A surprise announcement came today from Real Madrid and its president, Florentino Pérez, unveiling a powerful new project to transform currently unused land at the club’s Ciudad Real Madrid training complex (in Valdebebas, Madrid) into a new technological district: Madrid Innovation District (MID). This new urban space will bring together companies, researchers, and entrepreneurs to collaborate, share knowledge, and drive forward innovative projects.
The project was officially presented today by Florentino Pérez, joined by Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid, and José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Mayor of Madrid.
Land to Be Used
A map was shared showing the specific land (owned by Real Madrid in Valdebebas) that will be used for the new MID. According to the presentation (link), the project will cover 850,000 square meters out of the 1.2 million square meters that make up the full training complex.
The goal of the project is to attract the headquarters of major global innovation and development companies, alongside other firms with a focus on technological innovation, creating synergies and a collaborative environment.
A Leading Tech Hub in Europe
The MID is expected to become Europe’s most important technology district—a nerve center where talent and technology converge to shape the future. It will be designed to attract world-class talent and become a workspace and innovation ecosystem that places Madrid at the heart of the global tech industry—a place where technology becomes part of daily life for working, living, learning, and leisure.
Real Madrid will contribute a unique, high-potential space for the project: 850,000 m² of available land in Valdebebas. This is a strategically located area, close to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and IFEMA convention center, with excellent connectivity to central Madrid, including the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Paseo de la Castellana.
The MID will be strategically designed to concentrate cutting-edge tech companies, academic institutions, and research centers, acting as a hub for knowledge, creativity, and economic growth.
The club will also bring to the project the values that have shaped its history, its proven track record of success, and its globally recognized brand.
This bold step into the future will merge sports and technology, transforming the experience for fans and athletes alike.
Statements from the Leaders
Florentino Pérez, President of Real Madrid:
“We are facing a new great challenge: to build together a major tech city that will help Madrid continue to advance as a global example of innovation and modernity. This project is a unique opportunity for Madrid to become the great technological capital of southern Europe.”
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid:
“This is an exciting challenge. We are at our best moment—let’s take advantage of it so this is not just a flash in the pan. Thanks to projects like this, there will be more jobs, more investment, and more prosperity. I’m convinced that with institutions like Real Madrid involved, this will succeed. Now is the time to think big—and this club knows a lot about that.”
José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Mayor of Madrid:
“Where today there are 85 hectares with no defined purpose, we will have one of the main engines driving Madrid’s transformation, making it the great digital hub of Europe.”
Full Speech by Florentino Pérez at the Presentation of the Madrid Innovation District
Good afternoon and welcome to Ciudad Real Madrid, which this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of its inauguration and has become a benchmark for the most innovative sports facilities in the world.
Here is where our first teams—football, basketball, and women’s football—train and prepare. And it is also where our youth players are shaped through the values that have been the foundation of our 123 years of history.
This training complex was built with effort, sacrifice, and enthusiasm—the same formula that has brought us every success and every title, under a badge and a jersey that unite millions of people through the same feeling: madridismo. Our social media following now totals 625 million across all continents.
But this training ground has also become a symbol of Madrid. It’s located in a privileged area, close to Adolfo Suárez Airport and IFEMA, and just 10 minutes from one of Madrid’s nerve centers, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Paseo de la Castellana. It has also been a catalyst for the development of Valdebebas, a key area of Madrid that has grown around our training ground over the past two decades.
Today, I’d like to remember all those who helped us make this dream a reality: the 500 former landowners who formed a community led by César Cort; Madrid’s then mayor José María Álvarez del Manzano, with whom we began this project; and a special mention for Ignacio del Río, Deputy Mayor for Urban Development at the time, who recognized the strategic importance of this location for the city.
We will never forget May 12, 2004, when, with Alberto Ruiz Gallardón as mayor and Esperanza Aguirre as president of the Community of Madrid, Alfredo Di Stéfano and a 12-year-old academy player laid the first stone of this training complex. That boy was Dani Carvajal, who is now a captain of Real Madrid and has gone on to win six Champions League titles.
Today, we are proud of Ciudad Real Madrid, just as we are proud to be ambassadors of our city and our community around the world.
As I always say, Madrid is our point of origin. Our club was born here, and it has become a universal symbol that has transcended all borders.
That is why we are so excited to launch a project like the one we’re presenting today—because we believe it elevates both Real Madrid and the city and region of Madrid.
Today, we once again join forces—the Community of Madrid, the City Council, and Real Madrid—to create the most important Technology District in Europe.
We are facing a great new challenge: to build together a major tech city that enables Madrid to keep advancing as a global model of innovation and progress.
This tech city will be built on 85 hectares of the 120 hectares that make up Ciudad Real Madrid.
It will be designed to attract top talent and become a hub of work and innovation that places Madrid at the epicenter of the world’s leading technology companies.
It will be an Innovation District with a strategic design to concentrate tech and cutting-edge companies, as well as academic institutions and research centers, all acting as engines for knowledge generation, creativity, and economic growth.
To achieve this, collaboration between government, educational institutions, and businesses is essential. We have seen that the creation of innovation districts is an unstoppable trend around the world.
At Real Madrid, we have thoroughly analyzed the most relevant international cases and studied the most established models, including the campus developed by the Dallas Cowboys in Texas, which is similar to what we aim to create here.
Ciudad Real Madrid is a privileged site for Madrid to host its own Innovation District. We believe it’s necessary for our city to play a leading role in the digital revolution we are living through. We are immersed in an era of change in which innovation and technology are key to generating value, and we cannot afford to miss this train to the future.
We are standing before a great opportunity to continue moving forward. The Community of Madrid has established itself as the leading region for tech employment in Spain while also spearheading the country’s digital transformation.
But now is the time to accelerate—to offer an environment and ecosystem of talent that stands out in the highly competitive world of innovation. All experts and international media highlight Madrid’s potential as a city of opportunity.
This Technology and Innovation District located on Real Madrid’s grounds will undoubtedly be a qualitative leap forward, placing our city among the world’s elite tech hubs.
At Real Madrid, we want to be part of this city-building project. We want to contribute our values: hard work, the pursuit of excellence, respect, a winning spirit, teamwork, humility, and solidarity. And we will also contribute our experience and the global impact of our brand.
We are excited by a proposal capable of generating wealth for Madrid and Spain. And we are convinced that this is a project that can become a reality. This Technology District will be a space for companies, entrepreneurs, specialized education, training, and the development of artificial intelligence.
Today, Real Madrid takes a bold step into the future with this Technology District project. We are convinced that sports and technology must go hand-in-hand to transform the experience of both fans and athletes.
In this increasingly connected world, technology will enhance player health and training, and of course, bring fans closer to their teams—breaking barriers and creating new ways to experience sports.
As Steve Jobs once said: “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” And it’s clear that Real Madrid has proven to be a leader throughout its history.
We will build a modern ecosystem where living, working, and learning blend naturally. It will not just be a group of buildings. Let us dream of a nerve center for innovation and development, where talent and technology come together to create a space to live the future.
All of this will be set in a unique environment, with cutting-edge architecture, and become an icon of sustainability, where nature plays a central role.
Real Madrid will lead a new era of technological synergy that will help drive forward football and sports.
This project will strengthen Madrid. We are facing a unique opportunity for our city to become the leading tech capital of Southern Europe. And at Real Madrid, we are proud to play this great match—to conquer the future.
Thank you very much.