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The biggest and most watched club football match in the world takes place this weekend in Spain, as Barcelona tackle Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.
Both teams are the biggest clubs in Spain, and serve as the symbols of two distinct cultures, distinguished by political divides. Their history is interlinked so much with one another that they cannot be separated, as whatever one achieves would be seen as a yardstick for the other to follow or surpass.
The marquee stature of both clubs means that they have each attracted some of the most legendary players in history, and this helped boost the popularity of the match.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid in direct comparison with his eternal rival Lionel Messi at Barcelona skyrocketed the popularity of the match to unparalleled heights, as fans around the world saw it as an opportunity for the two greatest players in history to battle it out for 90 minutes or more, and lead their teams to victory.
This year’s first leg fixture holds extra significance. For starters, it could be the determining factor if Lopetegui is to remain at the job, with reports emanating that he has been given a one match ultimatum to turn around the club’s fortunes or get sacked.
However, for all of the intriguing subplots, there are some factors which suggest that this weekend’s El Clasico would not live up to the hype. Here are four reasons why El Clasico would not be worth the buildup.
#4 Both teams have increasingly resorted to shenanigans in recent years
Once upon a time, Real Madrid and Barcelona played out El Clasico with an all out intent to win, desperate to stamp their supremacy over each other, and give their fans bragging rights, with the result being that they produced all round entertaining classics replete with goals.
Both clubs played to win, and not just win, but win while entertaining at the same time. However, the increased commercialisation of the game, and in particular the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, changed the tempo of the matches, as it all became about playing not to lose, rather than playing to emerge victorious, with pragmatism rather than aesthetics being the order of the day.
Tomfoolery increased sharply in the matches, as both teams began to resort to pranks and mischief on the field of play in a bid to get opposing players sent off. Diving, and referee intimidation became rife.
There was hardly ever a five minute flow without a break in play, as players theatrically play acted on the ground, rolling around at the slightest contact, with teammates surrounding the referee to issue cards.
Flying tackles and wrestling moves have become a way of life in El Clasico, and like former Leicester City defender Robert Huth attested, this has become a major turn off for fans who tune in to watch free flowing and exciting football.
#3 Most of the past matches are downright boring
The calibre of players involved, illustrious history, and global interest in the match means that El Clasicos are typically expected to be enthralling encounters, as some of the most potent attacking players in the world take to the field to showcase their abilities.
However, more often than not, this is rarely the case, as most El Clasicos painfully fail to live up to expectations, serving us bore-fests, rather than genuine entertainment.
Matches between the two are usually anticipated to be close knit affairs, but more often than not, it ends up being a whitewash, and 5-0, 6-2, and 3-0 have been among the more outrageous scorelines in the match between the two biggest clubs in the world.
Player theatrics, pragmatism, and players not living up to the billing, are all factors which contribute to making the quality of play fall beneath what is expected, and it looks highly likely that this weekend’s clash will not be an exception.
#2 Both teams haven't been in the best of form this season
Barcelona are defending champions in LaLiga after their record breaking feats last season, and would have expected to continue with that trajectory, while Real Madrid's incredible feat of having won the last three Champions League titles on the spin saw them head into this season as one of the favorites for the LaLiga title.
However, things have not gone according to plan for Spain's two biggest teams. Despite sitting atop the LaLiga table, La Blaugrana have struggled for form and consistency, and had a terrible run from the end of September, wherein the club failed to win in four consecutive matches.
Results have however improved a bit for Barca after their wobbles, and they would seek to consolidate their spot on the table.
Down south, their eternal rivals have fared much worse, lying in 7th place in LaLiga and having endured a miserable run in which the club went over 465 minutes (almost eight hours) of football without a goal.
This drop in performance has understandably put coach Julen Lopetegui under immense pressure, with reports emanating that he has an ultimatum to win the Barcelona match or face the sack.
Despite the pomp and pageantry preceding the 272nd El Clasico, the poor form exhibited by both teams so far means that the match might not live up to expectations.
#1 The absence of Messi and Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s off-season departure to Juventus after nine seasons of immense achievements at Real Madrid meant the club lost arguably the most important player in its history, while the injury Messi sustained against Sevilla last week ruled him out for three weeks, and meant that for the first time in eleven years, neither Messi nor Ronaldo would grace El Clasico.
Both players are the highest goalscorers for the clubs, and their places on the list of all time greats is undeniable.
Messi and Ronaldo are by far the best of their generation, and debates among who is the better of the two is so intense and far-reaching that it spawned a website of its own, with the argument yet to be fully settled till this day.
Their battles with one another in El Clasico was one of the most anticipated events on the calendar for nine seasons, as fans saw it as an opportunity for both players to settle the debate on the field of play, and both players have gone on to etch their names in this illustrious fixture, as they are the two highest goalscorers in the history of this clash.
Despite the absence of Messi and Ronaldo, there is still more than enough quality world-class players on both sides, but make no mistake about it, Messi and Ronaldo have been such an integral part of El Clasico all these years that their absence has taken a part of the match’s soul, and things will not really be the same.
