Google Earth view of 10 of the most iconic football stadiums in the world

Google Earth is a very useful application when you don’t have a lot of money in your wallet. It is just too expensive to even consider the idea of travelling all around Europe and South America to visit these 10 iconic stadiums that hold a very high regard in the world of football.This is how Google Earth comes to the rescue for most of us as it enables the user to aerially look around places with their highly sophisticated map and geographical information program that maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellites, elevated photographs and the geographic information system (GIS) 3D globe.Here are 10 of the most iconic stadiums in the world, viewed from the perspective of Google Earth:

#1 Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid

Home to Real Madrid, the Santiago Bernabeu is one of those stadiums which a must have name in your list of stadiums that you must visit before you die. Named after their honorable chairman Santiago Bernabeu Yeste, the stadium of the capital club, Real Madrid is one of the most prestigious football stadiums in Europe. Initially with a maximum capacity of 81,044 spectators, it is the second largest stadium in Spain and has hosted the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

The Bernabeu has held the UEFA Champions League final on four occasions. In 2013, the redevelopment project which would increase the capacity from 81,044 to about 88,500 was estimated to cost about €300 million.

#2 Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC

Located in North-west London, Stamford Bridge is the home stadium of Premier League outfit Chelsea FC. Founded in 1877, the ground was initially used London Athletic club until 1905 after the Chelsea football club was founded by owner Gus Mears.

Since then, the Blues have played all of their home games at the Bridge. It has undergone numerous major changes over the years, most recently in the 1990s when it was renovated into a modern, all-seater stadium. With a total seating capacity of 41,837, it is the 8th largest ground in the Premier League.

#3 Camp Nou, FC Barcelona

Based in Cataluyna, Spain, Camp Nou is home to FC Barcelona. It was established in 1957 and has a crowd capacity of 98,787, making it the largest stadium in Europe.

After three years of construction, the inaugural match was played on September 24, 1957, between Barcelona and Legia Warsaw which the home side won 4-2. Till date, Camp Nou has hosted two UEFA Champions League finals.

#4 Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich

Allianz Arena is located in Munich, Germany, and is one of the modern football stadiums that come with those fancy inflated ETFE plastic panels as its exterior cover, thus enabling the stadium to change colours to its desire.

With a seating capacity of 75,024, it is the third largest stadium in Germany, after Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park and the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

#5 Emirates Stadium, Arsenal

It was in 1997 when Arsenal had started exploring the possibility of moving to a new stadium after their plan to explan their old ground, Highbury (visible on the map) was denied by the Islington Council. That led to Arsenal taking the big decision of building a new stadium for themsevles. giving birth to the Emirates Stadium that exists today.

The Emirates is the third largest football stadium in all of England with a seating capacity of 60,272, after Wembley and Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

#6 Old Trafford, Manchester United

Situated in the greater Manchester in England, Old Trafford is home to Premier League’s Manchester United. It is the second largest stadium in the United Kingdom, only behind the new Wembley and the ninth largest in Europe.

Since 1910, the Theatre of Dreams has been United’s home ground but they had to share their local rivals, City’s Maine Road stadium from 1941 to 1949 as a result of bomb damage. It has undergone several renovations during the 1990’s and 2000’s and currently has a seat capacity of 75,635.

#7 San Siro, AC and Inter Milan

San Siro or the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium is the joint home to 7-time Champions League winners AC Milan and Internazionale. The stadium is named after legendary Italian player and two-time World Cup winner Giuseppe Meazza who played for Inter Milan.

It held UEFA five-star stadium status which was superseded by a new system of classification. The stadium’s inaugural match was played in 1926 and after going several renovations during the years, it has a maximum capacity of 80,018.

#8 Anfield, Liverpool

Anfield Arena was actually the home ground for Everton since its foundation in 1884 to 1891. After Liverpool FC was formed in 1892, it has been used by the Reds while their neighbours moved to Goodison Park.

With a seating capacity of 45,276, the ground is one of the most historical venues in Europe and is divided into four stands, Main Stand, Centenary Stand, Spion Kop and Anfield Road.

#9 Maracan Stadium

Rio De Janerio’s Maracana has its place in World Cup history mainly due to the infamous Maracanazo tragedy in 1950 where Brazil lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the final. The game also saw the highest ever attendance recorded in a world cup match (199,854).

The stadium underwent renovation recently before the 2014 World Cup and now has a total seating capacity of 78,838. It the largest stadium in Brazil and is mainly used for football matches between Flamengo, Fluminese, Botafogo and Vasco da Gama.

#10 Wembley

A relatively new stadium, the Wembley Stadium is the largest stadium in the United Kingdom, and is home to the English national team. A UEFA category four stadium, the Wembley is a work of art, costing almost around £798 million for his construction expenses.

The Wembley has a roof covered seating capacity of 90,000, and the archway on its roof is the world’s longest unsupported roof structure with a diameter of 23 ft and rising upto 436 ft.