Tour through Madrid: on the road with Victor Manuel González

“The best stadium of the century,” Victor Manuel González shouts and points at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. “And just for the record, I’m not a Real-Madrid fan,” he adds with a wink.

He transports giant supports for the conversion of Real Madrid’s stadium with his Actros 1845. The project includes increasing the height of the stadium by twelve metres, a roof that can extend in 15 minutes and state-of-the-art exterior lighting. “At the moment my friends are envious of me,” says Victor, smiling broadly, “it’s not every day that you work in the world’s best stadium.”

27-metre-long freight.

Victor’s tractor/trailer combination is 35 metres long. The construction element that he is transporting weighs 16 tonnes, is 27 metres long and 4.4 metres wide. It was loaded on to the truck the day before in Camarma de Esteruelas, near Alcalá de Henares (in the community of Madrid). The departure is scheduled for early morning, so that the traffic in the Spanish capital won't be too severely affected.

With 15 years of experience behind him Victor has already driven hundreds of special transports. All the same, the tours to the stadium which he has been doing regularly since building commenced, are always something special for him.

“I have friends who have seen games played in Bernabéu for the World Cup 1982, the Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup and even the Copa Libertadores,” he explains. “They would love to change places with me to experience a working day like this one.”

“Perfect performance.”

GT Cash Grúas y Transportes Especiales, the company that Victor works for, relies on the Actros. And he appreciates that. Transporting loads of this size and weight require the highest precision, particularly when you drive through a city. “The Actros 1845 offers the perfect performance for transports of this kind,” he says.

Photos: Begoña Tremps