TÜV Rheinland^®

El Clásico

“El Clásico” – club rivalry at its best: When the Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona compete, you won’t find many souls in the streets. The two most successful soccer clubs of Spain are as popular as they are persistent – since 1902, they have played over 240 “el Clásico” matches. With world wide attention: In 2010, around 400 million viewers followed the all-important soccer competition. For Spaniards, these matches also mirror the rivalry of the two largest Spanish cities: Madrid, capital of the country, and Barcelona, capital of the region Catalonia. Therefore, it is no wonder emotions always run high when “Real” and “Barça” flex their muscles on the soccer field.

Quiz

Can you guess how many matches Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have won in their confrontations until January 2012, not including the “friendlies”?

• a) Real 115, Barça 76
• b) Real 86, Barça 84

Answer:

The two clubs are almost equal in strength. “Real” has won 86 matches vs. “Barça”, which has won 84 so far.