has the Clasico lost its flavor?

“Between the Clasico and a big Premier League shock, I choose the big Premier League match without hesitation.” Supporter of Olympique de Marseille, Théo is an informed observer of foreign championships. In recent years, the Clasico, which sees FC Barcelona and Real Madrid clash each year in the Spanish championship, has lost its splendor according to him: “It thrilled me between 2010 and 2015 with Barça’s style of play. But today I prefer the intensity and atmosphere of a big Premier League match.“

Théo is therefore not sure whether he will watch the Clasico between Barça and Real, which will be played on Saturday October 28. For several seasons, other shocks seem to have supplanted this meeting in the collective imagination. The rivalry between Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City has been in vogue in recent years, like the one emerging between the Citizens and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

At the same time, the Clasico, a match followed in more than 180 countries and watched by several hundred million viewers, suffered from several factors. Barça’s deplorable financial situation, brought to light during the Covid-19 crisis, played a role. The Catalan club experienced declining sporting results, while several Clasico figures from the 2010 decade left La Liga, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Karim Benzema, Luis Suarez and Sergio Ramos.

“This match remains above the others”

“There are fewer stars and rivalries between players in the match. It’s no longer the era of clashes between José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola,” concedes Alexandre, a Barça supporter, who will still favor a Clasico over another big match. “The Clasico remains a very special event, even if there is no longer the duel between Ronaldo and Messi. But to choose, I would watch a great Premier League match”, for his part supports Blaise, whose heart leans towards Olympique Lyonnais in France.

In Spain, the departures of several Clasico figures have obviously questioned the attractiveness of the Spanish championship abroad, or even at home. But regarding the Barça-Real match, no worries. “It’s true that there are many very big matches in other championships, like in the Premier League. But Barça-Real, there is only one. This match remains above the others“, assures Alfredo Martinez, journalist for the Spanish radio Onda Cero.

An opinion shared by Javier Tebas, the president of the Spanish Football League, on ESPN Deportes in October 2022: “It’s the number 1 match in the world, without a doubt.” The Spanish leader then mentioned “the story” of this shock, and the “rivalry” between the two teams. A rivalry which has regained momentum in recent days and which could add spice to the meeting, due to the Negreira affair, still ongoing, in which the Catalan club is accused of refereeing corruption and a tweet from Mikel Camps about Madrid striker Vinicius Junior.

“It’s not racism, he deserves slaps for being a clown and a braggart. What’s the point of these useless and senseless leg passes in midfield?” wrote on X (formerly Twitter) the member of the board of directors of FC Barcelona while Vinicius said he was the victim of new racist insults during a match in Seville. Because of these comments, Florentino Pérez, the president of Real Madrid, could boycott the Clasico on Saturday, as was the case last year at the Camp Nou.

A new generation of players

These quarrels say nothing about the advent of a sporting rivalry, which could be built over many years. Barça and their coach Xavi rely on a young squad, played by Pedri (20 years old), Gavi (19 years old) and Lamine Yamal (16 years old). Same observation for Real, which still has a few veterans like Toni Kroos (33 years old) and Luka Modric (38 years old), but which is banking on the future with Vinicius (23 years old), Rodrygo (22 years old), Aurélien Tchouameni (23 years old). years) or even Eduardo Camavinga (20 years).

The White House even found a new darling, in the person of Jude Bellingham (20 years old), who arrived last summer and had an exceptional start to the season. “I want to stay at Real for the next ten or fifteen years of my life.”, assured the Englishman a few days ago. Enough to perpetuate a rivalry and an antagonism with the players of FC Barcelona, ​​which generally manages to retain its young nuggets.

Despite the absence of several injured players (Jules Koundé, Pedri, Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois) for Saturday’s match, “The Clasico continues to have immense appeal, in Spain and internationally”, says Alfredo Martinez. A spectacle awaited, in particular by beIN Sports, broadcaster of the Spanish championship in France, which continues to make Clasico its flagship product and which will have to renew its contract linking it to La Liga in the coming months.