In 1941, Barcelona were told to lose on purpose to Madrid. They couldn’t think of anything worse to do and so lost 11-1. As a
result of this, Barcelona players were fined and suspended.
When Real Madrid won the first five European Cups they were taken to a new level. They were now the most well known sporting team
on the planet. So who were the first team to knock Real Madrid out of the European Cup? Barcelona in 1961 and the Barcelona fans
have let Real Madrid know this ever since. This victory took the Barcelona – Real Madrid rivalry onto a completely different
level. As did the 2002 Champions League semi final which was played out between the two teams. The first leg was played at the
Camp Nou and Real won 2-0. Following this the tie was as good as over. The second leg was 1-1 but it wasn’t enough for Barca.
Another thing which has added to the rivalry has been the player movements between the teams. When Ronaldo did it people weren’t
happy but the most controversial in recent times was Luis Figo. In 2000, he left Barcelona for Real Madrid in what was a world
record fee. The Barcelona fans were furious with Figo and let him know it. One fan threw a pig’s head at him. The same thing
happened earlier with Michael Laudrup on his transfer to Real. Laudup would end up winning La Liga five years in a row with two
different teams.
When Barcelona signed Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, in the 1970s, Real Madrid didn’t like it. When Barcelona defeated them 5-0, they
liked it even less.
Similarly Barcelona didn’t like it when they felt Real Madrid pinched Alfredo di Stefano from under their noses. They wanted to
sign him but somehow he ended up at Real Madrid. History would later repeat itself with David Beckham. Whether Real wanted him or
not wasn’t important, what was important was that Barcelona wanted him and they wanted to prevent that from happening.
The Barcelona – Real Madrid rivalry has a number of other factors which make it so big. Barcelona think of themselves as more
than a sporting club. They refuse commercial sponsorship on their football jersey and fan the money grabbing and crass commercial
style of Real as an anathema to the game.
Cruyff would become a key figure in Barcelona’s history. His return to the club as manager saw them claim their first every
European Cup. Under his watch, Barcelona won everything there was to win. Notwithstanding all of his success, a few lean years
were enough for him to be shown the door.
With Barcelona in disarray, Real Madrid felt the time was right for a counter-attack. They bought Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and
David Beckham. It was a star studded team and they played some good football but something didn’t click. They won La Liga, but
for a team that prides itself on how it performs in Europe, its lack of success in the Champions League was galling. They haven’t
been to the Champions League final since 2002.
Meanwhile, Barcelona with Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho had a good team. They won the Champions League in 2006 and then did it
again in 2009. This drove Real Madrid mad and they replaced managers at a rapid rate.
A pivotal point in the Real Madrid – Barcelona rivalry happened in November 2005 in a match that won’t be forgotten. Playing at....
just click here to watch
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