pub.

It is without a doubt the cheapest way to watch a football match since in this establishment the price of beer is from only 1. 20 euros for half a liter for a barrel beer. Which is not a big deal, but it is not expensive at all.

It is not a very big pub so it is difficult to find a place where you can sit down. But this is what makes it kinda funny to watch a football match here.

At least if you are looking to save money and have fun in good company while watching football and drinking cheap beer, this is the place you were looking for.

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