El Clásico Archive
A historic battle between Spain’s biggest clubs
History and Meaning
El Clasico is the term used to refer to football matches between Spain’s most famous and bitterest rivals: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid C.F. The two teams meet twice during a season, with an additional two times in the Copa del Rey, Champions League, and the Supercopa de España, and possibly in the UEFA Super Cup as well.
Through the El Clasico, every year the citizens of Catalonia (Barcelona is the capital) have proclaimed their independence from Spain. It is possibly the most-watched and talked-about fixture. The prestigious El Clasico started on May 13, 1902. The two teams have met each other in 228 competitive matches. Real Madrid has a slight advantage with 92 wins over their rivals Barcelona with 89 wins. The remaining 48 encounters ended in a draw. However, if exhibition matches are included, Barcelona has the advantage with 108 wins over Real Madrid’s 96. Barcelona and Read Madrid have won a combined 54 Spanish League Championships and are arguably the two richest clubs in the sport.
The Founding of Both Clubs
Real Madrid
On March 6, 1902, the Madrid Foot Ball Club is founded by a group of fans in Madrid, Spain. Later known as Real Madrid, the club would become the most successful European football (soccer) franchise of the 20th century.
With its trademark blue-and-white uniforms (originally inspired by those of an English team), Madrid began to make a name for itself in Spain almost right away. From 1905 to 1907, under their first coach, Englishman Arthur Johnson, the team won three titles in a row in the Spanish League, known as La Liga. These were just the first of 29 La Liga championships through 2006 for Real Madrid, including an impressive five consecutive La Liga titles from 1986 to 1990.
Real Madrid’s legendary status internationally was solidified under the leadership of Santiago Bernabeu Yeste, who played for the team from 1912 to 1927 and served as club president from 1943 to 1978. In 1953, Bernabeu began to stock his roster with the best players he could find from around the world, instead of just the best in Spain, beginning with Madrid’s most famous soccer icon, Argentine star Alfredo Di Stefano. The resulting team won the European Cup, Europe’s football championship, an unprecedented five times in a row, from 1956 through 1960. Bernabeu then switched course in the 1960s and built a team entirely of Spanish players. In 1966, Real Madrid won its sixth European cup with a team of Spanish “hippies” who rivaled the Beatles in popularity on the European continent.
In domestic football, the club has won 67 trophies; a record 34 La Liga titles, 19 Copa del Rey, 12 Supercopa de España, a Copa Eva Duarte, and a Copa de la Liga.[12] In European and worldwide competitions, Real Madrid have won a record 26 trophies; a record 13 European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Cups and four UEFA Super Cups. In international football, they have achieved a record seven club world championships.
Real Madrid was recognised as the FIFA Club of the 20th Century on 11 December 2000 with 42.35% of the vote,[14] and received the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit on 20 May 2004.[15] The club was also awarded Best European Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS on 11 May 2010. In June 2017, the team succeeded in becoming the first club to win consecutive Champions League titles, then made it three in a row and four in five seasons in May 2018, extending their lead atop the UEFA club rankings.
FC Barcelona
Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Spanish, German and English footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto “Més que un club” (“More than a club”). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the fourth-most valuable sports team in the world, worth $4.76 billion, and the world’s richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €715.1 million.[2][3] The official Barcelona anthem is the “Cant del Barça”, written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs.[4] Barcelona traditionally play in dark shades of blue and red stripes, hence nicknamed Blaugrana.
Barcelona is one of the most widely supported teams in the world, and the club has one of the largest social media following in the world among sports teams.[9][10] Barcelona players have won a record twelve Ballon d’Or awards, with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record seven FIFA World Player of the Year awards, with winners including Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. In 2010, three players who came through the club’s youth academy (Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi) were chosen as the three best players in the world in the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football academy. Additionally, players representing the club have won a record eight European Golden Shoe awards.
Record
| Club | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Barcelona | 115 | 62 | 163 |
| Real Madrid | 103 | 62 | 175 |
Top Goalscorers
Players in BOLD have retired
| Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | 26 |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | Real Madrid | 18 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 18 |
| Raul Gonzalez | Real Madrid | 15 |
| Cesar Rodriguez | FC Barcelona | 14 |
| Francisco Gento | Real Madrid | 14 |
| Ferenc Puskas | Real Madrid | 14 |
| Santillana | Real Madrid | 12 |
| Karim Benzema | Real Madrid | 11 |
| Luiz Suarez | FC Barcelona | 11 |