One derby to rule them all: A review of Richard Fitzpatrick's 'El Clasico'

Skirmishes are never far away whenever Real Madrid and Barcelona lock horns

Soap operas as defined by Wikipedia are serial dramas that feature multiple related story lines dealing with the lives of multiple characters and typically focus heavily on emotional relationships to the point of melodrama.

While this term is more often used to describe a TV or radio show, it isn’t too far off from what the El Clasico is for football fans. From a neutral fan’s perspective, it is an enthralling football match between two of Spain’s most successful and historic clubs as they slug it out for supremacy. For the Madridistas and Barca fans, the rivalry transcends everything else.

On a recent holiday I happened to pick up a book that delves into details about the world’s greatest rivalry. Simply titled ‘El Clasico’, the book is written by Richard Fitzpatrick.

At first I thought it was just another run-of-the-mill football book that will be packed with descriptions of famous derby games and will feature anecdotes from former players. After having read it, I was amazed by how insightful the book was.

The political connotation that defines the rivalry is very well described by the book. Right from the time of the oppressive reign of General Franco to the current era, El Clasico has been as much a political background as it has been a football match.

Catalunya has for many years now yearned for independence. Franco was the longest serving dictator to have ruled a country and even after the civil war, he continued to rule Spain with an Iron Fist.

Under Genral Franco’s regime the Catalans suffered. Their language was banned from being spoken and their freedom was crushed. Their only comfort and source of solace was watching Barcelona play.

But at the Nou Camp (Barcelona), their freedom of expression could not be curbed. They could speak their language there and fly the Catalan flag without fear of being reproached. In the eyes of the Catalans, Franco was the enemy and the vessel of his propaganda was Real Madrid.

The common notion was that Real Madrid were Franco’s team. Their success in the European Cup was hailed as a success for the whole of Spain and Franco revelled in it. But this notion may have been a misconceived one according to the author who has deconstructed it very well citing many examples and sources.

What really struck me about the book was the number of interviews the author carried out with not just former players, presidents and managers, but with several local supporter groups and fans- a majority of whom were ‘socios’ or members of the club who own the club.

This ability to own the club makes it a very unique situation for the supporters and makes them a part of the club in more ways than one. His description of the hardcore element of each club’s fan base is also quite revealing. While the hard core factions of other football clubs like Celtic, Rangers, and Millwall and Crystal Palace in England can be exceedingly violent, the Ultras of Real and Barca do not end up in bloody battles.

Some aspects covered in the book really took me by surprise though. One such anecdote was that despite having a majority of their players in Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, the people of Catalunya (Barcelona) barely celebrated the title triumph of Spain as compared to Madrid, where celebrations were in full swing.

This shed light on the fact that Catalunya does not consider itself to be a part of Spain and has called for its separation from it for generations now. This is a fact that often irks the Madridistas who consider it an insult.

As a result when Barca come to the Santiago Bernabeu, the Madridistas wave not only the Madrid flags but the Spanish flag as well as a symbolic gesture.

The transfer sagas of Alfred di Stefano, Johann Cruyff and Luis Figo are also very well dealt with in the book. Figo’s transfer being critical in Florentino Perez’s ascension to the President’s post at Madrid.

The section he devotes to the managerial changes at Madrid is also revealing in how even winning La Liga titles and European Cups isn’t enough to save the neck of managers at the Bernabeu. The interview he does with Vincent Del Bosque in this regard just goes to show how merciless the management can be at Madrid. He also talks about the La Masiavs Galactico policy of the two clubs and sheds light on some of the training methods employed by them.

Last but not the least the author covers an entire section of the Mourinho-Guardiola rivalry and the mind games played by the Special One.

In his first year in charge, not only did Mourinho needle his various opponents but also made Real Madrid the most hated team in Spain. The ‘manita’ or 5-0 win that Barca secured over Madrid is also given a lot of consideration.

All in all, Fitzpatrick is able to provide a neutral’s perspective on the world’s greatest soap opera in his book. The hype and excitement that defines these games weeks before it actually happens is appropriately conveyed in the book.

A definite must read for any football fan.