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Summer 2025, I took a family trip to Spain. As someone who works in marketing for a domestic professional club, I had long pictured myself watching a Real Madrid match live at Santiago Bernabéu, so I tried to arrange my schedule accordingly, but in the end the season schedule and my travel plans didn’t align, so I couldn’t attend a game.
The Real Madrid Official Store on Gran Vía
To be honest, I was quite disappointed. What unexpectedly made up for missing the match was the official Real Madrid store on Gran Vía. It was as interesting as watching the game from a marketer’s perspective to see a large store dedicated solely to the Real Madrid brand standing proudly in the middle of Madrid’s busiest downtown shopping street rather than inside the stadium.
As soon as I entered the store, displays filled each floor with nothing but Real Madrid goods — jerseys, training wear, soccer balls, scarves. There was a corner where you could have your name and number printed on a personal jersey on the spot, and even on a weekday afternoon tourists of many nationalities were steadily coming and going. This scene left a strong impression because it was so different from the situation with domestic pro sports. In Korea, pro baseball or pro soccer club merchandise is mostly sold in stadium shops or temporary booths on game days. It’s rare to find a permanent downtown store devoted solely to a club’s uniform and brand. The reason is clear: rent in prime commercial areas in Seoul or other major cities is too high for clubs to bear, and even a short-term pop-up store is a significant cost. In fact, in recent years there have been instances in Korea of baseball pop-up stores tied to popular content, but those were always short-term limited operations and did not become permanent stores. By contrast, Real Madrid operates a large permanent store on Gran Vía, and FC Barcelona runs a large permanent store in the old city center on La Rambla.
Of course, you can’t simply attribute this difference to a lack of capability on the part of domestic clubs. We must acknowledge that this business model is possible because of the influx of tourists from around the world, over a century of brand history, and an overwhelmingly large global fandom. Still, even considering those conditions, the idea of creating a brand touchpoint in the middle of the city where people can consume the brand outside the stadium struck me as something domestic clubs could learn from in the long term.
The Bellingham Jersey — A Premium Built on Story
I found Jude Bellingham’s jersey in the store. The moment I saw ‘BELLINGHAM’ and the number ‘5’ I couldn’t just walk past it, so I ended up buying it.
However, I was a little surprised at the register when I saw the price tag. A jersey with player marking cost about two to three times more compared to marked jerseys from domestic pro baseball or soccer teams. Fortunately, the way Bellingham is performing now makes that price feel worth it. In the ongoing 2026 North/Central American World Cup, Bellingham is playing as a key asset for the England national team. He has scored 4 goals in this tournament alone, ranking second on the team behind Harry Kane. England advanced to the quarterfinals and is scheduled to compete against Erling Haaland’s Norway for a spot in the semifinals.
Every time I look at that jersey in my wardrobe and can talk about how this player is performing on the world’s biggest stage, that may be the real reason the price tag is justified. From a marketer’s point of view, I felt this is ultimately a premium created by the story of the brand and the player.
Closing Thoughts
Back home and reflecting on this experience, a few things come to mind. First, creating brand touchpoints in commercial areas outside the stadium ultimately requires the power of content and fandom to support it.
Second, the price of a single jersey includes not only production and licensing costs but also the story the player is creating and the value of the moment.
In the end, this visit to Madrid didn’t give me the thrill of being inside the stadium, but it was a valuable opportunity to see firsthand how one of the world’s top clubs manages its brand outside the arena.
If I visit Madrid again, I’m determined to catch a match in person next time.
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