El Clasico
Madrid have won 72 times, Barcelona 70 times and 33 matches have ended in draws. Real Madrid have also won more La Liga titles, 33 in total. So there is ample motivation for Barcelona not to relax in the crucial derby match.
Due to historical reasons the political rivalry between these two clubs is bitter. On Christmas Eve 1899, Barcelona was founded by a Swiss businessman Hans Kamper who adopted the Catalan name Joan Gamper. The club’s identity is not just football success. It is a potent symbol of political and cultural identity.
Repressed during the dictatorship of General Primo de Rivera in the 1920s and General Franco ( 1937- 1974) Barcelona are a vehicle for a collective identity, defiant of dictatorship and a symbol of Catalan nationalism. It is not just a football club but also a people’s movement. They are never short of money because of subscriptions by their estimated 45 million fans and rich club members who fund this institution.
In contrast, in the heyday of Franco’s rule Real Madrid was seen as an establishment club. Between 1950 and 1980, Real Madrid won the La Liga 18 times as compared to Barcelona’s five. The Catalan club’s winning streak started during the late Johann Cryuff ’ s era as coach, 1988- 95. Since then Barcelona have won La Liga 14 times to Real Madrid’s eight. Messi with 32 goals so far, the top- scorer in Europe’s top five leagues, has an insatiable appetite for success and goals and could make the difference.