El Clásico (Spanish pronunciation:[elˈklasiko]; Catalan: El Clàssic,[1]pronounced[əɫˈkɫasik]; "The Classic"), is the name given in football to any match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Originally it referred only to those competitions held in the Spanish championship, however, nowadays - in order to satisfy marketing needs - the term has been generalized, and tends to include every single match between the two clubs: UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, etc. Other than the UEFA Champions League Final, it is the most followed club football match in the world, watched by hundreds of millions of people.[2]
These are only the league matches, club name in bold indicates win.[3] The score is given at full-time and half-time (in brackets), and in the goals columns, the goalscorer and time when goal was scored is noted.
The first ever El Clásico was on 13 May 1902 in 1902 Copa de la Coronación, the forerunner of the Copa del Rey. But the Royal Spanish Football Federation does not recognize the tournament as official.[4][5][6] So the 1902 match is considered as friendly in this wiki page, see friendly match section below. However, in the TV/newspapers and on the internet, the 1902 match is considered official. Due to this match, the number of All Time Competitive Matches Played is always confusing.
If the number below is added up from the numbers of five official tournaments in this page (La Liga, Copa del Rey, League Cup, Super Cup, UCL), then it will be one less than what is reported on the newspaper/TV/Internet. While if the number below is from newspaper/TV/Internet-provided information, then it will be one more than the sum of all five official tournaments. Both situations can happen since the table is updated by different editors in both ways.
Real Madrid and Barcelona have played 32 friendly matches, including the first ever Clásico on 13 May 1902. Before the start of La Liga championship in 1929, Real Madrid and Barcelona played several friendlies, but once La Liga started, friendlies fell in a few years. In sporadic cases they have faced each other in some friendly matches such as tributes or other tournaments of a friendly nature.[7] The last friendly match was on 11 September 1991.
While the transfers of Luis Enrique from Real Madrid to Barcelona and Luís Figo from Barcelona to Real Madrid caused an uproar amongst the fans of their respective clubs, the rivalry between the two teams has not prevented players from switching teams, and sometimes without controversy.
The rivalry reflected in "El Clásico" matches comes about as Madrid and Barcelona are the most successful football clubs in Spain. As seen below, Barcelona leads the count in official titles won with 79 trophies (the three Inter-Cities Fairs Cup's won by Barcelona are included since the tournament is the predecessor of the UEFA Cup and recognized by FIFA), while Real Madrid has won 76 trophies. Both teams have won other titles as well, although they are not included in the official count since they are either regional or unofficial.
Barcelona Atlètic was founded as the F.C. Barcelona's reserve team in 1970 with the merge of CD Condal (FC Barcelona's previous reserve team) and Atlètic Catalunya. Castilla CF was founded as the Real Madrid C.F.'s reserve team in 1972, after the folding of AD Plus Ultra (Real Madrid's previous reserve team). Both teams would meet for the first time during the 3rd round of the 1974–75 Copa del Generalísimo and then again during the 1982–83 Segunda División season.
There were no matches between the teams as they each played at different divisions. For the 1989–90 season, FC Barcelona B was relegated to 2ªB, followed a year later by Real Madrid B for the 1990–91 season. Both teams returned to 2ª for the 1991–92 season.
After the 1996–97 season, both teams were relegated to 2ªB. During the following seasons, there were no matches between them as they each played at different divisions, each having returned to 2ª at different moments in the past, but never together. Both teams met again for the first time during the 2nd round of the 2012–13 season.
Ball, Phill (2003). Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. WSC Books Limited. ISBN0-9540134-6-8.
Farred, Grant (2008). Long distance love: a passion for football. Temple University Press. ISBN1-59213-374-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |unused_data= ignored (help)
^"La Liga fixtures 1928–29". LFP. Retrieved 15 August 2010. Other seasons available through the search button. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
Argentina
Spain
Hungary
Portugal
Mexico
Chile
Paraguay
Ronaldinho[13]
Alfonso Albéniz (Barça to Madrid) (1902)
Charles Wallace (Barça to Madrid) (1906)
Walter Rozitsky (Barça to Madrid) (1913)
Evaristo de Macedo (Barça to Madrid) (1962)
Fernand Goyvaerts (Barça to Madrid) (1965)
Lucien Muller (Madrid to Barça) (1965)
Bernd Schuster (Barça to Madrid) (1988)
Gheorghe Hagi (Madrid to Brescia to Barça) (1994)
Michael Laudrup (Barça to Madrid) (1994)
Robert Prosinečki (Madrid to Real Oviedo to Barça) (1995)
Luís Figo (Barça to Madrid) (2000)
Samuel Eto'o (Madrid to Real Mallorca to Barça) (2004)
Javier Saviola (Barça to Madrid) (2007)
