The biggest game in football?

El Classico otherwise known as The Classic the biggest game in football, the most glamorous display of all the worlds stars. Why has its popularity decreased, why is it less exciting than ever before?

The two biggest teams in Spain have always had a fierce rivalry Barcelona the Catalonians, Real the pride of Madrid this battle is more than just a football game. The two clubs have completely opposing political positions the Madrid side representing Spanish nationalism and the Barca representing Catalan nationalism. 246 competitive matches played all with intense passion and rivalry this battle was a joy to watch. Not to mention the stars on show, the greats of our beautiful game Ronaldo, Messi, Ramos, Figo and many more.

Barcelona began to represent Catalan identify in the 1930's which of course angered those over in Madrid who wanted their city to represent Spain. This created a long spanning rivalry and added more violence and aggression when it came to the game. Formed in 1980 Real's Ultras Sur were founded and the opposing Boxios Nois of Barcelona were formed in 1981. The two groups of hooligans were extremely violent with one another with a lot of the supporters becoming part of a criminal organisation. The fierce nature of this rivalry was only just getting started.

Transfers between the two clubs as expected would not go down to well with the fans. Alfredo Di Stefano one of Madrid's greatest players ever played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid, in a bizarre bit of business meaning he alternated between the clubs each season. This occurred until the Barca board tore up his contract meaning his loyalty was pledged towards Madrid. This spiced up the rivalry even more adding even more sparks to an ever burning fire. It would not of seemed as if an even more hostile transfer would ever happen between the two clubs, how they were wrong. Luis Figo Portuguese superstar, Barcelona superstar was offered a super-contract by Real Madrid. Figo accepted the request expecting Barca to offer him an increased contract to match Madrid's offer, to his surprise no new Barca contract was offered and off he went to his club's biggest rivals. Adored by the Catalans not only was Figo going somewhere he did not want to go he also ruined his reputation by the fans that loved him unlike anyone else. The famous pigs head was thrown at Figo amongst other things such as oranges, bottles and cigarette lighters. The rivalry had reached a new level that no one would have thought was possible.

Moving on to more modern times the introduction of Messi and Ronaldo added a whole new level to the classic derby. Not only was the atmosphere electric but the class shown on the pitch was greater than ever before. Guardiola vs Mourinho, Ronaldo vs Messi this was a blockbuster a game that was viewed by millions at least twice a season. A game that had everyone glued to their screens, a game like no other. Both sides had teams so ridiculous that other teams were scared to play them, signing new stars every season to add further entertainment. Barcelona signed Brazilian superstar Neymar in 2014, Luis Suarez. Real Madrid signed Bale for a record fee (80 million) in 2013, Modric, Kroos, a young Varane the talent is endless. With this fixture looking to excite for an eternity now in 2021 we wonder what has happened to this classic fixture.

Messi and Ronaldo have both moved on to other clubs, Barca are in 1 billion pounds of debt and look as bad as any of us have seen in our lifetimes. Madrid have a bright future with the likes of Vinicius jr, Rodrygo however, they are nowhere near as good as they used to be. With viewership constantly decreasing and excitement reaching an all time low have we lost one of the best rivalries in football? Lets hope not.