The motif is associated with the red and white shirt, colors he started wearing due to his close association with Athletic Club de Bilbao.
In Spain, saying ‘colchoneros’ is the same as saying ‘Atlético de Madrid’. There are no differences. The term “colchoneros” has been associated with the club since the early 20th century. And believe it or not, it remains strong to this day. However: How did this specific nickname come about?
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A bit of history
Atlético de Madrid was founded in 1903. From 1911 he started wearing the red and white shirt. And he did it because of his close connection with Athletic Club de Bilbao. The Basque team had switched from blue-white to red-white after a kit purchase in Southampton: They were divided between the Bilbao team and the Madrid team.
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And then…
From 1911 until now, Atlético’s colors were not changed. And those colors became the key to a nickname. In those early years of the 20th century, mattresses were almost always covered with a fabric with red and white stripes. Yes, like the Manzanares Riverbank team.
This is how the team became known as the ‘colchonero’. Who would have thought that the term would still be so valid over 100 years later…
Source: Goal