As the most successful club in Europe and one of the football giants, Real Madrid’s matches are viewed by millions of fans.
Thus, everything that happens at the Santiago Bernabeu is highly visible around the world.
During the match between Real Madrid and Mallorca on Wednesday, May 14, a message will be displayed across the video boards and worn by the players fueled by the club and their health partner Abbott’s desire for global change.
The Sporting News details the “Beat Malnutrition” campaign that fans will have noticed in a number of places during recent games in the Spanish capital.
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What are the ‘Beat Malnutrition’ signs at Real Madrid?
Together with the club’s foundation ahead of their La Liga home match against Mallorca on May 14, Real Madrid joined forces with the club’s official Health Sciences and Nutrition partner, Abbott, to launch the “Beat Malnutrition” initiative.
The partnership will aim to supply malnutrition screening tools to local communities and provide funding for malnutrition programs at Real Madrid Foundation Social Sports Schools.
The initiative hopes to “empower communities to help children reach their full potential through nutrition education and malnutrition screening,” Abbott says.
The campaign has signage throughout the Santiago Bernabeu, including on the video boards along the touchlines that are visible to television broadcasts, as well as armbands worn by the players during warmups.
💫🏟️👋
🌟 @AbbottNews pic.twitter.com/1pfrjjGZU1— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 14, 2025
How widespread is malnutrition?
Abbott
The Real Madrid and Abbott partnership is hoping to put a dent in a global health concern that affects people — often children — at an alarming rate.
Abbot has estimated that 149 million children around the world under age five are below a healthy height for their age, while 45 million children under five are below a healthy weight for their height. At the same time, 39 million children aged five and younger are above a healthy weight for their height.
The initiative has efforted to train Real Madrid Foundation coaches to use the “mid-upper arm circumference” (MUAC) z-score tape tool to help families learn their child’s nutritional status.
The armbands, meant to be an “easy-to-use tool that screens for malnutrition in children,” were developed in 2019 by Dr. Susan Abdel-Rahman, the director of healthcare innovation for the Children’s Mercy Research Institute. By using the tape, parents, teachers, and coaches can better identify children at risk of malnutrition, where those in charge can then connect them to healthcare professionals and resources to get appropriate support. Abbott has launched a nutrition screening program with the initial goal of screening more than 2,500 children in nine countries by the end of the program’s first year.
How is the Beat Malnutrition program helping?
Real Madrid’s partnership with Abbott has put forth an even greater reach than originally anticipated when the partnership began in 2022.
In that time, they have screened over 6,800 children across 12 countries, logging over 68,000 hours of health and nutrition education as well.
The education program, known as Future Well Kids, “teaches kids the importance of healthy behaviors like diet and exercise to help prevent chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
Abbott claims that after receiving nutrition education and counseling, children in Mexico “showed improvement in subsequent screenings.”
Real Madrid Dream Team initiative
To promote the program and continue educating children about healthy nutritional habits, Abbott has teamed up with Real Madrid for the Abbott Dream Team initiative.
The club is sending coaches across soccer camps in five cities throughout the United States in the summer of 2025 to identify children with exemplary soccer skills, leadership qualities, and personality traits.
Eleven selected children aged 18-19 identified at these tryouts will have the incredible opportunity to travel to Madrid where they will be able to “showcase their skills and learn from Real Madrid’s legendary coaches.” They will get to attend a match at the Santiago Bernabeu and receive training at the club’s Ciudad Real Madrid training facility, before meeting with Real Madrid nutritional scientists and medical staff to “gain valuable health insight to support their sports performance and well-being.”
To aid in the selection and education process throughout the Dream Team camps, former USMNT star Clint Dempsey will be on hand to coach, evaluate, and educate kids at the various tryouts.
The tryouts will be held in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C throughout June and July 2025.