BY ETHAN MUNCAN
The rivalry between the two powerhouses of Barcelona and Real Madrid goes all the way back to the twentieth century. The first ever encounter between the two Spanish clubs was in 1902, where Barcelona won 3-1. The reason for the rivalry is the location of each city. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, which is the thriving district in fashion and represents the modern era in Europe. On the other hand, Madrid is the capital of Spain and the seat of the royal family.
Barcelona is better than Real Madrid for numerous reasons. Barcelona has won 92 trophies in all championship competitions, while Real Madrid has 88. Also, Lionel Messi plays for Barcelona, and he has won the best player award four times and holds the record for most goals in a season (91). Real Madrid is also home to one of the best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is always being compared to Messi for the title of the “best player.” Ronaldo has won the Ballon D’or (best player award) three times in the last three years. Barcelona now stands in first place in the Spanish soccer division, while Real Madrid is in fourth place.
“Barcelona is better than Real Madrid because of the La Masia gameplay that they adopted from legendary coach Johan Cruyff,” senior Greg Satinover said. “They make squares and triangles throughout the field to drag defenders out of position and counter with quick one touch passing.”
Barcelona has won 29 Copa Del Rey titles compared to Real Madrid’s 19 titles. Both teams have a different style of play and have their strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of the game. Barcelona has developed a quick passing style of play based on forming triangles on the field and controlling possession for the majority of the game. Real Madrid plays mostly through their wing players and feeds the ball to their best player Cristiano Ronaldo. Both teams perform differently in their competitions and they both have won a variety of trophies ranging from the Spanish division to the Champions League, where the best of the best teams play. Barcelona is the better team because of Lionel Messi and their statistics; however, Real Madrid has a chance to completely overshadow Barcelona if they continue to develop their players and bring in more talent.
Photo courtesy of Daily Football
