From Blue-and-White to Red-and-White — The Disputed Origins
In 1903, Atlético de Madrid was founded as "Athletic Club de Madrid," a Madrid branch of the Basque giants Athletic Club de Bilbao. In those early days, the team wore blue and white.
The turning point came in 1910. The club's fourth president, Ramón de Cárdenas, asked Bilbao whether they could spare some of their red-and-white striped shirts. The origin of Bilbao's own red-and-white kit remains a matter of debate: Athletic Club's official position holds that Juan Elorduy purchased the shirts from Southampton FC in England, while research by Basque sports historian Borja Valle points to Sunderland AFC as the source. What both accounts agree on is that Juan Arzuaga, who ran a sports goods shop in Bilbao, helped procure the shirts, and that Elorduy carried them from Bilbao down to Madrid.
On 27 November 1910, Atlético took the pitch in red-and-white stripes for the first time. Official records long stated the date as 22 January 1911, but Valle's research revealed it was actually two months earlier. The result was a 1–3 defeat, hardly a glorious debut, but the day that started everything.
The Red-and-White of Mattresses — A Pattern the Working Class Loved
So why "Colchoneros," the Mattress Makers?
The mattress covers widely used across Spain at the time were made from cheap fabric woven in red-and-white vertical stripes. They were the bedding of ordinary people. And they looked exactly like Atlético's shirt. The nickname spread especially during the years of scarcity that followed the Spanish Civil War.
It began as a taunt from rival fans. "Here come the mattress makers," they would jeer. Yet Atlético's supporters refused to be embarrassed. Instead, they claimed the word as their own. We are not the glamorous club. We are not the rich club. But we fight with the grit and the pride of the working class. That is what it means to be a Colchonero.
Look up "colchonero" in the Royal Spanish Academy's dictionary, the Diccionario de la lengua española, and the second definition reads: "of or relating to Atlético de Madrid." The nickname has become part of the Spanish language itself.
The Other Nickname — Los Indios
Atlético carry a second famous nickname: "Indios," the Indians.
In the 1970s, after restrictions on signing foreign players were relaxed, the club recruited a wave of South American talent. Rival fans began calling the team "Los Indios" in reference to those Latin American imports. The label stuck further when Mexican striker Hugo Sánchez joined Atlético in 1981 and was nicknamed "El Indio" by opponents. Even after Sánchez moved to Real Madrid, the name stayed with Atlético's fans and their club. The team mascot, "Indi," takes his name from this tradition.
There is another theory, too. Atlético's former home, the Estadio Vicente Calderón, stood on the banks of the Manzanares river. Some say the fans gathering by the riverside reminded people of an indigenous tribe building a settlement along the water.
What It Means to Be a Colchonero
Real Madrid fans are "Madridistas." Barcelona fans are "Culés." And Atlético fans are "Colchoneros."
The word carries far more weight than a simple club abbreviation. It stands for turning adversity into strength, transforming mockery into pride, and facing any opponent without flinching.
In 2025, Atlético's membership surpassed 150,000, an all-time record. The team once mocked for wearing mattress patterns now boasts one of the most passionate fan bases in Spain. The red-and-white stripes are no longer the pattern of a mattress cover. They are the colours of fight.