Real Madrid’s trophy cabinet too small for 13th European Cup

(FILES) In this file photo taken on May 26, 2018 the trophy is displayed before the UEFA Champions League final football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine. The trophy of the Champions League 2017-2018, the thirteenth C1 in the history of Real Madrid, was placed on June 1, 2018 in the showcase of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium which, according to the Spanish press, had to be enlarged to accommodate this fourth title won in five years. / AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE

Before Real Madrid’s 13th European Cup could be displayed at the Santiago Bernabeu on Friday, the club’s trophy cabinet needed to be enlarged, Spanish media reported.

The 13 trophies are lined up in one of the rooms in the bowels of the stadium that together make up the third most visited museum in the Spanish capital. More than one million come each year to admire Real’s history.

It was almost a week after the final before the latest “Big Ears”, as the Spanish have dubbed the trophy with its distinctive large handles, could be installed.

Spanish sports daily Marca reported that when the glass case was renovated just four years ago, “the most optimistic of the club directors thought they needed to have three spare places.” None foresaw that the club would win the Champions League in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.