What is the meaning of ‘Hala Madrid’? Real Madrid’s infamous tagline explained
Real Madrid, arguably Europe's biggest club, have become associated with the Hala Madrid tagline over the years, with their players and fans, alike, popularizing it. The Spanish giants are preparing to face Borussia Dortmund on June 1 for a 15th UEFA Champions League crown and a fifth in 10 years.
It has become commonplace in Real Madrid games to hear the fans chant Hala Madrid as they look to spur their team on to victory. The catchy phrase has become part of the club's identity, as they use it to sign off on social media and have a magazine of the same title.
Hala Madrid is Spanish for 'Go Madrid' or 'Come on Madrid', and is used to encourage the club as a battle cry to rally their troops. The more generally used term for encouragement in Spanish is Vamos, but Hala is another word that is used solely by Real Madrid fans.
The club and all its associates make use of the Hala Madrid hashtag in their social media posts to signify their togetherness, as well. The word 'Hala' may have been derived from the Arabic word 'Yalla' or the French word 'Allez', both of which are primarily words of encouragement.
In 2014, after their club won the evasive La Decima or 10th UEFA Champions League title, Hala Madrid became even more popular. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Marcelo all featured in the video of the song 'Hala Madrid Y Nada Mas', which was produced by RedOne.
There is also a series, Hala Madrid, which was produced in 2017, as well as a quarterly magazine for official club members.
Real Madrid name Thibaut Courtois in starting XI for final
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been named in the starting XI for Real Madrid as they prepare to face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final. The experienced goalkeeper has been selected ahead of Andriy Lunin, who has been in goal for most of the competition.
Courtois makes his first appearance in the competition this season, having missed most of the campaign with successive knee injuries. The 32-year-old was Man of the Match in the 2022 final and will be keen on repeating the feat this evening.
Lunin, meanwhile, kept two clean sheets in eight appearances for Real Madrid in the Champions League this season. He took over from Courtois after his injury and also replaced loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga. However, he misses out on the final as he was reported to be sick ahead of the game.