Fondly called the "El Classico", the matches between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spain is one of the fiercest clashes between rivals. To understand the importance of these matches, one should understand the history behind both these clubs. It is not simply a clash between two of the biggest clubs in Spain; but to many it is still a clash between the oppressor and the suppressor. FC Barcelona is iconic for every Catalan. Barcelona might be in Spain but the Catalans prefer to be out of the fold. If you ever visit Barcelona you would be surprised to see a higher status to the Catalan language than Spanish. The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid grew to unimaginable proportion during the era of Dictator Franco. Franco banned the use of Catalan language and hence the matches at Barcelona became the perfect place for Catalans to take their protest to international level. FC Barcelona became true to their identity "More Than A Club" with its progressive ideas. Real Madrid was considered the hot bed of power and was associated with Franco. The rivalry was intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stefano. Di Stefano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid whilst playing for Club Deportivo Los Millonarios in Bogota, during a players' strike in his native Argentina. Both Madrid and Barcelona attempted to sign him and, due to confusion had emerged due to the di Stefano moving to Millonarios from River Plate due to the strike, as both clubs claimed to own his registration. Subsequently, both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid believed that they had signed him. After intervention from the Spanish FA Barcelona backed down and di Stefano moved to Madrid; rumour remains that Barca were forced to act by Franco, but Madrid maintained that they acted voluntarily. Di Stefano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by the Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Madrid won th e 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 FC Barcelona winning in 1961. Head on head Real Madrid leads FC Barcelona by 68 to 59. There has been 30 draws in the El Classico till date. The El classico were made fiercer with players defecting from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid. The reception got for Figo when he visited Camp Nou is a prime example. El Classico is a prime business strategy for both these clubs - FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. At the current time, El Classico is nothing more than a marketing strategy for both the team. But still tempers rises with the approach of an El Classico. The Catalan and Madrid based media trumps up the adrenaline every time an El Classico approaches. May be a clash between Pakistan and India could match the match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. But no rivalry at Club level especially in Europe matches th is mega event.
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After a torrid season last year, FC Barcelona is looking good to end their silverware drought this season. It did surprises a lot of people when FC Barcelona failed to win any trophies for two consecutive seasons. They had one of the best squad in Europe and still the FC Barcelona side failed to win anything. But Guardiola has revived their hopes with a sterling performance. When it all started even Guardiola wouldn't have imagined that FC Barcelona would be competing for all three cups available this season. The architects of this turn over are: 1) Guardiola - A Coach is good as his players but with Guardiola that statement has to be reversed. He was a legendary FC Barcelona player and one of the stalwarts in the last decade. Between 1990 and 2001 he made 379 appearances for FC Barcelona. He made senior La Liga debut for FC Barcelona on December 16 1990 in a 2-0 win against Cdiz C.F.. Playing as a defensive midfielder, he went onto become a key member of the Dream Team pu t together by Johan Cruyff, providing a local presence in a team made up of mainly Basque and foreign players. He became FC Barcelona captain in 1997. There were many doubters about Guardiola's ability to coach this FC Barcelona side. True to his nature Guardiola on arrival to FC Barcelona announced that he will offload Eto, Ronaldinho and Deco. He revived the team such a way that FC Barcelona is once again playing the best football in continent. 2) Xavi - Puyol might be the captain bu Xavi is the Heart of FC Barcelona. FC Barcelona has produced a lot of little midfielders recently but this Barca player is a tough one. Xavi is a product of FC Barcelona's youth system and has spent all of his footballing life at the Camp Nou since the age of 11. Ironically he replaced Guardiola in his debut match. Xavi is just second to Rexach in terms of overall appearance for Barca. He not only has become the heart of Barca but also the brain of Spanish national side. He was rightly adjudge d as the player of the tournament in Euro 2008. Xavi is that kind of player who is good going forward and while defending. Under Guardiola he has improved a lot and has featured regularly in the score sheet. 3) Lionel Messi - If Xavi is the heart of FC Barcelona, Messi is the brain. Without any doubt Messi is the best player in the world at this moment. His playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to football legend Diego Maradona. Indeed, Maradona himself declared Messi his successor. Messi began playing football at a young age and his potential was quickly identified by FC Barcelona. He left Newell's Old Boys' youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004-05 seasons, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. Messi was hampered by injury last season; even then he managed to oversha dow Ronaldo in Manchester United clash. This season he is in tremendous form scoring 33 goals and assisting 14. He also helped Argentina win the Olympic Gold Medal.
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Tags: fc barcelona barca fc barcelona news Rate this Article: 1 2 3 4 5 vote(s) 0 vote(s) Re-Publish article Send to friend Author Box Subscribe to RSS Contact Author jamiehanson has 1988 articles online More from jamiehanson Trekking in Zanskar is a unique experience in Travel Investing In Real Estate Can Be Great If You Play It Smart in Finance Belarus - a country with unadulterated nature in Travel Czech Republic medical insurances in Finance Raising Backyard Chickens Can Be a Great Family Activity in Business Latest Arts & Entertainment Articles How to Go About Buying canvas paintings? by SharonEvans How To Make Sure Your Event Is One To Remember by Samuel Arthur Best ways to Level Faster in Runescape by Music Lee Where to Find Best Online Games to Keep You Hassle-Free by nicksmith The power of playing dress up by Sami Brown Need Help? Contact Us FAQ Submit Articles Editorial Guidelines Blog Site Links Recent Articles Top Authors Top Articles Find Articles Site Map Mobile Version Webmasters RSS Builder RSS Link to Us Business Info Advertising Other Languages: Portuguese Spanish French Follow Us:Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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