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Barça and Real Madrid: El

Clásico
The biggest rivalry in Spanish football sees its next
edition in a fortnight's time

Besides trophies, personal and team records, the history of

football has been based around great rivalries. One of the
most spectacular is that between FC Barcelona and Real
Madrid, in the encounter known as 'El Clásico.' It has
become a global phenomenon, and the next edition is less
than a fortnight away.

A brief history of El Clásico

FC Barcelona were founded in 1899 and Real Madrid three
years later, in 1902. It was the latter year in which the first El
Clásico was played. It was part of the 'Concurso Madrid de
Foot-Ball Association,' better known as the Copa de la
Coronación, an uno!cial competition. The majority of the
initial games between the two teams were friendlies, given
that LaLiga had yet to be formed and the only national
competition was the Copa de España.

A rivalry from the beginning

With the passage of time, the fixture became more regular -
especially after LaLiga was founded in 1929.

Disputes over signings -such as the battle for Alfredo di

Stefano's signature in the 1950s- and controversial refereeing
decisions only served to heat up the rivalry. The two clubs
also boasted the best players of the era, such as Ladislao
Kubala and Luis Suárez for Barça and Ferenc Puskas and Di
Stefano for Real Madrid.

In the middle of the 20th Century, the rivalry took on a new

dimension. It was still known as a derby, rather than 'El
Clásico' despite both teams being from di"erent cities.

High scoring games and excellent play

The rivalry did not wane over the decades, and in general the
games remained evenly matched. That did not prevent some
more comprehensive results between Barça and Real Madrid,
however. Some such Barça wins helped coin a very famous
term that is used today: ‘La Manita,’ or 5 goals against the
eternal rivals.

One of the most remembered was that of 1974, when Johan

Cruy" was at his peak: the 0-5 victory at the Santiago
Bernabéu is still remembered as one of the greatest El Clásico
performances, with the Dutchman as captain of the team.

But for the younger generations, Barça's 5-0 result in 1994,

with Cruy" as coach and with Romario in the starring role, is
the more famous fixture.

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Although Real Madrid returned the favour with their own 5-0
win the following year at the Bernabéu, it has been the
Blaugrana who have been able to achieve the feat the most
times in the fixture: In 2011, the team led by Pep Guardiola did
so against José Mourinho's Madrid, and in 2018 the same
thing happened with Ernesto Valverde's squad against a
Madrid coached by Julen Lopetegui.

Five goals is not the limit, however, and a 2-6 result in 2009 at
the Bernabéu is the best example of the excellence that was
achieved the year that the team won six trophies.

Clásicos with backstories

In addition to trophies and goals, El Clásico has always been
littered with smaller stories. For example, the "painful"
switching of sides by some of the players. The most famous
were, perhaps, those of Bernd Schuster, Michael Laudrup and
Luis Figo, who left Barcelona to move to Real Madrid. But
there are also other examples in reverse, such as Luis Enrique
or Samuel Eto’o.

Hristo Stoichkov, Rivaldo, Hugo Sánchez or Raúl González

were other players who, with their gestures or celebrations,
personified the high level of tension experienced on the pitch
during El Clásico.

Other moments, such as the intermediation of Josep

Tarradellas to "seal the peace" before El Clásico in 1980, have
defined the fixture. Or Santiago Bernabéu intervening so that
Kubala could meet with his mother at Christmas in 1961.
Guards of honour for the champions, ovations from the Camp
Nou for Cunningham in 1980 and from the Bernabéu to
Ronaldinho in 2005. Or the friendship of Xavi and Iker
Casillas, who received the 2012 Prince of Asturias Award for
Sports.

Stars in the last decade

The last decade has had two prominen figures attract
attention: Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine
and the Portuguese, multiple winners of the Ballon d'Or,
crossed paths other very often while they coincided in Spain.
They did so in all competitions, not only in LaLiga but also
Copa del Rey finals, Champions League semi-finals and even
'summer El Clásicos', with the Super Cup between Barça and
Real Madrid a recurring event.

The supporting cast were a host of great players who have

helped turn El Clásico into a global phenomenon: Xavi,
Iniesta, Neymar, Busquets, Piqué, Benzema, Sergio Ramos
and Modric, contributing to maintaining the rivalry between
Barça and Real Madrid at the pinnacle of world football.

FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid statistics

Who has won El Clásico the most?
Overall, the statistics read as follows:

Total wins for FC Barcelona: 96

Total wins for Real Madrid: 99

Draws: 52

Goals for FC Barcelona: 402

Goals for Real Madrid: 412

Home wins for FC Barcelona: 62

Home wins for Real Madrid: 64

More details on Barça's acheivements can be found here.

Previous El Clásicos can also be watched to relive one of the
biggest rivalries in the sport.

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