What is El Clasico?

This week’s blog is all about El Clasico which is probably the biggest game in club football.

El Clasico is played between the two Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. The match used to just refer to the La Liga fixtures between the two clubs but now refers to all the matches played between the two fierce rivals.

Each El Clasico is watched by millions of people throughout the world, the game in 2014 was reported to have been watched by over four hundred million people and it was the same year in which both teams were ranked the most valuable sports teams in the world.

At the moment Real Madrid edge Barcelona with ninety one wins compared to Barcelona’s eighty eight. The Santiago Bernabeu stadium hosts Real Madrid’s fixtures with a capacity of over 85,000 whilst the Nou Camp with a capacity of close to 100,000 hosts Barcelona’s games.

The rivalry has become even stronger with several well know players having being transferred between the two clubs such as Bernd Schuster, Michael Laudrup, Luis Enrique and probably most famously Luis Figo who switched clubs in 2000 for one of the biggest transfer fees.

In 2011 both teams met four times within eighteen days with a La Liga game, two Champions League games and the final of the Copa Del Rey.

If you are looking to go what is arguably the biggest game in Club football we have packages at Barcelona and Real Madrid for this season. This season’s games should be full of goals too with Barcelona boasting a forward line of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar and Real Madrid boasting a forward line of Gareth Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema.

Five El Clasico facts

  1. Biggest win – Real Madrid 11 Barcelona 1 in 1943
  2. Most consecutive wins – Real Madrid between 1962 and 1965 with six wins
  3. Longest undefeated run – Barcelona went 13 games undefeated in El Clasico between 1917 and 1928
  4. Top goal scorer – Lionel Messi with 21 goals
  5. Most appearances – Real Madrid’s Manuel Sanchis with 43 appearances