Throughout the history of football, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF have been two of the best clubs in the world. The two Spanish clubs have been the blueprint of a successful top-class club. Clubs that are smaller would look at them and want to be somewhat successful like them. Both clubs have proven themselves with 19 UEFA Champions League wins between them. So, it’s obvious that the world would be waiting to watch whenever these two massive clubs are facing each other. But in recent times, their rivalry, known as El Classico, has lost its charm! Let’s analyze why this has happened!
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What Made This Match-up So Great?
Top clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid tend to win many trophies every year. They are constant contenders for European trophies almost every season. So naturally, the top talents around the world tend to move to either of these teams. This cycle continues when a player achieves greatness in the clubs and inspires the upcoming exciting talents to want to play for either of the two clubs.
Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are probably the best examples of this. Both players have impacted the legacy of El Classico. These two players were young at the time of joining Real Madrid and Barcelona. And when they left, they inspired countless other young players with their influence on both the domestic and international levels. Players like this are the reason why every top talent wants to play for either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
In addition to this, the two clubs have historically had players with huge character and charisma. This played a massive role whenever they faced each other as the players weren’t comfortable with losing and were willing to do whatever it took to do so. This was an important fuel to the fire we know as El Classico.
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Why and When The Fixture Peaked
El Classico has been a spectacle of peak football for many years. Some of the game’s greatest-ever players have played for either Barcelona or Real Madrid at some point in their careers. Players like Johan Cruyff, and Zinedine Zidane are just a few of the players that have played in these amazing games between these two clubs. So, the match-up between these two has been famous for many years.
But the rivalry went even further when the two greatest-ever players were set to face off against each other. The two players in discussion would be Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. At the same time, Messi was playing for Barcelona from a very young age. Messi was already making a name for himself when he started getting more and more game time at Barcelona.
On the other hand, Ronaldo was climbing his way to the top of world football. He made a name for himself at Manchester United and was destined to move to Real Madrid as the next step in his career. When he did move to Real Madrid, the world was eager to see these two players show off their talent against each other. And fans weren’t disappointed in any way. The two players constantly pushed each other, scoring an unbelievable amount of goals each season. At this time, the two clubs also had many other top players to go with the brilliant players they had.
In this era, Barcelona and Real Madrid fielded some of the best squads in their history and arguably the game’s history. The Barcelona team of 2010-13 is still considered the best squad ever, and Real Madrid at that time had the strongest squad in the world. Other than Cristiano and Messi, players like Neymar, Benzema, Bale, and Suarez are just a few players that would grace the two teams and La Liga at this time. Many fans fell in love with football watching these players play at the highest level.
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Why The Standards Have Fallen
Speaking of the state of El Classico today as of 2024, there are a few reasons you could think of that prompted these matches to be less anticipated. A lot of the reason comes from the player’s side, while some of the blame could be put on the state of modern football.
To start off with the first point, one could argue that El Classico lacks players with big characters. While this may be temporary, at this time, there aren’t many players that are considered fighters in terms of winning. in their prime time, there were players like Puyol and Ramos who were leaders and wouldn’t mind getting their hands dirty. Characters like these brought the matches to life with their emotions toward the game and their love for their respective clubs.
Another reason can be brought in as the change of playstyle throughout the years. The game has been changing for many years now. The introduction of VAR and changes in rules about fouls have made the game much softer. Earlier, there was much more engagement between the players, going in for more fouls, and getting into tussles, things fans love to see. These changes have made the game less vibrant and expressive.
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It is evident that the El Classico we grew up watching, has lost its charm somewhere along the way. While it is not to say that El Classico has no credibility right now. The iconic fixture will surely keep up its reputation of being one of the most anticipated games of a football season. But it could use some regenerating in terms of its identity and the seriousness it used to bring to the football pitch. only time will tell if it does happen or not. Until then be sure to tune in for football-related content like this