Atlético Madrid announced they will revert to the club’s 1947 crest starting July 1, following widespread disapproval of the updated badge.
The decision to modernize the emblem in 2017 was highly unpopular, with nearly 78,000 out of over 138,000 club members voting last year to reinstate the previous design.
Although both emblems are similar, the modern version features a right-facing bear instead of a left-facing one, reaching up against a tree (the symbol of the city of Madrid).
Additionally, the updated badge has thicker red stripes, smoothed edges, and uses three colors instead of six.
Some Atlético fans even refused to purchase merchandise featuring the new emblem.
“The club pays special tribute to the thousands of enthusiasts who longed for the return of the 1947 crest,” an Atlético statement said.
“As of July 1, 2024, the official return of the club’s crest will take place. The transformation process is challenging and is expected to take a few months to fully implement but it is already showing up in the most iconic places.”
Atlético also shared a video on their official social media channels re-unveiling the original badge, with the closing caption: “Sometimes the heart has reasons that marketing can’t understand.”
The club said the soon-to-be jettisoned logo “will now become part of the family of crests and emblems that have depicted our club over the course of our history.“