Atlético Madrid, officially known as Club Atlético de Madrid, was founded on April 26, 1903. The club came into existence due to the efforts of a group of Basque students living in Madrid who were avid fans of Athletic Bilbao. They decided to establish a branch of the Bilbao-based team in the Spanish capital, which initially went by the name Athletic Club Sucursal de Madrid. Enrique Allende served as its first president[^1^].
The newly-formed club faced numerous challenges during its initial years, including financial limitations and competition from other clubs based in the city. Despite these obstacles, Atlético gradually gained prominence and started achieving success on both regional and national levels.
In their early years (1903-1914), notable achievements include winning five Campeonato Regional Centro titles (1905^[2], 1907^3, 1911^4, 1913^5, and 1914^6). In addition to this regional success, they also reached two Copa del Rey finals (losing both) before claiming their first national title in 1921 with a victory over Athletic Bilbao ^7.
Some prominent players from this era include forwards Monjardín and Ricardo Zamora – the latter widely regarded as one of Spain's greatest goalkeepers – who both played pivotal roles in Atlético's early successes.