El Clásico

     The streets are deserted, yet the couches aren't. In Spain, the day Real Madrid and Barcelona face each other is a day of national importance, ceasing almost every activity in the nation. Bets are aimed high at this competitive match, regularly falling twice a year. Tickets have been sold out almost for 8 months prior. Anyone that is anyone will kill for a spot in that stadium. As the eleven starters step out onto the fields the hooligans become a choir of hooting supporters. No action will be missed; the stage is set; who will take the win?
     Every Clásico begins this exact same way! Throughout the course of history, there have been only 160 rivalry games, of which Real Madrid has won 68, Barça has won 62, and there have been 30 ties. The teams train yearly basically for this competition. And since the league is normally harshly disputed between these two all-star teams, the winner of these matches regularly take the season cup back home.
     A 2007 survey by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas determined that Real Madrid was the team with the largest fan zone in Spain. 32 % of the Spanish population supported Real Madrid, while 25% supported Barça; however, Barcelona in turn is more popular in Europe than Madrid. According to a survey made by the German research agency Sport Markt in 2010, Barcelona has approximately 57.8 million fans around Europe, while Real Madrid has 31.3 million fans. Globally, Real Madrid is the most popular football club in the world according to a study performed by Harvard University in 2007, with over 228 million supporters worldwide.
     This year, El Clásico lies November 28, 2010, @ Barcelona and April 17, 2011, @ Madrid.