War. The team were awarded a place in the 193940 La Liga campaign only as a replacement for Real Oviedo.

With the legendary Ricardo Zamora as manager, the club subsequently won their first La Liga title that season and then retained the title in 1941. The most influential and charismatic player of these years was the captain Germn Gmez, who was signed from Racing de Santander in 1939. He played eight consecutive seasons for 'the rojiblancos', until the 194748 campaign. From his centre-midfield position he formed a legendary midfield alongside Machn and Ramn Gabilondo. In 1941, a decree issued by Franco[12] banned teams from using foreign names and the club became Atltico Aviacion de Madrid. In 1947, the club decided to drop the military association from its name and settled on its current name of Club Atltico de Madrid. The same year saw Atltico beat Real Madrid 50 at the Metropolitano; their biggest win over their cross-town rivals to date.[13]

The Golden Age (19471965)

Under Helenio Herrera and with the help of Larbi Benbarek, Atltico won La Liga again in 1950 and 1951. With the departure of Herrera in 1953, the club began to slip behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona and for the remainder of the 1950s they were left to battle it out with Athletic Bilbao for the title of third team in Spain. However during the 1960s and 1970s, Atltico Madrid seriously challenged Barcelona for the position of second team. The 195758 season saw Fernando Daucik take charge of Atltico and he led them to second place in La Liga. This resulted in Atltico qualifying for the 1958 59 season of the European Cup since the winners, Real Madrid, were the reigning European champions. Inspired by Brazilian centre-forward Vav and Enrique Collar, Atltico reached the semi-finals after beating Drumcondra, CSKA Sofia and Schalke.[14] In the semi-finals, they met Real Madrid. Real won the first leg 21 at the Bernabu while Atltico won 10 at the Metropolitano.[15] The tie went to a replay and Real won 21 in Zaragoza.[16] Atltico, however, gained their revenge when, led by former Real coach Jos Villalonga, they defeated Real in two successive Copa del Rey finals in 1960 and 1961. In 1962 they won the European Cup Winners' Cup Helenio Herrera won two Liga titles as [17] beating Fiorentina 30 after a replay. This achievement is signifficant Atltico manager as the Cup winners' Cup was the only major European trophy that Real Madrid never won. The following year the club reached the 1963 final, but was thrashed by English side Tottenham Hotspur 51.[18] Enrique Collar,[19] who continued to be an influential player during this era, was now joined by the likes of midfielder Miguel Jones and midfield playmaker Adelardo.[20] Unfortunately for Atltico fans, their best years coincided with dominant Real Madrid teams. Between 1961 and 1980, Real Madrid dominated La Liga with the club winning the competition 14 times. During this era only Atltico offered Real any serious challenge, winning La Liga titles in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. They were also runnersup in 1961, 1963 and 1965. The club had further success winning the Copa del Rey on three occasions in 1965, 1972 and 1976. In 1965, when they finished as La Liga runners-up to Real after an intense battle for the title, Atltico became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabu in eight years.