Real Madrid CF versus FC Barcelona, an age-old rivalry with historical roots dating back to 1902. El Clásico is the greatest fixture on the Spanish footballing calendar, with hundreds of millions of footballing fans watching the every move of these footballing giants.
The history of this rivalry begins with Spanish nationalism threatening Catalonian nationalism, and continues even through the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. Through the years these two clubs antagonize each other that feeds the monster appetite of their rivalry. One such example of a clash between the titans is when they battled it out over the transfer of Alfredo Di Stéfano. This controversial transfer caused uproar in the streets of Barcelona.
Sadly, statistics show that Real Madrid have been more successful over the years in Clásicos, in 218 official showdowns, Madrid has come away with 87 wins, Barcelona with 85, and 46 draws between the two. Los Merengues and the Blaugrana have met each other in numerous competitions, many of the exciting Clásicos take place in the finals of the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, and the Supercopa España.
In recent years, to my delight, the Blaugrana have proven themselves worthy adversaries for Real, defeating Los Blancos time and time again under the management of Josep Guardiola, with every Spanish League Clásico from 2008-2010 resulting in wins for Barcelona, however, Barça was defated by Real Madrid on Saturday, April 21, 2012, in a 1-2 upset at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.
Tensions between the countrymen of various nationalities run high when brothers from the same nations must battle each other on the pitch, Vicente del Bosque, the coach of Spain's national team points out that the rivalry can tear teammates apart, causing the chemistry of national teams to go awry.
These two footballing clubs are rivals until the end. Barcelona can offer more than just a good football match, they are "more than a club". If you decide to join me in support of FC Barcleona, prepare to feel the venomous stings of criticism that madridistas will throw at you. But fear not, you are free to sit back in neutrality, and enjoy every war that these clubs wage on each other, that is, El Clásico.
Word Count: 369
The history of this rivalry begins with Spanish nationalism threatening Catalonian nationalism, and continues even through the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera. Through the years these two clubs antagonize each other that feeds the monster appetite of their rivalry. One such example of a clash between the titans is when they battled it out over the transfer of Alfredo Di Stéfano. This controversial transfer caused uproar in the streets of Barcelona.
Sadly, statistics show that Real Madrid have been more successful over the years in Clásicos, in 218 official showdowns, Madrid has come away with 87 wins, Barcelona with 85, and 46 draws between the two. Los Merengues and the Blaugrana have met each other in numerous competitions, many of the exciting Clásicos take place in the finals of the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, and the Supercopa España.
In recent years, to my delight, the Blaugrana have proven themselves worthy adversaries for Real, defeating Los Blancos time and time again under the management of Josep Guardiola, with every Spanish League Clásico from 2008-2010 resulting in wins for Barcelona, however, Barça was defated by Real Madrid on Saturday, April 21, 2012, in a 1-2 upset at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.
Tensions between the countrymen of various nationalities run high when brothers from the same nations must battle each other on the pitch, Vicente del Bosque, the coach of Spain's national team points out that the rivalry can tear teammates apart, causing the chemistry of national teams to go awry.
These two footballing clubs are rivals until the end. Barcelona can offer more than just a good football match, they are "more than a club". If you decide to join me in support of FC Barcleona, prepare to feel the venomous stings of criticism that madridistas will throw at you. But fear not, you are free to sit back in neutrality, and enjoy every war that these clubs wage on each other, that is, El Clásico.
Word Count: 369
I really like how you give so much information about the history between the two rivals, that is great. These two teams are two major rivals and have very different cultures, why is that? There is an extra word, "the" at the end of the second paragraph.
ReplyDeleteThe use of the Spanish terms really adds to the quality and authenticity of this piece. You sound, at times, like a budding sportswriter. I get the feeling that you could have reached the 500 word minimum, however. You clearly have the knowledge and passion, so why not get to that magic number?
ReplyDeleteA few writing tips:
1. Awful sentence #1: "At the end of the day, these two footballing clubs are rival until the end, more to offer than just a good football match, I advise spectators who wish to join one of these armies very carefully, because if you will be judged mercilessly by the supporters of either side." Avoid the cliches, please. No more "at the end of the day"! This is really three sentences jammed into one, and none of the three part is perfect. Can you spot the other issues? Hint: run on sentence, perhaps?
2. A very strong element of your writing is your historical knowledge. Why not detail the tumult surrounding the DiStefano transfer for the audience? Remember the advice, "Don't write about man. Write about a man." Use his story to illustrate the larger rift and philosophical difference between the clubs.
3. "In recent years, to my delight, the Blaugrana have proven themselves worthy adversaries for Real, defeating Los Blancos time and time again under the management of Josep Guardiola, with every Spanish League Clásico from 2008-2010 resulting in wins for Barcelona. The most recent defeat that Barça has suffered was Saturday, April 21, 2012, in a 1-2 upset at the Camp Nou in Barcelona." Do you see the issue here? There is no transition between the two sentences. You need a word like "however" to show the reader that the relationship changes in the second sentence.