Inside El Clasico: The Sights, Sounds, Passion and Power of Football at Its Best | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Paul White/Associated Press
MADRID — Inside Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the whistling is so deafening it makes the two men shouting to each other a few meters from me look like silent film actors. The sound often starts off dull, but then it swirls and builds in the tall, five-deck stadium and slaps you like a shrieking, piercing wave—wholly discombobulating to the uninitiated.
In Spain, whistling at a sporting event is roughly equivalent to booing in America. So when the Barcelona players finish warming up and start heading to the locker room before the game, the Real Madrid fans unleash a screeching torrent of whistles. It’s directed at the whole Barcelona squad—this is probably the biggest rivalry in any sport in the world—but from my seat in the lower bowl, about 20 rows from the pitch, it feels like Real fans get even louder when Lionel Messi walks by.
When both teams walk back out a few minutes later, Barcelona now in their familiar blue and red and Real in their trademark white, the crowd is singing one of the Real Madrid anthems. That means somewhere between 75,000 and 85,000 people, stacked 150 feet in the air, all bellowing optimism together—powerful enough to make several people in my section rub their arms and point out goose bumps.
Then there are two massive tarps released over the bottom three levels at one end of the stadium. As the tarps stretch out and connect, they reveal a giant temporary mural: an 80-foot Viking, wearing a purple Santa suit with a Real Madrid patch, climbing over a snow-filled depiction of the Bernabeu and towering over a variety of trophies. Over Viking Santa are the words “Blanca Navidad,” a holiday twist on the Real Madrid nickname: Los Blancos.
Photo by Michael J. Mooney
The crowd at the latest edition of El Clasico, this past Saturday, seems so hopeful, which is especially notable since Real Madrid is having such a rough season.
Last year, the team won nearly every cup possible, from La Liga to the Champions League. But Barcelona go into the game with an 11-point lead in the La Liga standings. And if Real doesn’t win today, the team’s chances of back-to-back Spanish league titles are gone, and it will have to work to secure a berth in the next Champions League.
If you have no idea what those things mean, know this: They’re a very big deal. Especially in Spain, where it’s not rare for infants to get club membership cards before they can walk, and a ridiculous 60 percent of the population admit to missing important family gatherings to watch football, according to a survey reported by the Mirror a couple of years back.
I’m here on a press junket organized by La Liga, with other journalists from the U.S., Asia and Africa, in an attempt to grow the Spanish soccer brand internationally. I jumped at the chance to see for myself all the wonder and magic of El Clasico, the single biggest regular-season game in any sport in the world.
That’s not an exaggeration. It’s hard to get numbers for the worldwide audience for all sorts of reasons—estimates range from 150 million to 400 million—but the president of the league and director of the television broadcast both stressed to me that more people watch this game than watch the Super Bowl. (If you want to dig into the numbers, check out Benjamin Morris’ 2015 piece for fivethirtyeight.com.) I was told the league moved up the kickoff time to 1 p.m. local time in Spain—7 a.m. in New York, 9 p.m. in Tokyo, Japan—in order to attract a larger audience in Asia.
Part of the enthusiasm around the game is the passion of the Spanish fans, and fans around the world, for these two clubs and how they’ve been able to stay at the top of the game through the decades. Part of it is the fact that both rosters are full of the most famous humans on Earth, including the two best players on the planet—possibly ever—in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The combined transfer fees for the lineups total more than $400 million.
Diego Forlan, the retired Uruguayan national who played in La Liga for years and prides himself on his American sports knowledge, told me before the game that this matchup is “like LeBron James versus Kevin Durant plus Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady.”
The enthusiasm of the people here makes the Super Bowl feel like the opening of an art show. An hour before kickoff, the streets were packed densely with Real fans, carrying flags and wearing jerseys, hats, scarves, jackets—all bearing the club’s insignia. One man was in a big Homer Simpson costume, wearing a Real Madrid uniform, and strangers lined up to take photos with him.
Paul White/Associated Press
In addition to the club flag, plenty of people also waved the Spanish national flag. Two days earlier, the people of Catalonia, where Barcelona is the capital, held a vote and elected candidates advocating for Catalonian independence. The national flag held aloft in Madrid is both a symbol of Spanish unity and possibly a slap at some Barcelona fans.
One man on the sidewalk held a sign that had both the Catalonian flag, the national flag and the word “PAZ” (peace).
There are officers checking bags and running metal detectors at the gates. Dozens more, wearing bright yellow vests, sit with their backs to the field, between the crowd and the bright, white touchlines.
At kickoff, I can’t spot a single empty seat on any level of the stadium. There’s more singing, more drumbeats from the Real fans. At one end of the field, thousands of “Ultras Sur”—the most extreme fans—are wearing white, without what appears to be a single dissenter. In the corner of the top level, at the other end of the stadium, a few thousand Barcelona fans are also singing and drumming—and for now it’s only faintly audible between Real songs, though that will change.
Behind me is a Spanish father and his son, who looks about 12. They both have blue and white Real flags draped over their shoulders and, as I’ll find out, the boy has the ability to swear (profusely) in multiple languages.
Early on, though, they are both cheery. Real Madrid applies pressure. When Marcelo takes the ball up the middle, the boy yells, with a surprisingly deep, commanding voice, “Marcelo!” When Ronaldo gets a quick touch, the boy yells, “Cristiano!”
And suddenly, less than two minutes in, right in front of me, there’s a Real Madrid corner taken by Toni Kroos, a German star of the last World Cup. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro leaps to win the header, and then there’s another header—Ronaldo has put the ball in the back of the net!
The stadium rumbles, with scarves, flags and hats flying in every direction. But because the fans here are attentive, and the game moves so fast, most people see the offside flag pretty quickly. There’s a collective sigh.
In person, Ronaldo seems even more explosive than on TV, which is saying something. It looks like a real-life version of a video game where only one player on the field has access to the “boost” button. Anywhere he’s going, he’s instantly there.
And any time he’s got the ball, fans chant his name.
Real Madrid maintains most of the possession early and launches another attack about 10 minutes in. They work the ball up the far sideline and then into the penalty area. There’s a perfectly laid cross toward the penalty spot, right to Ronaldo’s feet.
If there’s one person in the entire world you want right there, ready to rocket the ball past the keeper, it’s this man. Maybe the greatest finisher ever. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player. Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer—a museum upstairs has an amazing interactive display that shows how many goals he’s scored with various parts of his body, including one goal attributed to an unspecified “other.”
But somehow, as the ball approaches, Ronaldo swings and misses. It goes right through his legs. Like a cartoon. All over the stadium people shake their heads, looking confused. Ronaldo, too, shakes his head.
OSCAR DEL POZO/Getty Images
When Barcelona holds the ball long enough, the boy behind me starts yelling at them, first in Spanish: “Puta!” and “Cabron!” When Kroos loses the ball in the midfield, the kid yells, “S–t!”
And this entire time, the Real Madrid fans are still singing.
Song after song. The melodies only break briefly when the tension is too great—like the offside goal or Ronaldo’s big whiff—and then, within a second or two, they’re going again. The songs also die down a bit when Lionel Messi gets the ball, and the whistling picks up.
Messi is quiet early on. Brazilian midfielder Paulinho takes a few shots, and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez makes a few harassing runs toward goal, but Sergio Ramos and the Real Madrid defenders fend off everything.
At one point, the ball pops up over the middle, and Messi brings it down with his chest and takes it to his right. He looks like he’s controlling the ball with a hidden string, like he’s taking two steps for every one of his opponent’s. Even simple passes through the middle look beautiful, and it feels like maybe he just sees the game a few seconds ahead of everyone else.
There’s almost no injury time in the first half; it breezes by. There’s no big halftime show. Most people sit and relax for a moment or run to the bathroom or concession stand, where they serve ham-filled baguettes._PTZA4.jpg?&w=1000)
In our section, a lot of the crowd retires to the stadium restaurant for a spread that includes all-you-can-drink wine and all-you-can-eat paella and jamon iberico.
The second half goes a totally different way. From the first minute, Barcelona is on the attack—the other journalists on the junket note how lucky we are to have so much of the action at our end of the stadium. Ronaldo goes long stretches without being involved.
In the 53rd minute, Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic carries the ball up the field and slides it to Sergi Roberto, who then crosses it back across the penalty area to Suarez for an easy goal. The Real Madrid fans unleash whistles and a slew of middle fingers at the celebrating Barcelona players. The boy behind me is quiet. His father says something along the lines of: “If you don’t get your goals, they’ll get theirs.”
As the songs pick back up, more fans swing their scarves. But Barcelona is attacking again soon, with Messi dribbling past defenders like they aren’t even there.
There are gasps from the fans around me, chants from the Barcelona contingent in the corner of the stadium.
Soon, Gareth Bale is warming up for Real Madrid, and there’s some renewed sense of hope. But then, before he’s brought on, there’s a chaotic exchange in front of the Real Madrid goal. It starts with Messi feeding Suarez a perfect ball right behind the defense, and Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican ‘keeper, making an unbelievable stop.
But then the ball lands back at the feet of Messi, and it’s so chaotic I’m not sure what happens next until a few hours later when I watch the play over and over. The ball is in the net, but the referee says it doesn’t count. There’s a red card for Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal for handball and a penalty kick for Messi, who promptly crushes it past Navas.
Paul White/Associated Press
Messi runs to the corner flag and stands there, posing like a superhero.
The boy behind me yells “F–k you!” to him over and over, and there are even more middle fingers.
Even two goals down and one player short, the Real players don’t give up. Bale comes on and has two great scoring chances. But Barcelona is too much. There’s a third Barcelona goal in injury time, as many of the fans are already heading to the exits. When I turn around to see the reaction of the father and son, they’re gone.
The game is over, and the whistling has ceased. The Bernabeu is quiet, except for the shuffle of feet, the muted conversation and the chanting Barcelona fans on the upper deck, waving their scarves and Catalonian flags and singing to the late-afternoon sun.
Michael J. Mooney is a freelance writer based in Dallas. He also writes for GQ, ESPN The Magazine and Texas Monthly.
El Clasico: 10 Reasons Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Is Club Football’s Biggest Game | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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Tony MabertContributor IDecember 5, 2011
El Clasico: 10 Reasons Real Madrid vs.
Barcelona Is Club Football’s Biggest Game
0 of 10
Saturday sees the first league meeting of the season between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
El Clasico has become a biennial football event which no longer grabs the attention of all of Spain; the match between the country’s two biggest rivals is now watched the world over.
While fans whose allegiances lie with either Liverpool or Manchester United may disagree, here are 10 reasons why this fixture could be considered the biggest club game in world football.
They Are the World’s Two Best Teams
1 of 10
Right now, it is hard to argue that Barca and Real are not the two best teams not only in the Iberian peninsula, but in the world.
While it is true that the rest of La Liga pales in comparison, these two sides also lay waste to all before them in Europe too.
Their semifinal of the Champions League last season was viewed by many as a de facto final played over two legs. Barca won a tight and tempestuous affair, and went on to outclass Manchester United in the final for the second time in three years.
Lione Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo
2 of 10
Fittingly for the two best teams in the world today, they each possess one of the two best players among their ranks.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both on the three-man shortlist for this season’s Ballon d’Or; the other is Messi’s teammate Xavi Hernandez.
Messi is looking to win the award for a third straight year while Ronaldo—the world’s most expensive player—hopes to reclaim the title he lost to Messi in 2009.
World Cup Winners
3 of 10
A key factor in backing the claim that these two sides are the best in the world is the sheer number of Spain internationals who represent either team.
Between them, Real and Barca provided just five players that ended 44 years of Spanish hurt by winning the 2008 European Championship, but just two years later that figure has swelled to 13 of the squad that confirmed La Furia Roja’s status as the greatest team in international football by winning the World Cup two years later.
When they lined up against each other for the season-opening Super Copa de Espana in August, there were 11 world champions on the pitch.
Shared League Titles
4 of 10
Manchester United famously eclipsed their rivals Liverpool in May when they beat their record haul of 18 league titles.
However, their joint total of 37 is nothing compared to Real and Barca, who share 52 between them.
Shared European Cups
5 of 10
Again, the two red rivals are eclipsed by the two old Spanish foes.
Between them, United and Liverpool have won the European Cup eight times (Liverpool’s haul of five is a British record).
Compare that to Real and Barca, who have a total of 13.
Real’s haul of nine European Cup triumphs—including each of the first five—is easily the record for the competition.
Barca, meanwhile, have won four in all, including three of the last six.
Civil War
6 of 10
The enmity between these two clubs runs much deeper than mere football.
While the rivalry that is held between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester stems from the industrial revolution, Barcelona and Madrid’s differences are borne out of the Spanish Civil War.
When these two meet at the Camp Nou the home team are representing not just the city but their entire region against the King’s team. There are signs in the ground declaring such things as “Catalonia is not Spain.”
Stadia
7 of 10
A factor which adds an extra dimension to these two colossal fixtures is the arenas in which they are set.
Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu crams a little more than 80,000 spectators into its steep-sided stands, while the Camp Nou in Barcelona lets in nigh on 100,000 supporters in a ground level and file down into a veritable cauldron of a ground.
The atmosphere at either ground may be a little sedate on your average home game, what with both being a popular destination for tourists and casual fans, but come the Clasico there is barely a more vociferous support anywhere in the world.
Managers
8 of 10
As with the FIFA Ballon d’Or, both Barca and Real have their managers on the three-man shortlist for the FIFA Coach of the Year award.
Jose Mourinho is the most successful coach of the last decade, winning league titles in three different countries and the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan.
Pep Guardiola has only in his fourth season as a coach, but he has already won La Liga three times and the Champions League twice.
There is no love lost between them, with their beef stretching back to Mourinho’s Inter beating Guardiola’s Barca in their Champions League semifinal in 2010 and accelerating once the Portuguese joined Barca’s bitter rivals.
Recent Rivalry
9 of 10
Incredibly, Real and Barca have already met six times in this calendar year.
In a hectic 17-day period in the spring, they clashed in the league (1-1 at the Bernabeu, Raul Albiol sent off), the Copa del Rey final (Real 1-0 Barca, Angel di Maria sent off), and in a two-legged Champions League semifinal (Barca won 3-1 on aggregate, with Pepe getting red-carded in the first leg at the Bernabeu).
Then in August, they met in a thrilling Super Copa de Espana tie which Barca won 5-4 on aggregate. Marcelo was sent off in the closing moments, and the final whistle saw an almighty stramash in which Mourinho was caught poking Barca coach Tito Vilanova in the eye.
Across all of those games, a war of words has been waged between Mourinho and Guardiola that is likely to be stoked up again in preparation for this game. Expect fireworks both on and off the pitch.
Glamour
10 of 10
No disrespect to the North-West of England, but neither Manchester nor Merseyside can boast what you would call a Mediterranean climate.
El Clasico is something far more exotic, with the matches being held in two of Europe’s best cities.
Even though Madrid will be colder than many places in southern Europe this weekend, there will still be a frisson of Latin lustre when they kick off against Barca at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday.
Barcelona – Real Madrid.
Latest news list of Spain’s great football confrontation, El Clasico latest news on Sports.ru
April 25
10:23
Dubov on whether Nepomniachtchi will be happy with the victory: “I don’t care! Although it is curious to look at a world in which the world chess champion is a Russian” |105
April 7
22:42
Ancelotti to Real Madrid before 4-0 Clasico: Barça weren’t better than us in the Cup or in La Liga. We did not deserve defeat and we will prove it” |97
19:42
Ancelotti on 4-0 with Barca: “This match is in my top ten games.
I rate him very highly in terms of football” |86
April 6
22:50
Gavi touched his groin while looking at Vinicius during the clasico. The Brazilian said: “You are out of the Cup” | 114
18:08
Messi watched Clasico on TV. Barça fans chanted chants in his honor in the 10th minute |113
18:05
5.5 million Spaniards watched the match between Barca and Real Madrid – this is 12% of the Spanish population |27
16:14
Iturralde believes that the referee did not correctly award a penalty in favor of Barca for hitting the ball in Alaba’s hand: “It’s not a handball, it was on the ground”|24
15:12
Guti on Clasico: ‘Xavi was right to call Real Madrid the favourite’
14:35
Ceballos after 4:0 in Clasico: “A new era! New era! This is a reference to Araujo after the Spanish Super Cup, probably|45
14:14
Barça believe in Xavi despite 0-4 in Clasico.
He will be offered a new contract after winning La Liga |150
13:47
Benzema scored 25 (16+9) points against Barça, more than against any other club |87
13:17
Araujo on Vinicius’ behavior: “If he only focuses on football, he will become even better as a player” |82
12:43
Photo Khabib – after the crushing victory of “Real” over “Barcelona”: “Just do it” |66
12:37
Ancelotti gave Real Madrid players a day off after Barcelona defeat: ‘Seeing such a game is a pride for me’
11:53
Vinicius to Ferran during the skirmish: “Shut up, you’re terrible”|75
11:26
Benzema and Camaving have the best Clasico scores from Goal – 9out of 10.
The worst are Rafinha, Alonso and Kessie, Xavi also has 4|42
11:12
Barça fans threw lighters, coins and bottles during the clasico, one object hit Courtois. The club will be fined |99
10:31
Araujo on Real Madrid’s 0-4: “It’s hard to accept. Now the main thing for Barça is La Liga” |121
04:33
Courtois on 4-0 with Barca: “When Real Madrid scored the second goal, they were a little scared, and the goal from the penalty spot cleared all the questions”|62
04:17
Barça have conceded 9 goals in La Liga this season and 25 in 15 games in other competitions|39
01:50
Benzema, 5 other Real Madrid players and Ancelotti received 3 stars from Marca for the clasico.
7 Barcelona players have a dash |92
01:08
Benzema is the first Real Madrid player in 28 years to score a Clasico hat-trick. At the Camp Nou of Madrid, only Puskas succeeded in this in 1963 |114
00:46
Valverde on Benzema: No matter how many goals he scores, he always wants more. An example for all of us”|16
00:10
Real Madrid will play Osasuna in the final of the Copa del Rey |24
April 5
23:59
Barcelona lost for the first time in 6 matches – Real Madrid.
There were 5 wins in a row|150
23:55
Real Madrid reached the Copa del Rey final for the first time in 9 years. Then they took the trophy by beating Barça |134
15:59
Malcolm on Clasico: “I played in Zenit-Spartak matches, but Barça and Real Madrid are something special, unique. The two biggest teams in the world”|40
April 4
17:29
Xavi: How long has it been since Real Madrid lost a two leg game? That’s why I consider them the favourites, despite being 1-0 to Barça|54
15:27
Benzema, Vinicius, Rüdiger – in Real Madrid’s bid for the Cup semi-final against Barça.
Only Mendy will not play |45
13:01
De Jong, Pedri, Dembele and Christensen will not play Real Madrid in the Cup. Madrid will not have Mendy |73
April 3
16:24
The dinner of the bosses of Barça and Real Madrid before Clasico will not take place again. Relations between the clubs have escalated, but cooperation in the Super League will continue |142
15:58
Genich will commentate on the match Barcelona – Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey |117
March 27
17:48
La Liga complained about the behavior of Barça fans in Clasico.
They chanted “Madridista are sons of bitches” and “Vinicius, die” |69
March 26
17:22
Marcelo: “Messi is incredible. The toughest opponent I’ve ever faced”|38
16:27
Dembele trains overtime to recover faster from injury. It is possible that the Barça winger will play Real Madrid on April 5 |54
March 25
17:48
Barça have reported Christensen’s injury. Previously, de Jong was injured, the match against Real Madrid – April 5 | 26
March 24
19:12
De Jong has a hamstring injury.
Barça v Real Madrid – April 5|27
16:35
Ozil on Clasico: “I was in the best period in his history, the victory over Barça was like an orgasm. Now it has lost intensity and emotionality.
March 23
21:29Singer Rosalia’s boyfriend lost an argument to her about the outcome of the clasico: “Shit! The whole house will have to be washed and swept for a whole month” | 24
16:59
Chelsea unhappy with Aubameyang’s visit to the Barça dressing room after Clasico win
March 21
22:13
Ceballos about Gavi’s foul on him: “Obvious red card” |147
March 20
23:04
Barça are surprised by Ancelotti’s words about officiating in Clasico.
The club respects him but thinks he is wrong |102
21:16
Barça are convinced that Real Madrid will launch an attack on the referees in the media before the next clasico. Ancelotti’s words about the missed goal are considered only the beginning (Relevo) |74
20:11
Barça broke the record for revenue in the match with Real Madrid – 8.2 million euros. Clasico was attended by 95,745 spectators – a season record for the Camp Nou | 84
19:08
Roberto received 3 stars from Marca for the clasico – the only one of the players.
12 Real Madrid players and Ancelotti have 1 star|30
18:30
Photos Aubameyang visited the dressing room of Barça after the victory over Real Madrid and took a photo with Ferran|32
17:43
Benzema got 0 out of 10 for the match against Barca from As, Courtois got 9 |68
16:26
Araujo was injured in the game against Real Madrid and was out for 2-3 weeks. He will recover in time for the Cup semi-final with Real Madrid | 54
15:15
Real Madrid believes Spain’s GAR favors Barça and feels Madrid are judged differently in the Champions League |197
14:24
Real Madrid are unhappy with Gavi’s behavior in Clasico – they consider him unsportsmanlike |317
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13:32
Barça fans chanted “This is how Madrid wins” when Nacho didn’t get a 2nd yellow card for a go-ahead to Rafinha’s face.
They also sang “Where’s Florentino?” |103
13:08
Kessie’s goal against Real Madrid is Barca’s 3,000th goal at Camp Nou in La Liga|24
12:42
Xavi on canceling Real Madrid’s goal: Talking about VAR after a match like this is ridiculous. Offside was extremely obvious” |105
12:18
Guardiola attended the match between Barca and Real Madrid. The audience at the Camp Nou greeted Pep with applause | 24
10:59
Xavi after 2-1 v Real Madrid: Barça don’t feel like they’re champions, 12 more games.
We are not appreciated enough – the players are playing an outstanding La Liga”|26
10:32
Barça lead – 12 points with 12 rounds to go in La Liga. No team in Spain has ever lost a championship by such a lead |66
06:53
Ceballos after 1-2 from Barca: “Everything was decided by the details. Real Madrid will fight to the end” |43
06:13
Xavi on canceling Real Madrid’s goal: “Clearly offside. I like VAR, it makes football fairer” |170
04:17
Busquets after 2-1 with Real Madrid: “We know that there are 12 matches left and Barca have a big advantage, but we must not slow down”|18
01:24
Ancelotti lost 5 of 8 clasicos in La Liga |63
Sergi Roberto equalized after Araujo’s own goal, Kessie scored on the 92nd |960
March 19
22:43
Puyol on the influence of the Negreira case on Clasico: “This hype cannot be controlled. The main thing is to abstract and focus on what is happening on the field.
21:12
Laudrup on Clasico: Real Madrid feel strong after defeating Liverpool and want to return to the fight for La Liga. Both teams are in great shape”|6
20:36
Courtois on Clasico: “If Real Madrid lose, the gap on points will be too big and Barça will deservedly become champions.
But we are sure of victory” | 9
This is our goal”|8
March 18
17:26
Xavi on Clasico: “Barça’s victory for Real Madrid could be a heavy blow.
Our goal is to dominate” |70
00:50
Elguera on Clasico: Real Madrid must win. If Barca win, it’s all over in La Liga
March 17
19:57
Araujo is ready to play on the flank with Real Madrid again: “We still have a lot of duels with Vinicius” |41
17:57
Laporta on the Negreira case: “This campaign is no coincidence. Her goal is to destabilize Barça and control it. We will defend and we will attack” |112
16:32
Pedri will not play with Real Madrid, most likely.
Due to hip problems, he was unable to complete the workout | 52
14:34
Robert Lewandowski: “The Clasico is the most important match in the world. So many fans are waiting for the game around the world” |70
14:01
Bengoechea will officiate the match between Barça and Real Madrid in La Liga. He officiated the Clasico in the Super Cup in January and sent off Ronaldo in 2017 |68
13:24
Negreira advised Barça players to “fall on the pitch” against Real Madrid in 2012 in order for the referee to call fouls |194
March 16
07:34
Benzema on Liverpool substitution: ‘Just a bruised shin.
I will be ready to play against Barça on Sunday
01:06
The traditional dinner of Laporta and Perez before Clasico will not take place. Relations deteriorated due to Real Madrid’s position in the corruption case against Barça |61
March 15
21:51
Photo Barça have officially unveiled the form with the logo of the singer Rosalia|34
March 13
01:27
Xavi about 1-0 with Athletic: “Victory is worth its weight in gold, Barça deserved it. We approach the match with Real Madrid with confidence”|47
00:57
Barcelona are 9 points ahead of Real Madrid ahead of the home clasico.
Blaugrana have 9 wins in their last 10 La Liga matches |118
March 9
18:44
Tickets for the match “Barcelona” and “Real” were sold out in less than an hour after the start of free sale|33
17:25
Dembele will not play against Real Madrid. Barça winger could return to squad after international break
15:42
Barça will play with Real Madrid in a kit with the logo of the singer Rosalia|22
March 3
20:32
Real Madrid management disappointed with Ancelotti’s tactics against Barça (ESPN) |117
18:11
Gavi to Vinicius during Clasico: “You are the son of a whore” |280
13:59
Xavi to Carvajal during Clasico: “Fool, you’re stupid” |136
13:13
Ancelotti on 0-1: Barça didn’t deserve to win.
It was a bit surprising to see them play like that.” |208
04:33
Marcos Alonso on 1-0 v Real Madrid: ‘Barca had clear chances to score a second goal’ |50
04:32
Real Madrid have lost 6 of their last 10 clasicos at the Bernabéu |31
04:18
Busquets holds the record for victories (22) in Clasico. He beat Gento|15
01:54
Modric on Barcelona defeat: Real Madrid were better We created enough chances to score”|85
01:44
Courtois about 0-1 with Barça: Real Madrid dominated.
They didn’t deserve to win”|127
01:28
Real lost for the first time this season at the Santiago Bernabeu |60
00:55
Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the first leg of the 1/2 finals of the Copa del Rey |562
00:15
Real Madrid never shot on target in the 1st half clasico, Barca only had one shot |42
March 2
23:08
Busquets broke the record of Messi and Ramos for the number of clasicos.
The Barça midfielder has 46 matches |106
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El Clasico | it’s… What is El Clasico?
El Clasico
El Clasico (Spanish El Superclasico ) – this is the name of the football matches between Real Madrid and Catalan Barcelona. There is also competition between Madrid and Barcelona, the two largest cities in Spain.
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The emergence of competition.
From the very beginning of football in Spain, two clubs have been representatives of the Spanish capital (Real Madrid) and the provincial capital of Catalonia (Barcelona). Such a phenomenon of confrontation from a sports point of view goes deep into the sociology of the country and politics.
Madrid is the seat of government and the royal family.
Especially during the Francoist era, it began to represent conservative centripetal forces. In 1902, the Madrid Football Club ( Madrid Football Club ) was formed by brothers Padros and Julián Palacios. On June 29, 1920, the King of Spain awarded the club the title Royal , which in Spanish sounds like Real – hence the current name of the club ( Real Madrid ).
On the other hand, almost all of the ideas that have shaped the modern history of Spain – republicanism, federalism, anarchism, syndicalism and communism – were introduced and established in Spain, mainly through Catalonia. Also all Fashion, whether clothing or art, aspired to take roots in Barcelona many years before they were recognized in Madrid. The provincial capital also had its own professional football club, which was founded three years earlier than the “royal”. The founder of the club – Joan Gamper – named the club he opened in honor of the city – Barcelona ( FC Barcelona ).
As a result of the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco, all local languages and identities were scowled and reserved.
In the meantime, Barcelona was becoming more than a club (mes que un club is Barcelona’s current motto) because of its perceived association with progressive beliefs. On the contrary, for most Catalans, as well as many other Spaniards, Real Madrid was considered the most important club in the country, despite the fact that during the Spanish Civil War, many members of the club, such as Josep Signol and Rafael Sánchez Guerra, suffered at the hands of the nationalists. …
Competition intensified during the 1950s when clubs vied for Alfredo Di Stefano. Di Stéfano impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid while he played for Deportivo Los Millonarios in Bogotá, during a players’ strike in his native Argentina. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona tried to sign him, but confusion arose because of Di Stefano himself, who at that time moved from Millonarios to River Plate. Subsequently, both Barcelona and Real Madrid believed they would sign him after all. After the intervention of the Barcelona FA returned to Eltiu, Di Stefano moved to Real Madrid.
Alfredo fit perfectly into Real Madrid and became one of its symbols. It was evaluated twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Madrid has managed to win five European Cups. In the 1960s, the competition between the clubs reached European levels when they met twice in the Champions Cup. Real Madrid won against Barcelona in 1960 (then Real won this tournament), and in 1961 Barcelona already celebrated success (although in the final the Catalan club lost to Benfica with a score of 3-2).
The history of Barcelona’s leading players moving into the camp of eternal rivals was repeated in 1988 with Bernd Schuster and in 1994 with Mikael Laudrup. In 2000, the competition reached its peak following the decision of the Portuguese Luis Figo to leave Barcelona and sign a contract with Real Madrid, which at that time became the most expensive in the history of football.
The two teams met again in the Champions League in the semi-finals of the 2001/2002 season. Then Real won (later he won the tournament).
The Spanish and world media recognized this match as the skirmish of the century.
In the Spanish Championship of the 2008/2009 season (May 2, 2009) in the match of the 34th round of Real Madrid – Barcelona, which has already become 154 El Clasico, Barcelona won, with a score of 2-6, setting a performance record. Before that, the visiting team had never managed to score six goals against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. This match decided the fate of the title of champion of Spain – the chances of “Real” to catch up with “Bars” became only theoretical (in addition to the fact that “Real” now only needed to win, a misfire “Barca” was also needed).
By now, Real Madrid is the group with the most fans in Spain (32.8%). Barcelona follows him with 25.7%, according to a May 2007 poll. The next group on the list is Valencia (5.3%).
Matches
These are Spanish Championship matches.
| Game | Date | Tour | Home team | Guest team | Account (H/T) | Goals (hosts) | Goals (away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 17, 1929 | 2 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 1-2 (0-1) | Parera (70) | Morera (10, 55) |
| 2 | May 9, 1929 | 11 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 0-1 (0-0) | Sastre (83) | |
| 3 | January 26, 1930 | 9 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 1-4 (0-3) | Bestit (63) | Rubio (10, 37), F. Lopez (17), Lazcano (71) |
| 4 | March 30, 1930 | 18 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 5-1 (3-0) | Rubio (5, 23), Lazcano (42, 68, 72) | Goyburu (84) |
| 5 | February 1, 1931 | 9 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 0-0 (0-0) | ||
| 6 | April 5, 1931 | 18 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 3-1 (2-1) | Ramon (12, 35, 73) | Eugenio (38) |
| 7 | 31 January 1932 | 9 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 2-0 (2-0) | Olivares (26, 40) | |
| 8 | April 3, 1932 | 18 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 2-2 (1-1) |
Samitier (20), Arocha ( p 87) |
Lazcano (43), Regueiro (70) |
| 9 | 1 January 1933 | 6 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 1-1 (0-0) |
Arocha (68) |
Regueiro ( p 78) |
| 10 | March 5, 1933 | 15 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 2-1 (1-0) |
Samitier (35, 68) |
Goyburu (89) |
| 11 | 26 November 1933 | 4 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 1-2 (0-2) |
Morera (46) |
Olivares (9), Regueiro (26) |
| 12 | January 28, 1934 | 13 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 4-0 (3-0) |
Valle (7), Samitier (20), Regueiro (30), Eugenio (50) |
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| 13 | February 3, 1935 | 10 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 8-2 (5-1) |
Lazcano (14, 42, 73), Sañudo (21, 35, 47, 81), Regueiro (29) |
Escola (17), Guzman (68) |
| 14 | April 21, 1935 | 81 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 5-0 (1-0) | Vantolra (43, 62, 68, 82), Escola (48) | |
| 15 | December 26, 1935 | 7 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 0-3 (0-2) | Regueiro (21), Diz (40), Lecue (47) | |
| 16 | March 22, 1936 | 18 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 3-0 (2-0) | Lecue (10, 47), Emilin (43) | |
| 17 | January 28, 1940 | 9 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 2-1 (1-1) | Alonso (1′), Lecue (75′) | Pascual (3′) |
| 18 | April 14, 1940 | 20 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 0-0 (0-0) | ||
| 19 | December 1, 1940 | 10 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 3-0 (0-0) | Sospedra (49, 69), Valle Mas (53) | |
| 20 | February 23, 1941 | 21 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 1-2 (0-0) | Barinaga (49) | Bravo (60′), Martin (63′) |
| 21 | October 19, 1941 | 4 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 4-3 (2-1) | Arbiza (17′, 70′), Benito ( o. g. 35′), Belmar (55′) |
Calvet (25′), Raich (60′), Gracia (87) |
| 22 | January 25, 1942 | 17 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 0-2 (0-0) | Alday (63′, 78′) | |
| 23 | 27 September 1942 | 1 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 3-0 (1-0) | Arbiza (7′, 89′), Alsúa (52′) | |
| 24 | January 10, 1943 | 14 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 5-5 (4-1) | Martín (25′, 40′), Escola (31′), Valle Mas (32′, 62′) | Alonso (10′), Alday (27′, 51′), Botella (74′), Mardones II (87′) |
| 25 | January 2, 1944 | 13 | Real Madrid | Barcelona | 0-1 (0-0) | Valle Mas (50′) | |
| 26 | April 9, 1944 | 26 | Barcelona | Real Madrid | 1-2 (1-0) | Escola (31′) | Alsúa (62′), Rosalénch ( o.
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