El Clásico

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Lore & Background

The conflict between Real Madrid and Barcelona has long surpassed the sporting dimension, so much that elections to the clubs' presidencies have been strongly politicized. Phil Ball, the author of Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football, says about the match, "they hate each other with an intensity that can truly shock the outsider." As early as the 1930s, Barcelona "had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid." In 1936, when Francisco Franco started the coup d'état against the democratic Second Spanish Republic, the president of Barcelona, Josep Sunyol, member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes, was arrested and executed without trial by Franco's troops. During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de Rivera and especially Francisco Franco, all regional languages and identities in Spain were frowned upon and restrained. Barcelona gained their motto Més que un club (English: More than a club) because of its alleged connection to Catalan nationalist as well as to progressive beliefs. There is an ongoing controversy as to what extent Franco's rule (1939–75) influenced the activities and on-pitch results of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Most historians agree that Franco did not have a preferred football team, but his Spanish nationalist beliefs led him to associate himself with the establishment teams, such as Atlético Aviación and Madrid FC (which recovered its royal name after the fall of the Republic). On the other hand, he also wanted the renamed CF Barcelona to succeed as a "Spanish team" rather than a Catalan one. During the early years of Franco's rule, Real Madrid were not particularly successful, winning two Copa del Generalísimo titles and a Copa Eva Duarte; Barcelona claimed three league titles, one Copa del Generalísimo and one Copa Eva Duarte. During that period, Atlético Aviación were believed to be the preferred team over Real Madrid. Events of the period include Real Madrid's 11–1 home win against Barcelona in the Copa del Generalísimo, where the Catalan team alleged intimidation, and the controversial transfer of Alfredo Di Stéfano to Real Madrid despite his agreement with Barcelona. The latter transfer was part of Real Madrid chairman Santiago Bernabéu's "revolution" that ushered in the era of unprecedented dominance. Bernabéu, himself a veteran of the Civil War who fought for Franco's forces, saw Real Madrid on top not only of Spanish but also European football, helping create the European Cup, the first true competition for Europe's best club sides. His vision was fulfilled when Real Madrid not only started winning consecutive league titles but also won the first five editions of the European Cup in the 1950s. These events had a profound impact on Spanish football and influenced Franco's attitude. According to historians, during this time he realized the importance of Real Madrid for his regime's international image, and the club became his preferred team until his death. Fernando Maria Castiella, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Franco from 1957 until 1969, noted that "[Real Madrid] is the best embassy we have ever had." Franco died in 1975, and the Spanish transition to democracy soon followed. Under his rule, Real Madrid had won 14 league titles, 6 Copa del Generalísimo titles, 1 Copa Eva Duarte, 6 European Cups, 2 Latin Cups and 1 Intercontinental Cup. In the same period, Barcelona had won 8 league titles, 9 Copa del Generalísimo titles, 3 Copa Eva Duarte titles, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, and 2 Latin Cups. The image for both clubs was further affected by the creation of ultras groups, some of which became hooligans. In 1980, Ultras Sur was founded as a far-right-leaning Real Madrid ultras group, followed in 1981 by the foundation of the – initially left-leaning, and later on far-right – Barcelona ultras group Boixos Nois. Both groups became known for their violent acts, and one of the most conflictive factions of Barcelona supporters, the Casuals, became a full-fledged criminal organisation. For many people, Barcelona is still considered "the rebellious club," or the alternative pole to "Real Madrid's conservatism." According to polls released by CIS (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas), Real Madrid is the favorite team of the most Spanish residents, while Barcelona stands in second position. In Catalonia, forces of all the political spectrum are overwhelmingly in favour of Barcelona. Nevertheless, the support of the blaugrana club (Barcelona) goes far beyond from that region, earning its best results among young people, sustainers of a federal structure of Spain and citizens with left-wing ideology, in contrast with Real Madrid fans which politically tend to adopt right-wing views.

In Their Own Story

On 13 June 1943, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 at the Chamartín in the second leg of the Copa del Generalísimo semi-finals. The first leg, played at the Les Corts in Catalonia, had ended with Barcelona winning 3–0. Madrid complained about all the three goals that referee Fombona Fernández had allowed for Barcelona, with the home supporters also whistling Madrid throughout, whom they accused of employing roughhouse tactics, and Fombona for allowing them to. Barça's Josep Escolà was stretchered off in the first half with José María Querejeta's stud marks in his stomach. A campaign began in Madrid. The newspaper Ya reported the whistling as a "clear intention to attack the representatives of Spain." Barcelona player Josep Valle recalled: "The press officer at the DND and ABC newspaper wrote all sorts of scurrilous lies, really terrible things, winding up the Madrid fans like never before." Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Eduardo Teus, who admitted that Madrid had "above all played hard," wrote in a newspaper: "the ground itself made Madrid concede two of the three goals, goals that were totally unfair." Barcelona fans were banned from traveling to Madrid. Real Madrid released a statement after the match which former club president Ramón Mendoza explained, "The message got through that those fans who wanted to could go to El Club bar on Calle de la Victoria where Madrid's social center was. There, they were given a whistle. Others had whistles handed to them with their tickets." The day of the second leg, the Barcelona team were insulted and stones were thrown at their bus as soon as they left their hotel. Barcelona's striker Mariano Gonzalvo said of the incident, "Five minutes before the game had started, our penalty area was already full of coins." Barcelona goalkeeper Lluis Miró rarely approached his line—when he did, he was armed with stones. As Francisco Calvet told the story, "They were shouting: Reds! Separatists!... a bottle just missed Sospedra that would have killed him if it had hit him. It was all set up." Real Madrid went 2–0 up within half an hour. The third goal brought with it a sending off for Barcelona's Benito García after he made what Calvet claimed was a "completely normal tackle." Madrid's José Llopis Corona recalled, "At which point, they got a bit demoralized," while Ángel Mur countered, "at which point, we thought: 'go on then, score as many as you want'." Madrid scored in minutes 31', 33', 35', 39', 43' and 44', as well as two goals ruled out for offside, made it 8–0. Juan Samaranch wrote: "In that atmosphere and with a referee who wanted to avoid any complications, it was humanly impossible to play... If the azulgranas had played badly, really badly, the scoreboard would still not have reached that astronomical figure. The point is that they did not play at all." Both clubs were fined 2,500 pesetas by the Royal Spanish Football Federation and, although Barcelona appealed, it made no difference. Piñeyro resigned in protest, complaining of "a campaign that the press has run against Barcelona for a week and which culminated in the shameful day at Chamartín." The match report in the newspaper La Prensa described Barcelona's only goal as a "reminder that there was a team there who knew how" (the sentence is cut off in the source).

Reader's Guide

As of the match played on 10 May 2026, the teams are tied in head-to-head results in official competitive matches with 106 wins each, along with 52 draws. Along with Athletic Bilbao, they are the only clubs in La Liga never to have been relegated. The fixture is heavily politicised due to the Catalan independence movement, with the two clubs often identified with opposing political positions; Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain and hence identified with Spanish unionism, while Barcelona is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia and hence identified with Catalan separatism. They are among the wealthiest and most successful football clubs in the world; in 2024, Forbes ranked Real Madrid and Barcelona among the most valuable football teams in the world, in first and third place respectively. For FC Barcelona, the rivalry is not just about trophies but about identity. The club's motto Més que un club reflects its role as a symbol of Catalan resistance. Every El Clásico is a chance to assert that identity on the pitch, and the memory of past battles—from the 11–1 defeat in 1943 to the more recent tactical duels—shapes the approach to each new encounter. The key to understanding Barcelona's perspective is that this is a match where history, politics, and football merge into one.

Did You Know?

• As of the match played on 10 May 2026, the teams are tied in head-to-head results in official competitive matches with 106 wins each, along with 52 draws.
• In 1936, Barcelona president Josep Sunyol, a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes, was arrested and executed without trial by Franco's troops.
• On 13 June 1943, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 at the Chamartín in the second leg of the Copa del Generalísimo semi-finals, with Barcelona alleging intimidation and a hostile atmosphere.
• In 2024, Forbes ranked Real Madrid and Barcelona among the most valuable football teams in the world, in first and third place respectively.
• Along with Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only clubs in La Liga never to have been relegated.