Here we take a look at some interesting but lesser known facts about this arch rivalry of two legendary teams.
*.Rivalry at its best -Regarded by many as the greatest (and longest) rivalry in footballing history, the first El Clasico was played in May 13, 1902. Since then, the two teams have netted a mammoth 733 goals between them!
*.All eyes on the ball -El Clasico is traditionally the second most widely watched football tie, only after a UEFA Champions League Final! An upward of 400 million global football fans are glued to their TV screens during an El Clasico encounter.
*.Blink and miss action -Real Madrid and Barcelona are both known for their attacking football and ferocious appetite for goals. Hence it is not a surprise that most El Clasico encounters have been high scoring matches. In an El Clasico played on June 13, 1943 Real Madrid had routed a hapless Barcelona 11-1!
*.ThePasillo-Another interesting touch to this rivalry is the tradition of the The Pasillo. Traditionally if either Real Madrid or Barcelona have virtually won the league before the El Clasico takes place, then the other team gives the former a guard of honour calledThe Pasillo! This has happened thrice, the most recent being on 7 May 2008 when Madrid received the guard of honor.
*.Mini battles -El Clasico has traditionally been a saga of mini battles between stars. The latest one being between Madrid’s Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. With a hat trick in the latest encounter, Messi has now edged past Madrid legend Alfredo di Stefano’s record of most goals in El Clasico encounters.
*.Double delight! -21 players have performed for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. This list includes some heavyweights like Bernd Schuster, Gheorghe Hagi and the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Javier Saviola as the recent entrants.
*.Ronaldo, the other one -Ronaldo ( the Brazilian marksman) is one such player who has played and scored for both the teams in El Clasicos! The goal machine that Ronaldo was in his prime, has managed to torment his oppositions immaterial of which jersey he was wearing on the day.
*.Googly -While both the teams have always approached the game with intent to rout the opposition and have had the firepower to do so, there have been 7 scoreless ties between the two teams. Such an occurrence is almost unthinkable in present day, given the firepower both the teams possess.

kk