Regardless of the Spanish economy or the investment of other teams, El Clasico is still the match that even those who do not like football see

The Spanish classic is seen by more than 650 million viewers in more than 185 countries. Why does this match exceed the Super Bowl in almost 549 million viewers?

Leer en español: ¿Por qué Real Madrid vs Barcelona sigue siendo el partido más importante de clubes?

Despite the fact that, on a world level, Real-Barça is surpassed in viewers by the match between Liverpool and Manchester United watched by almost 700 million viewers, according to figures from the Daily Mail, El Clasico has a different mystique.

The reasons why this is a game that attracts all football lovers and those that are not: the quality of the players, the history of the teams, the titles of Spanish football in recent years, the different values ​​that each club professes and the duopoly in the penisula.

The quality of the players

Football is a spectacle and Real Madrid and Barcelona are, possibly, the most showey clubs.

In Barcelona and Real Madrid they have played 5 of the best players in the history of football, from the Argentine Alfredo Di Stefano, through Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff, to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi.

Also, during the time of the Galacticos, Real Madrid took pains to make the hiring more expensive and with the most sought-after players in the market.

In 2000, the Madrid club began hiring figures such as Ronaldo, Luís Figo, David Beckham, and Zinedine Zidane, among others. With them he achieved 2 Leagues of Spain, 1 Champions League, 2 Super Cups of Spain, 1 European Super Cup, and 1 Intercontinental Cup.

The Madrid invested 200 million dollars for the purchase of players, a figure never before seen at that time.

Today, the rivalry between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (winners of the last 10 gold balls) shows that the payrolls of these 2 teams have monopolized the most important individual titles.

This means that in addition to the rivalry for being sympathetic to one of these clubs, there is also rivalry for some of these players.

History also matters

At present there are other clubs that fight to have the most expensive and best payrolls in the world. However, they do not manage to have as much marketing as Real and Barcelona. The difference between these clubs and Paris Saint Germain or Manchester City is that the Spaniards have been building history for decades and this has loyalized their followers around the world. In several countries there are families that have inherited the love and support for Barça or Real.

The recent glory

Another important factor is the duopoly that these 2 teams have created in Europe in recent years. The last decade has been marked by Spanish international titles. Since 2006, these 2 teams have won 7 of the 12 disputed. Real Madrid is the club with more drinks, with 12 and Barcelona with 3 with 5. This has made the dual between these 2 teams, means, many times, the duel between the best clubs of today.

Each team, each value

An element that contributes to the rivalry of Madrileños and Catalans are the values. Real Madrid, as the maximum European champion, has been characterized by seeking perfection, victory and titles as the main objective. For its part, Barcelona has defended the "Valors", which seek the clean and aesthetic game that pleases the palate. 2 ways of seeing soccer and 2 ways to enjoy it.

O White or black

The most important reason for this to be the most important match is the dualism that exists in Spanish football. In the last decade Atlético de Madrid has raised its level and has competed for local and international titles, in Spain there are only 2 clear candidates for the titles: Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Unlike the other 4 main European leagues, the Iberians have a marked competition for these 2 teams. In England, there are at least 4 or 6 clubs that have payrolls, history and money to be able to win.

In the Italian League there are usually another 4 and today there is only 1 clear dominator, Juventus. In Germany the only favorite to the titles is Bayern Munich and in France, today there is only the PSG.

This causes the fans to be divided between these 2 clubs and this generates more rivalry.

Latin American Post | Santiago Gómez Hernández

Translated from "¿Por qué Real Madrid vs Barcelona sigue siendo el partido más importante de clubes?"