‘See it to believe it’ goes the Spanish idiom, and that is indeed the case with the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu. The much questioned renovated Bernabeu has come under heavy scrutiny, from the parking to the soundproofing to the pitch.
The latter has been questioned for some time, and the state of the pitch was for several seasons not one of the best in Spain. This season it was noticed not because of the run of the ball or the plague of injuries that Real Madrid have suffered, albeit they have suffered again, but because of the stains that have appeared on the shirts of players.
It has been a regular occurrence this season that at the slightest fall to the turf, the white Real Madrid kit would be streaked with a dark green. It was rumoured that Los Blancos have been painting the pitch to cover up the poor state of the grass – which is halfway to the truth.
New stadium design changes care of pitch
The Bernabeu has been designed so that the pitch can be retracted by six hydraulic panels, and the grass cared for in perfect humidity and light conditions. Marca say that this has gone well, and that the grass is in the best state it has been in for some time.
Paint is to cover up lines in the pitch
They go on to explain that Los Blancos have been painting the pitch though. The reason is that the lines where the panels separate are visible, and in order to provide a cleaner or more preferable image on television, Real Madrid have been painting the areas where those lines are visible. Before every match at the Bernabeu this season, Real Madrid have been applying a paint that lasts around four to five hours on the pitch.
