Editing Real Madrid CF (section)

===El Clásico===
{{main|El Clásico}}
[[File:Control de Sergio (5628131065).jpg|thumb|right|Scene from a 2011 ''[[El Clásico]]'' at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium]]
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 Real Madrid and [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] is known as "The Classic" (''El Clásico''). From the start of national competitions the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: [[Castile (historical region)|Castile]] and [[Catalonia]], as well as of the two cities. The rivalry reflects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between the [[Castilians]] and [[Catalan people|Catalans]], seen by one author as a re-enactment of the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>Ghemawat, Pankaj. p. 2.</ref> Over the years, the record for Real Madrid and Barcelona is 105 victories for Madrid, 101 victories for Barcelona, and 52 draws as of December 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barça and Real Madrid: El Clásico |url=https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/el-clasico |website=FC Barcelona |access-date=26 December 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Real Madrid - Barça (3495454182).jpg|thumb|left|Real Madrid fans displaying the white of their club before ''El Clásico''. Real Madrid fans also often wave [[Flag of Spain|Spanish flags]] at ''El Clásico'' games.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fitzpatrick |first1=Richard |title=El Clasico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football's Greatest Rivalry |date=2012 |publisher=Bloomsbury |page=146}}</ref>]]
As early as the 1930s, Barcelona "had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid".<ref name="josepsunyol">Burns, Jimmy, 'Don Patricio O'Connell: An Irishman and the Politics of Spanish Football' in "{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110726185724/http://www.irishargentine.org/0803.pdf Irish Migration Studies in Latin America]}}" 6:1 (March 2008), p. 44. Available online [http://www.irlandeses.org/0803burns3.htm pg. 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718143546/http://www.irlandeses.org/0803burns3.htm |date=18 July 2010 }},[http://www.irlandeses.org/0803burns4.htm pg. 4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718143516/http://www.irlandeses.org/0803burns4.htm |date=18 July 2010 }}. Retrieved 29 August 2010.</ref><ref>Ham, Anthony p. 221</ref> During the dictatorships of [[Miguel Primo de Rivera]] and especially [[Francisco Franco]], all regional languages and identities in Spain were frowned upon and restrained. As such, most citizens of Barcelona were in strong opposition to [[Francoist Spain|Franco's regime]]. In that period, Barcelona gained their motto ''Més que un club'' (''English: More than a club'') because of its alleged connection to [[Catalan nationalism|Catalan nationalist]] as well as to [[progressivism|progressive]] beliefs.<ref>Ball, Phil p. 88</ref>

There is an ongoing controversy as to what extent Franco's rule (1939–75) influenced the activities and on-pitch results of both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Fans of both clubs tend to exaggerate the myths favouring their narratives. Most historians agree that Franco did not have a preferred football team, but his Spanish nationalist beliefs led him to associate himself with the establishment teams, such as [[Atlético Madrid|Atlético Aviación]] and Madrid FC (that recovered its "royal" name after the fall of the Republic and again became Real Madrid). On the other hand, he also wanted the renamed Barcelona succeed as "Spanish team", rather than a Catalan one. During the early years of Franco's rule, Real Madrid were not particularly successful, winning two [[Copa del Rey|Copa del Generalísimo]] titles and a [[Copa Eva Duarte]]; Barcelona claimed three [[List of Spanish football champions|league titles]], one Copa del Generalísimo and one Copa Eva Duarte. During that period, Atlético Aviación were believed to be the preferred team over Real Madrid. The most contested stories of the period include Real Madrid's [[#Early years (1902–1943)|11–1 home win against Barcelona]] in the [[1943 Copa del Generalísimo|Copa del Generalísimo]], where the Catalan team alleged intimidation, and the controversial transfer of [[Alfredo Di Stéfano]] to Real Madrid, despite his agreement with Barcelona. The latter transfer was part of Real Madrid chairman [[Santiago Bernabéu (footballer)|Santiago Bernabéu]]'s "revolution" that ushered in the era of unprecedented dominance. Bernabéu, himself a veteran of the Civil War who fought for [[Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War)|Franco's forces]], saw Real Madrid on top, not only of Spanish, but also European football, helping create the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]], the first true competition for Europe's best club sides. His vision was fulfilled when Real Madrid not only started winning consecutive league titles, but also swept the first five editions of the European Cup in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/presidents/santiago-bernabeu|title=SANTIAGO BERNABÉU 1943·1978|work=Real Madrid C.F.|publisher=realmadrid.com|access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=16 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816230029/https://www.realmadrid.com/en/about-real-madrid/history/presidents/santiago-bernabeu|url-status=live}}</ref> These events had a profound impact on Spanish football and influenced Franco's attitude. According to historians, during this time he realized the importance of Real Madrid for his regime's international image, and the club became his preferred team until his death. [[Fernando Maria Castiella]], who served as [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Spain)|minister of foreign affairs]] under Franco from 1957 until 1969, noted that "[Real Madrid] is the best embassy we have ever had". Franco died in 1975, and the [[Spanish transition to democracy]] soon followed. Under his rule, [[List of Real Madrid CF records and statistics#Honours|Real Madrid had won]] 14 league titles, six Copa del Generalísimo titles, one Copa Eva Duarte, six European Cups, two [[Latin Cup]]s and one [[Intercontinental Cup (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]]. In the same period, [[List of FC Barcelona records and statistics#Honours|Barcelona had won]] eight league titles, nine Copa del Generalísimo titles, three Copa Eva Duarte titles, three [[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]]s and two Latin Cups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/09/27/real-madrid-and-the-franco-regime/|title=THE STORY OF REAL MADRID AND THE FRANCO REGIME|work=Nick Fitzgerald|date=27 September 2017|publisher=thesefootballtimes.co|access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=1 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701193952/https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/09/27/real-madrid-and-the-franco-regime/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="goal.com"/>

The rivalry was intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano. Di Stéfano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid while playing for [[Club Deportivo Los Millonarios|Los Millonarios]] in [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]], during a players' strike in his native [[Argentina]]. Soon after Millonarios' return to Colombia, Barcelona directors visited Buenos Aires and agreed with River Plate, the last FIFA-affiliated team to have held Di Stéfano's rights, for his transfer in 1954 for the equivalent of 150 million Italian lira (according to other sources 200,000 dollars). This started a battle between the two Spanish rivals for his rights. FIFA appointed Armando Muñoz Calero, former president of the Spanish Football Federation as mediator. Calero decided to let Di Stéfano play the 1953–54 and 1955–56 seasons in Madrid, and the 1954–55 and 1956–57 seasons in Barcelona. The agreement was approved by the Football Association and their respective clubs. Although the Catalans agreed, the decision created various discontent among the Blaugrana members and the president was forced to resign in September 1953. Barcelona sold Madrid their half-share, and Di Stéfano moved to ''Los Blancos'', signing a four-year contract. Real paid 5.5 million Spanish pesetas for the transfer, plus a 1.3 million bonus for the purchase, an annual fee to be paid to the Millonarios, and a 16,000 salary for Di Stéfano with a bonus double that of his teammates, for a total of 40% of the annual revenue of the Madrid club.<ref name="di Stefano">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28204560 |title=BBC SPORT &#124; Football &#124; Alfredo Di Stefano: Did General Franco halt Barcelona transfer? |work=BBC News |date=7 July 2014 |access-date=2 December 2014 |archive-date=8 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208154241/https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/28204560 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Di Stéfano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by Real Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup.<ref>{{cite news|title=Alfredo di Stéfano was one of football's greatest trailblazers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jul/07/alfredo-di-stefano-real-madrid|access-date=12 October 2018|newspaper=The Guardian|date=7 July 2014|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725025210/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jul/07/alfredo-di-stefano-real-madrid|url-status=live}}</ref> The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when Real Madrid and Barcelona met twice in the European Cup, with Madrid triumphing en route to their fifth consecutive title in [[1959–60 European Cup|1959–60]] and Barcelona prevailing en route to losing the final in [[1960–61 European Cup|1960–61]]. Ahead of the 1973–74 season, [[Johan Cruyff]] arrived to Barcelona for a world record £920,000 from [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]].<ref>MacWilliam, Rab; MacDonald, Tom. p. 180</ref> Already an established player with Ajax, Cruyff quickly won over the Barcelona fans when he told the European press that he chose Barcelona over Real Madrid because he could not play for a club associated with Francisco Franco. He further endeared himself when he named his son [[Jordi Cruyff|"Jordi"]], after the local Catalan [[Saint George]].<ref>Ball, Phil. pp. 83–85</ref> In 2002, the [[2001–02 UEFA Champions League knockout stage#Semi-finals|European encounter]] between the clubs was dubbed the "Match of The Century" by Spanish media, and Madrid's win was watched by more than 500 million people around the world.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7773773.stm |title=Real win Champions League showdown |work=BBC News |date=11 December 2008 |access-date=21 August 2010 |archive-date=31 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731062536/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7773773.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> A fixture known for its intensity and indiscipline, it has also featured [[Goal celebration|memorable goal celebrations]] from both teams, often involving mocking the opposition.<ref name="Marca"/> In October 1999, Real Madrid forward [[Raúl (footballer)|Raúl]] silenced 100,000 Barcelona fans at the Camp Nou when he scored before he celebrated by putting a finger to his lips as if telling the crowd to be quiet.<ref name="Marca">{{cite news |title=Real Madrid-Barcelona: Celebrations in enemy territory |url=http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/04/24/58fe5ed8ca47413f548b461c.html |access-date=9 October 2018 |work=Marca |archive-date=10 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011212/http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/04/24/58fe5ed8ca47413f548b461c.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=When Raul ended Madrid's humiliation, silenced Nou Camp |url=http://www.egypttoday.com/Article/8/39224/When-Raul-ended-Madrid%27s-humiliation-silenced-Nou-Camp |access-date=9 October 2018 |work=Egypt Today |archive-date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021111318/https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/8/39224/When-Raul-ended-Madrid%E2%80%99s-humiliation-silenced-Nou-Camp |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, Barcelona captain [[Carles Puyol]] kissed his Catalan armband in front of Madrid fans at the Bernabéu.<ref name="Marca"/> Cristiano Ronaldo twice gestured to the hostile crowd to "calm down" after scoring against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in 2012 and 2016.<ref name="Marca"/> In April 2017, Messi celebrated his 93rd-minute winner for Barcelona against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu by taking off his Barcelona shirt and holding it up to incensed Real Madrid fans – with his name and number facing them.<ref name="Marca"/> Later that year, in August, Ronaldo was subbed on in the first leg of the [[2017 Supercopa de España|Supercopa de España]], proceeded to score in the 80th minute and took his shirt off before holding it up to Barça's fans with his name and number facing them.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cristiano Ronaldo scores and is sent off in win over Barcelona|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/13/barcelona-real-madrid-spanish-super-cup-match-report|agency=[[Reuters]]|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=14 August 2017|access-date=1 July 2022|archive-date=27 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327010728/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/13/barcelona-real-madrid-spanish-super-cup-match-report|url-status=live}}</ref>