El Clasico: All to know about the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid

The excitement is mounting as El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid approaches.

The rivalry, which spans more than a century, is one of the biggest in world football. On Sunday, both sides will vie to walk away from Camp Nou with bragging rights.

Here’s everything to know about the rivalry:

When did the El Clasico rivalry begin?

The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid dates back to 1902, when the teams first met in the Copa de la Coronacion (a predecessor to the current-day Copa del Rey). Barcelona won the match 3-1 on May 13, 1902, at the La Castellana hippodrome in Madrid.

It took another six meetings before they finally faced each other in La Liga on February 17, 1929. Real won the match 2-1, thanks to Rafael Morera’s brace.

The formation of Spain’s top flight that year added further intensity to the rivalry.

The term El Clasico – “The Classic” in Spanish – first appeared in a local newspaper during the 1960s. By that time, the match had been long considered a huge derby.

The rivalry is now recognised as one of the biggest in world sport and, in the last two decades, has featured the era of Pep Guardiola vs Jose Mourinho in the dugouts and the small matter of Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.

How did the El Clasico rivalry begin, and how has it evolved?

Madrid and Barcelona are the two largest cities in Spain – this is at the root of their rivalry, which also has deep political undertones.

In the 1930s, the divide between the two cities deepened. FC Barcelona, founded in 1899, came to symbolise Catalan independence, and Real, which came into existence three years later, represented Spanish nationalism.

The conflict between Real Madrid and Barcelona has long surpassed the sporting dimension, so much that elections to the clubs’ presidencies have been strongly politicised.

In recent times, the two clubs have been in a bitter war of words and ongoing legal disputes.

Earlier this month, Real Madrid submitted a 50,000-page dossier to European football’s governing body, UEFA, urging them to conclude their ongoing investigation into the Negreira case.

The case pertains to Barcelona allegedly paying millions of dollars to the company of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice president of Spanish football’s refereeing committee, between 2001 and 2018, to try to influence referee decisions.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Barcelona President Joan Laporta criticised Real Madrid for “constantly attacking” La Liga.

Real have demanded Javier Tebas’s resignation from his positions as La Liga chief and vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation after he compared rhetoric from ⁠⁠the club’s management ⁠⁠to the propaganda methods used by the Nazi Party in Germany.

Who has dominated El Clasico in recent years?

The overall head-to-head record is tied, with 106 wins each and 52 draws.

If you look at El Clasicos over the last five years, it is a close battle – Barca have won 10 times, while Real have won nine.

Looking at the last 10 clashes, Barca again have a slight edge, winning six times, while Real have four wins.

Who are the favourites in Sunday’s El Clasico?

As the current league leaders, Barcelona are strong favourites to win on Sunday.

Barca have won nine out of nine La Liga matches this season, while Real have lost two and sit third, six points behind Barca.

Should Barca emerge victorious, it would make it two El Clasico wins in a row, following their 2-0 win last season, on May 10.

That result was extra special for the Catalan club as it meant they retained the title, and it marked only the second time the outcome of La Liga had been decided directly by the result of El Clasico.