The second Barcelona-Madrid game was approaching, and a quiet tension consumed the nation. Kids made bets with each other in school and wore their team colors all week long. The night befote the big game, that quiet tension turned into roaring pep-rallies in the street. Every time Madrid and Barca play each other, it’s the battle of the titans; Yankees vs. Red Sox, Giants vs. Patriots. Everyone takes a side, and the night of the game, there’s not a single bar that’s not packed past it’s legal capacity.
Historically, Real Madrid is the better team. Since the 50’s Madrid has won 31 championships, while FC Barcelona has won 19. Together, the two teams dominate Spain’s BBVA Liga, with Ronaldo on one side and Messi on the other. Barcelona is poised to win La Liga, but both teams moved on to the UEFA Champion’s League.
The fan sphere of most teams is generally geographic, so since Salamanca is close to Madrid, we have a load of hard-core Madrid fans. It’s to the point where people don’t even care who’s playing; they’re for whoever beats Barcelona. When Barcelona lost to Inter Milan in the Champion’s League, the kids in school got even crazier than normal. The typical chair tossing turned into desk tossing. People got into screaming matches in the middle of class. Kike brought in an Italian flag with him, but Gonzalo snapped it over his leg. For most kids, it’s just about what team they like better. But for a lot of adults, it goes futrher than the game, or proximity to Madrid or Barcelona. One of Spain’s larger political issues is also reflected in team loyalty.
“Maybe Messi is the best,” Carlos told me, “and this year Barca has a good team (well, good enough). But the problem I have with Barca is that for them, it’s not just about the game.”
Carlos was referencing the Barca motto: more than a team. In the north of Spain, there’s a pretty potent separatist movement that is most clearly illustrated by the bilingual city of Barcelona, where they speak Catalan, an entirely different language, as well as proper Spanish. When I was in Barcelona, the first thing I noticed was that I didn’t understand any of the signs. Even understanding Spanish, navigating Barcelona, or taking advantage of its resources (schools, libraries, museums), is really difficult.
After talking with Carlos, I thought about how I would feel if there were a city in the US that I would be excluded from because I couldn’t speak the language, in my very own country. On the other hand, I also thought about what it would be like to be part of a tiny minority that is constantly being pressured to assimilate to the larger culture, and thereby forfeit it’s own. This is the conflict that every Madrid-Barca game represents, and Spaniards have no problem taking sides.
“And that is why I am for Madrid.”
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