Vicente Calderón

Vicente Calderón Pérez-Cavada (Spanish pronunciation: [biˈθente kaldeˈɾon ˈpeɾeθ kaˈβaða]; May 27, 1913  – March 24, 1987) was a businessman and president of Atlético Madrid for twenty years.

Early life

Vicente Calderón was born in Torrelavega, Cantabria in 1913. Orphaned at the age of twenty, Calderón lived a tough early life passing through various jobs before finally establishing himself as a successful businessman. He built much of his business success in Madrid but also had important business connections with the Valencian town of Gandia, a town which he held many ties to and where he eventually was buried.

Calderón died of a heart attack on March 24, 1987, in Madrid.

President of Atlético Madrid

On January 21, 1964, Javier Barroso resigned as President of Atlético Madrid in the midst of an economic crisis. Calderón began his career at Atlético by stepping in as President temporarily but he would eventually be elected to the post on March 17 of that year.

Calderón was instrumental in saving Atlético from the economic crisis, as well as successfully completing construction of their new stadium that was located on the banks of the Manzanares river. The stadium's construction had been delayed for some time, with work having begun in 1961, but Calderón was able to ensure that Atlético would move out of their old home, the Estadio Metropolitano and into their new home. As a tribute to his efforts, the new stadium was named after him.

Under Vicente Calderón’s presidency, the club was able to stabilize their economic woes and achieve great successes throughout the 60s and 70s.

On June 16, 1980, Calderón resigned as president. However, his departure would bring about a difficult phase in the club’s history. Atlético suffered at the hands of several interim presidents and in particular the controversial presidency of Alfonso Cabeza. This led to Atlético re-electing Calderón in 1982.

Though Calderón’s second term at Atlético was not as successful as his first, he was able to add another Copa del Rey to the club’s collection. Calderón would die of a heart attack on March 24, 1987 in the middle of his presidency.

Titles

• Intercontinental Cup (1): 1974
• La Liga (4): 1965–66, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77
• Copa del Rey (4): 1965, 1972, 1976, 1985
• European Cup: 1974 (runner-up).

Other titles: (two Teresa Herrera Trophy, two Trofeo Colombino, five Ramón de Carranza Trophy, four Villa de Madrid trophy, "Trofeo Mohamed V", a "Copa Ciudad de Sao Paulo", a "Trofeo Ibérico" a "Trofeo Ciudad de La Línea" and "Trofeo Ciudad de Ceuta".