El Clasico ! Everything you need to know about.

       El Clasico(The Classic)          

     

   El Clasico is one of the most iconic and ferocious matchups in soccer celebrating the intense rivalry between FC Barcelona And RealMadrid . It is the biggest football club game in the world ,And it is recorded among most viewed annual sports events about 500 million viewers.

The stage is set for this year's El clasico and the players can feel the heat. Teams will not be fighting for the Spanish League title alone. They will be fighting for pride and respect. Many of us are still not clear about the origin of this rivalry. Is it only the on field rivalry which leads to such a hype before every El clasico or is their a historical significance to this rivalry. This article is all about the history of El Clasico, how this rivalry was born and how it became so intense that every football lover waits for this event.                                                      

                                                    

    (Match stopped due to violent behavior of Both the teams)

• Political War

              blessed with linguistic and cultural independence from Spain. The Catalán people resided in their own sovereign state and had even installed a functioning government. Unfortunately, a 15 year war between the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties resulted in Catalonia losing its sovereignty after a two Well over three centuries ago, Catalonia(Barcelona) was year siege of Barcelona on September 11th, (a date synonymous with our own American tragedy) 1714. The war’s true ramifications, however, would not be felt for years to come.

           As Catalonia’s desire for independence from the Spanish capital grew, so did Madrid’s opposition. Madrid believed that it was their patriotic duty to keep them unified as one entity and allowed itself the privilege of doing what was necessary to keep the status quo. Eventually, the Castilian government imposed the Spanish language upon them by outlawing Catalán in all federal documents, schools, and the media. Catalonia, on the other hand, spent the next two hundred years unwillingly accepting Madrid's oppression and attempted exorcism of the Catalán culture. Sadly, the political schism that gripped the country would soon rear its ugly head once more in the form of one man, General Francisco Franco.

During the next 46 years, Real Madrid was pushed into the forefront of football as Franco’s preferred team and was recognized as a symbol of the regime’s power and desire for a unified Spain under Fascism. On the other hand, Catalonia’s capital city of Barcelona and its band of culés represented the oppressed liberalists who simply wanted to be free from the generalísimo’s dictatorship and live under a democracy. It is for this reason, more than any other, that the clash between these two Spanish titans is a rivalry of unprecedented importance to the clubs, cities, political parties, and cultures involved.

                

•  1943 Copa Del Generalisimo Semi-Final (Copa Del Rey)

 

In one of the most controversial encounters between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Copa del Rey or Generalissimo as it was called in the days of General Franco was Real’s biggest ever win over Barca.Franco was rumoured to have told his troops and followers to threaten the Catalans to lose the match or face lifetime imprisonment. The scoreline suggests they did just that with the referee also subject to threats from the regime

 13 June 1943, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11–1 at home in the second leg of a semi-final of the Copa del Generalísimo, the Copa del Rey having been renamed in honour of General Franco. The first leg, played at Barcelona's Les Corts stadium in Catalonia, had ended with Barcelona winning 3–0, and it has been suggested that for the second leg in Madrid, Barcelona players were intimidated by police,including by the director of state security who "allegedly told the team that some of them were only playing because of the regime's generosity in permitting them to remain in the country. The Barcelona chairman, Enric Piñeyro, was assaulted by Madrid fans. According to Spanish journalist and writer, Juan Carlos Pasamontes, Barcelona player Josep Valle denied that the Spanish security forces came into the Barcelona dressing room before the match. Instead, at the end of the first half, Barcelona coach Juan José Nogués and all of his players were angry with the hard-style of play Real Madrid was using and with the aggressiveness of the home crowd. When they refused to take the field, the Superior Chief of Police of Madrid appeared, identified himself, and ordered the team to take the field.

 

                                                 ( Real Madrid beat Barcelona 11-1 in most controversial Clasico)

   

A newspaper called the scoreline "as absurd as it was abnormal".According to football writer Sid Lowe; "There have been relatively few mentions of the game since and it is not a result that has been particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, the 11-1 occupies a far more prominent place in Barcelona's history." Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper from the game, said: “There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game.

De Stefano's Transfer

The rivalry was intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano. Di Stéfano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid while playing for Club Deportivo Los Millonarios in Bogotá, Colombia, during a players' strike in his native Argentina.Both Real Madrid and Barcelona attempted to sign him and, due to confusion that emerged from Di Stéfano moving to Millonarios from Club Atlético River Plate following the strike, both clubs claimed to own his registration.After intervention from FIFA representative Muñoz Calero, it was decided that both Barcelona and Real Madrid had to share the player in alternate seasons. Barcelona's humiliated president was forced to resign by the Barcelona board, with the interim board cancelling Di Stéfano's contract. While the club's official website bitterly bemoans this incident as "a strange federative manoeuvre with Francoist backing", Real Madrid deny having received any assistance from General Franco. This ended the long struggle for Di Stéfano, as he moved definitively to Real Madrid.

( De Stefino  helped Real Madrid's unrepeatable feat of winning five consecutive European Cups)

 
 

De Stéfano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by Real Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Real Madrid won the initial five European Champions Cup competitions. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the European Cup, Real Madrid winning in 1960 and Barcelona winning in 1961. 

·      Luis Figo's Great betrayal 

For Barcelona fans, an epic betrayal of cinematic proportions was complete when Real Madrid made Figo an offer he couldn't refuse.

Despite warnings to the contrary from Perez, few really saw the transfer as a likely scenario before Real produced the world record 10 billion peseta (£37.5 million) necessary to activate the player's buyout clause. The completion of the deal was a brazen display of power, orchestrated by Real's incoming president. Eyebrows had been arched during Perez's campaign when the candidate claimed to have signed a pre-contract agreement with Figo's agent - a claim denied by both the player and the incumbent Real president, Lorenzo Sanz, who had overseen Champions League victories in 1998 and 2000. Though Sanz was sceptical, Madridistas were seduced - perhaps by Perez's pledge to refund all 70,000 season-ticket holders if Figo did not arrive - and the charismatic challenger won the election.

After 172 La Liga games for Barcelona, 30 goals, two league titles, two Copa del Reys and a Cup Winners' Cup triumph, the stylish, elegant midfielder and recent star of Euro 2000 provoked fury in Catalunya when honouring his agreement with Perez and invoking his buyout clause to join Madrid. New Barcelona president Joan Gaspart, who had pledged to keep Figo in his election manifesto, described the deal as "immoral", adding: "I'll not forget this. Whoever is responsible for this will pay for it. We'll see how and when. Figo gave me the impression this morning that he wanted to do two things - make more money and stay with Barcelona. He thinks money can do everything in this life."

( Luis Figo Signing for Real Madrid)

His first chance to return to his former club came in October of 2000 in a Primera Division fixture at Camp Nou, and the judgement delivered by the 105,000 in attendance was emphatic. According to those present, Figo attracted the worst reception of modern times at Camp Nou, eclipsing that reserved for Michael Laudrup, who crossed the divide in 1994. As well as an visceral audible protest, Barca supporters made their feelings perfectly clear with a series of pointed banners - the most pertinent simply reading: "We hate you because we loved you so." A perfect expression of heartbreak and betrayal.

Two years later, and with Real reigning European champions following Zidane's goal against Bayer Leverkusen in Glasgow, the hatred had only intensified. The build-up to a league meeting between the sides on November 24 was coloured by debates over whether Figo would be detailed to take corners - a responsibility that he had been spared in 2000. It may seem like a trivial debate, but Real's decision to place him on set-piece duty - after Marca's front page demanded "Take Them, Luis" - would invite accusations of provocation and spark a shameful response from the massed ranks of home supporters. It would also result in the head of an animal being cast onto the turf.

In the second half, Figo strolled over to take a corner at the end of the ground populated by Barca ultras and was pelted by various missiles, including golf balls, lighters, plastic bottles and a glass whisky bottle. As Figo attempted to clear the pitch and held up objects for the match referee to see, more missiles rained down and it took the Portugal star two minutes to execute the corner. In a cruel twist of fate, his in-swinging delivery was tipped over the bar by Barcelona goalkeeper Roberto Bonano. Figo was forced to trudge across Camp Nou to the opposite side of the pitch to take another corner, this time from the right, and another showed awaited him.

(Barcelona Fans throwing whiskey bottles, cigarette lighters, golf balls and, most famously, a pig’s head at Luis Figo)

Carles Puyol tossed detritus off the pitch and appealed for calm, referee Luis Medina Cantalejo was forced to suspend play for 12 minutes and riot police shielded Real's players from further attack as they sat in the dugout. The final result - 0-0 - was fairly incidental as one aspect dominated the post-match coverage. Marca described it as "the derby of shame", while El Periodico de Catalunya shunned understatement by insisting "every corner [was] a Vietnam". In the aftermath of such scandalous scenes, a volley of accusations as dense as the wave of debris pouring down from the stands submerged the key protagonists, and dominating the debate was a shot of a pig's head, turned upwards towards the sky, a pitiful look upon its face.

"Figo provoked the fans," Barca coach Louis van Gaal said. "He walked over to the corner really slowly, picked up the bottle slowly, went back to the corner ... and all this consciously and deliberately, without the referee doing anything to stop it." For president Gaspart, "Figo's provocation was out of place and totally unnecessary. I won't accept people coming to my house to provoke."

Even a man as mild-mannered and respectful as Xavi felt his former team-mate "could have helped more", with those in Catalan colours convinced that by fulfilling his professional duty and taking set-pieces, the hated Figo had raised a red rag to a particularly enraged bull.

But Figo's days of being Barcelona's hero were a distant memory - a simple, evocative pig's head, discarded to the floor, was enough to demonstrate his new status in the eyes of his former devotees.

•  Clash of Ego

   Ronaldo vs Messi
  The Cristiano Ronaldo–Lionel Messi rivalry is a rivalry in association football between two perceived rival players. Ronaldo and Messi are both regarded as being among the all-time great players in the sport, having won a combined seven FIFA Ballon d'Or awards. Both players have scored in two UEFA Champions League finals and have regularly broken the 50 goal barrier in a single season.

  
  

  See what some great names in footballing word think about them

  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  Luis Figo
  
  
  "Ronaldo can do whatever he wants as a footballer. There are some things he does with the ball that make me touch my head and wonder how he did it."

  
  

  
  
  
  
  Zlatan Ibramovich
  
  
  "Ronaldo is a lucky guy.

  Always gets first row tickets to see Messi win his

  
  

  awards.''
  
  
  Didier Drogba
  
  
   "Everyone knows Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Messi, not only me, but for some it's hard to recognize that."
  
  
  Arda Turan
  
  
  "Messi or Ronaldo best player in the world? In the world, I would say Ronaldo. Messi is from another planet.”
  
  
  Mario Gotze
  
  
  "Messi? No. I want to be the German Cristiano Ronaldo"
  
  
  Jurgen Klopp

        "Cristiano Ronaldo is so fast, so strong, so incredible, but he          has one problem - Leo Messi."

  

   Neymar vs Bale

(Clash of Highest spending Bale €91 and Neymar €86.2 million)

This rivalry was created when, in the summer of 2013, Neymar made his long-awaited transfer to Barcelona. This was closely followed by Gareth Bale's record breaking transfer to arch-rivals Real Madrid after months of negotiation.

Suddenly it was not Messi vs Ronaldo anymore, but rather a debate about which of these multi-million transfers would pay off in the end or which duo could take Europe by storm in the coming season. In a way, Neymar vs Bale is a carbon copy of Messi vs Ronaldo.

Messi and Neymar are comfortable with the ball at their feet and will keep hold of possession, draw defenders in and then either take it past them with exquisite close control or play a through ball which leaves the defence gawping.

Bale, like Ronaldo, focuses more on pace, power and strength. They do not dawdle but rather try to break as quickly as possible hoping to catch the opposition unawares.

The age old rivalry between these two Spanish Giants was taken to the next level when Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 as a direct counter to Messi in Barcelona. Now it remains to be seen that after these two greats, will Bale and Neymar rise to the occasion and show the continuation of this intense rivalry.

 

Ramos vs Pique

   

This rivalry came to notice when GERRAD PIQUE  came in support of Catalonia Independence  and after he allegedly commented trash on Real Madrid  when he  was booed and jeered by his own national fans in the stadium. Real Madrid  captain didn't like it and oppsed what Pique said and there was  a frequent war of words  between both  Spanish legends .

Pique on Madrid

    "I'll always want things to go bad for Madrid. I wore a Buffon shirt during the Champions League semi final [last season] and always want Madrid to lose. That's the way the Madrid-Barça rivalry is."

Pique after winning 5-4 to sevilla in Uefa super cup

“ Fuck those from Madrid, let them see us celebrate.”

Ramos on Pique's 

"I've already stated that whether or not we agree with those actions, it doesn't help the reception. But it doesn't surprise us coming from him [Pique]."

“Because of the rivalry between Barca and Madrid, those latest actions from Pique wont  help him playing  with SPAIN"

So heartbeats would be running high 500 million eyes will be gued on tv there will be joy and heartbreak depending on which side of the table you are ......