Manuela Carmena and Di Stéfano’s street
The Santiago Bernabéu's €400 million refurbishment
Manuela Carmena, the Mayor of Madrid who began her term in office – her ‘debut,’ as it were – asking mothers to clean schools out of love for their children, the same mayor who shortly afterwards suggested that children should pick cigarette butts up off the floors, appeared elated the other day holding up a picture of the Santiago Bernabéu covered by what looked like an upside down tray, a complete refurbishment that will cost around €400 million. By her side, also elated, was the president of Real Madrid. His initial ambitious plans for the stadium looked nothing like what we saw in this week, but he used the mayor’s partial approval to put that to one side.
Someone asked me a tough question. How can it be that this full metal jacket, this suit of lights, this over-the-top Manila shawl, or whatever you want to call it, cost more than Atlético Madrid’s new stadium or the new San Mamés in Bilbao? I don’t know what to say. The same as when I’m lost for words when somebody asks why the Mayor didn’t respond to the question of whether Real Madrid would pay the €20 million that the EU says it should return to the city, the decision that Florentino just said he would appeal against. Either Mrs Carmena didn’t notice or she hid away. She didn’t say a word.
Di Stéfano's street: disrespectful
Just two days after seeing that eyesore, I hear that our city council will finally dedicate a street to Di Stéfano. It’s in the northern district of Hortaleza. It’s a side road. At the moment it’s just wasteland on the outskirts of the city. Perhaps the street has a glorious future ahead but today, to me, it seems contemptuous and disrespectful to dedicate such a street to the man who did so much for the name of this great city. But as long the Bernabéu is covered in lights, there’s obviously no problem. Thank you very much, Manuela.