The first encounter
between the clubs in 1902 was won by Barcelona and according to the Real Madrid
website, was due to “6 foreigners that they lined up.” This initial game was the beginning of the
largest rivalry in football.
The rivalry between Real
Madrid and FC Barcelona is a result of more than just competition between two
highly talented football clubs. No other rivalry features two teams that are consistently
good and have the larger political and cultural symbolism surrounding it. The
forming of the 2 clubs coincided with a time of regional loyalty and political
upheaval in Spain. FC Barcelona is one
of the most important icons of Catalan national pride, also seen as a symbol of
resistance against the oppression that was experienced during the rule of
Franco. El Clasico has become a game
between two political and cultural identities that serves as a representation
of how different the two regions in Spain are.
Both teams now have vast
resources at their disposal and frequently fight for both players and titles,
fostering the competitive relationship between the teams. There is an interesting aspect to the rivalry that transitions
from FCB versus RM to Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo. The player level and amount of talent across
the two teams is incomparable, and although some of the best football in the
world is played in these games there is a darker side to the rivalry that is
less about the quality of football and more about dirty tactics and
accusations. The hype created by the
media only adds fuel to the fire with El Clasico being the second-most watched
football match in the world.
The most interesting part of the Ronaldo versus Messi rivalry being the headline is that Messi does not come from Catalunya and Ronaldo does not come from Real Madrid. These guys are both treated like gods in their respective cities, Barcelona and Madrid, but this relationship is fairly artificial. Messi is Argentinian but was raised in the Messiah and debuted with Barcelona. Meanwhile, Ronaldo got his start with Manchester United. While it may seem like these facts may tarnish the authenticity of the rivalry, they do no such thing. The beauty of sports is that the camaraderie, fanfare, and devotion to a club or player can appear out of nowhere. Madrileños worship the Portuguese super star without thinking twice because he is integral to their teams success. It will be interesting to see how this rivalry plays out in the future in terms of media deals and equality amongst La Liga. Atlético Madrid is certainly knocking on the door and trying to enter the conversation for the best club in Spain.
ReplyDeleteEthan touches on an interesting point: the fact that both of these players are not from the city or even the country that they fiercely represent. This signifies a globalization of soccer and a breaking of boundaries from pure, geographical pertinence to a team. Now, people from all over the world can feel like part of a football club and cheer on the team, just as players from all over the world can play for teams outside of the home boundaries. I am not sure this will ever have a large effect on the authenticity of the Madrid-Barcelona rivalry because its intensity is too strong.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of the above comments. But in my opinion, what makes it the most interesting rivalry in European sports is the fact that the two teams are not even from the same city. Usually when fans have a hatred for each other in Europe it is for clubs that are from the same city. For example, the A.C. Milan-Inter Milan rivalry, or Everton-Liverpool, etc. In this case there it is more than just the club and these teams represent the pride that these fans have for their cities.
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