The match between <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/see-live-match-barcelona-vs-real-madrid-free-online-without-ads-spanish-super-cup-spanish-league/" title="See LIVE match Barcelona vs Real Madrid, free, online, without ads, Spanish Super Cup | Spanish League“>Real Madrid and Barcelona enjoys a lot of importance and spotlight, not only locally but also internationally, as it guarantees spectatorship and football enjoyment thanks to the skills and performance of the stars of the two rival teams.
When they meet next Saturday in the 11th round of the Spanish League, the world of football will have witnessed the 258th Clásico in the history of the two clubs in all competitions, while that match will be the 189th for La Liga.
The word “El Clásico” derives its roots from the Spanish language and means “traditional”, and the competition carries sporting, social and political dimensions that make it an event equivalent to a tradition.
The following report addresses the historical roots of the “El Clásico” match and the most prominent stages of that confrontation, as well as the most prominent confrontations that bore the name “El Clásico” in the history of world football.
A football summit with a political cloak
The rivalry and enmity between the cities of Madrid and Barcelona is ancient, but their intensity increased after the founding of FC Barcelona in 1899, and 3 years later FC Madrid at the hands of the brothers Juan and Carlos Pardo (before it later became Real Madrid).
The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona took on political dimensions, as many see it as a summary of the rivalry between Spain and the Catalonia province seeking secession.
The Spanish Civil War in the 1940s and 1950s increased the intensity of hostility and competition, so that the match turned over the years into a distinctive feature, not only locally but also internationally, with the expansion of the fan base for the two teams.
The hostility began under a political and social cover, as Real Madrid is known to be the power team, while Barcelona represents the people of the Catalonia region seeking to gain their independence away from the control of the state.
The first meeting between the two teams was held on May 13, 1902, in the Coronacion Cup competitions in the capital, Madrid, and ended with Barcelona’s victory (3-1), while the first match between the two teams in the league took place on February 17, 1929, and ended with Real Madrid’s victory (2-1). .
From Argentina to Spain
The phrase “El Clásico” did not appear in football for the first time in the matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid, but rather it was used to refer to the major confrontation in South America that brings together Boca Juniors and River Plate of Argentina, which is still called the “Super Clásico”.
The Spaniards were inspired by that term, so that the match between the two poles of La Liga became under a cosmic name, which is “Earth Clásico.”
It was journalist Alfredo Rellino from the Spanish newspaper “AS” who gave the name “El Clásico” to the top of the Spanish League at the end of the last century.
The name, which has become influential and attractive in form and content, has invaded all international media outlets that have begun to use it to talk about the Royal and Blaugrana confrontations, and that phrase has taken its symbolism from the origin with which it was launched in Argentina between “Boca” and “River.”
Many football enthusiasts believe that calling the match “El Clásico” is due to the huge number of its followers. Official statistics of the Spanish League indicated that about half a million people around the world watch El Clásico annually.
On the other hand, observers believe that the secret of the term “Earth Clásico” is due to the presence of players in the two teams of several nationalities. In the return match of the 2018-2019 season, the players of the two teams represented 16 countries from the continents of Europe, Africa, Central America, and South America.
Mathematically, the total number of titles between the two teams played a role in the match becoming worthy of the name “El Clásico,” as Barcelona and Real Madrid have about 200 titles, including 63 in the Spanish League and 20 in the Champions League.
Classic stars
The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barça intensified after the name of Argentine legend Alfred Di Stefano surfaced in 1947, becoming the subject of tension between the two teams to win him.
Real Madrid succeeded in signing the player from the Colombian club Millionarios, who later became one of the greatest players in the club’s history.
This incident was a terrible defeat for Barcelona and a historic victory for Madrid, given that Di Stefano gave El Clásico doses of excitement and creativity.
Di Stefano (1926-2014) was the subject of a historic battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which increased the sporting hostility between the two clubs, especially after the Argentine star scored 18 goals for Real Madrid against his traditional rival.
Many football stars gave El Clásico great status, as the legends Johan Cruyff and Diego Maradona carried the Barcelona shirt, followed by Romario, Frank Rijkaard and Ronald Koeman, all the way to Xavi, Iniesta, Luis Suarez and the star Lionel Messi, who holds the record as the best scorer in El Clásico history with 26 goals.
As for Real Madrid, the star of many players shone in the most famous match, such as Gento, Puskas and Juanito, passing through Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Raul, all the way to Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, and many others.
Famous classic confrontations
Although the Spanish El Clásico is the greatest confrontation in the world, football annually presents exciting and competitive football tournaments, making it close to the “Earth Clásico”.
The meeting between Boca Juniors and River Plate is known as the “Super Clásico,” and it pits the two most famous teams in Argentina face to face.
In Europe, the “Clásico” highlights the English Premier League between Manchester United and Liverpool, which is also called the “North-East Derby” in England.
The German football Clasico between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is also considered one of the greatest confrontations in European football, while the meeting between AC Milan and Juventus in Italy is among the most intense confrontations.
In the Portuguese League, the Porto and Benfica meeting is one of the highly anticipated confrontations, just like the French League Clasico between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille, while the Galatasaray and Fenerbahce confrontation in the Turkish League is of great importance as one of the most exciting matches.
The confrontation between Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Netherlands is equally important in terms of rivalry, excitement and sporting hostility.
As for the Arab world, the match between Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad in the Saudi League and the match between Esperance and Etoile du Sahel in the Tunisian League are among the biggest El Clasico matches in Arab football.
