Football was first introduced in Madrid by Oxbridge graduates at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza. In 1897, some students founded a football club and called it Sky. Three years later, FC Sky split into two separate clubs – New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Madrid Football Club.
Madrid Football Club was officially founded on 6 March 1902 and was presided over by Juan Padros. The club won four consecutive Copa del Rey titles, the only competition in the country at that time, between 1905 and 1908. In 1920, King Alfonso XIII bestowed the title of Real (Royal) on the club and Madrid FC was since then known as Real Madrid.