FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid El Clásico FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

What is it? (¿Qué es?) Imagine the way Americans feel about the Super Bowl, now multiply that feeling by 25. That is the emotion that Spanish fans pour into this biannual fixture. These are the two giants of the top division of Spanish Professional Football, or soccer if you prefer. (La Primera División en La Liga Profesional de España)

History of the Match (La Historia del Partido) 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 cultural tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians.

History of the Match (La Historia del Partido) During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in Spain, all regional identities and cultures were openly suppressed (e.g. the peripheral languages such as Catalan were officially banned). FC Barcelona became more than a club (més que un club) for Catalonia as a defender of freedom and one of its greatest ambassadors. On the contrary, for most of the Catalans and many other Spaniards, Real Madrid was representing oppressive centralism.

History of the Match (La Historia del Partido) Americans understand what our Civil War did to shape our nation's politics; we’re still fundamentally divided nearly 150 years after the last shot was fired. The Spanish Civil War is much more recent (1936-1939), and the division between Barcelona and Madrid -- and between the region of Catalonia and the rest of Spain -- remains firmly affected by what was one of the darkest occurrences of the 20th Century.

History of the Match (La Historia del Partido) Barcelona is said to embody the identity of the Spanish region of Catalonia, and the team carries the motto "more than a club" to drive that point home. In contrast, Real Madrid has long been considered the club of the establishment in Spain, a view that was enhanced during the Franco era. Written in the seats at Barcelona’s Stadium, the Camp Nou

Tonight’s Match Monday night, when FC Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in the Nou Camp Stadium (Camp Nou en español), it will mark the 161st time this match has been played. No matter what happens Monday this is only match 13 of a 38-game La Liga season for each team. A champion will not be crowned after this game, but this is certainly one of the biggest games of the season.

Campeones del Mundo This match tonight brings together thirteen of the World Cup winning side in South Africa- eight from Barça and five from Madrid.

Key Players (los jugadores) Leo Messi- FC Barcelona #10

Key Players (los jugadores) Cristiano Ronaldo- Real Madrid #7

Key Players (los jugadores) Carles Puyol- FC Barcelona Capitán

Key Players Iker Casillas- Real Madrid Goalkeeper and Capitán

Key Players (los jugadores) Xavi- FC Barcelona #6

Key Players (los jugadores) Sergio Ramos- Real Madrid # 4

Key Players (los jugadores) David Villa- FC Barcelona #7

Works Cited http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/laliga/story/real-madrid-barcelona-el-clasico-still-reigns-supreme Sergio Ramos- www.exposay.com/sergio-ramos-as-roma-vs-real-madrid---uefa-champions-league---february-19-2008/p/17812/17 Cristiano Ronaldo-www.dominicansports.blogspot.com Iker Casillas- http://www.zulva.com/images/spain/ Leo Messi- www.zimbio.com Carles Puyol-totalfootballmadness.com Xavi-http://www.allaboutfcbarcelona.com/2009/03/fc-barcelona-vs-malaga-pictures.html

Works Cited FC Barcelona Official Website- http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/ Real Madrid Official Website-http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/Home.htm