FC Barcelona

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barca and Real Madrid is known as El Clasico. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain, Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves. The rivalry projects what many regard as the political and other tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians.

During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and (especially) of Francisco Franco (1939 - 1975), all regional cultures were openly suppressed (e.g., all the languages spoken in Spanish territory except Spanish itself were officially banned). Symbolising Catalan people's desire for freedom, Barça became more than a club (mes que un club) for it and one of its greatest ambassadors. According to Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Catalans' best way of demonstrating their identity was by joining Barca. It was less risky than joining a clandestine anti-Franco movement and allowed them to express their dissidence.

On the contrary, Real Madrid was widely seen as the embodiment of the sovereign oppressive centralism and the fascist regime at management level and beyond (Santiago Bernabeu, the former club president for whom the Merengues' stadium is named, fought with 'los nacionales'). However, during the Spanish Civil War, members of both clubs like Josep Sunyol and Rafael Sanchez Guerra suffered at the hands of Franco supporters.

During the 1950s the rivalry was exacerbated significantly when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo di Stefano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key in the subsequent success achieved by the club. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the knock-out stages of the European Cup.

As nowadays Barca and Real Madrid are the two biggest and most successful clubs in the league, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The latest Clásico was played in the Camp Nou on December 17, 2008 and ended with a 2-0 win for Barca, with late goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi.