English
The 22nd of April is the day that one of the most highly-awaited classic football matches is taking place at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, the match between FC Barcelona and their arch-rival Real Madrid.
This clash of the titans is part of the second round of the Liga BBVA 2011-2012 and, like every year, it´s highly-awaited by thousands of fans of both teams, the two biggest representatives of Spanish football.
This match won´t be played on a neutral ground but rather in the impressive Camp Nou, the stadium of FC Barcelona, who are also known as Barça. This stadium was inaugurated on September 24th 1957, designed by the architects Josep Soteras Mauri and Francesc Mitjans. The stadium took two years to be built and is now a monumental sporting landmark.
Its current name was formalized in 2001 after a referendum with the club´s fans. It´s 55sq metres big and 157ft tall, with a playing field of 114×74 yards and a capacity for 99,000 fans.
FC Barcelona, or Barça, was born out of the initiative of a group of young sports fans, especially football fans, in 1899. The 1950s was one of the best decades for the club, adding players such as Ladislao Kubala to their ranks, who helped them win 3 Spanish League titles, 5 Copa del Generalísimo (now Copa del Rey) and 2 Fairs Cups. Another motive of dispute between the two teams was Alfredo Di Stefano, who Barça claimed to have signed, only for him to end up playing in the white of Real Madrid and going on to win many trophies with them, being a key figure.
Today, and after a few years of dominance, Barça has players such as the Argentine Leo Messi, the best player in the world for many, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué, who is also the boyfriend of the famous singer Shakira. The team is managed by Josep ´Pep´ Guardiola, who has won 3 Spanish leagues, 1 Spanish Cup, 2 Champions Leagues, 3 Spanish Supercups, 2 European Supercups and 2 World Club Championships.
Real Madrid was founded in 1902 by two Catalans, funnily enough, Carlos and Juan Padrós. Since 1929 it´s one of the three teams in Spain who have never been relegated from the First Division and they were declared by FIFA as the best club of the 20th century in the year 2000.
Real Madrid has gone down in the history of football thanks to their great victories and to the stars of the game who have put on their white shirt, such as the aforementioned Alfredo Di Stefano, Paco Gento, Juanito, Iván Zamorano, Pirri or the current stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Kaká and Iker Casillas, managed by the Portuguese coach José Mourinho.
These two teams are eternal rivals and, according to the statistics, Real Madrid has won 4 more games than Barça in the head-to-head, with 85 victories for Barça´s 81, with 42 draws, a total of 208 matches
For more information: http://www.fcbarcelona.es/futbol/primer-equipo/archivo-partidos/2011-2012/liga/jornada-35/fc-barcelona_real-madrid/entradas
If you´re thinking of staying a few days in apartments in Barcelona this April, don´t miss the classic match of Spanish football that will make the stands shake.
