Has El Clasico Lost its Luster as the Premier Rivalry in all of Sports?

There has been no more meaningful rivalry throughout the beautiful game’s history than Barcelona versus Real Madrid. El Clasico has always been the gold standard for rivalries in world football. However, with the absence of substantial stars in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the game still has an impact, but not as much.

History of the Barcelona and Real Madrid Rivalry

Barcelona and Real Madrid will meet in the 247th established non-friendly match of El Clasico on Sunday. The game itself has a global influence, only comparable to the Super Bowl in North America.

In past years, both Spanish powerhouses featured players who would all be considered the best in the world. However, this time, El Clasico feels like a typical game.

Perhaps the vacancy of Lionel Messi from Barcelona after a 17-year senior career with 520 appearances plays a role in the charm of the competition. Additionally, the departure of Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid after 671 appearances in 16 years, which is the fourth all-time in the club’s history.

Leo Messi will be unveiled tomorrow as new Paris Saint-Germain number 30. 👕🔵🔴3️⃣0️⃣ #PSG #Messi pic.twitter.com/RvqTDoq97r

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 10, 2021

Although El Clasico has been around for as long as patrons of the sport can remember, Messi (while at Barcelona) and Ronaldo (while at Real Madrid) took El Clasico to new heights.

Both players are generally listed as the top two talents ever to play the game, often interchanged for number one status.

During those times, both Real Madrid and Barcelona were always the two teams expected to win La Liga. Regardless of El Clasico, the powerhouses nearly came in either first or second place in points at the height of their success. Since 2004, Atlético Madrid (2 wins) was the only team to win the league except for Madrid and Barca.

Now, Real Madrid is third in La Liga’s table, with Barca falling to eighth. Additionally, both teams lack the quality that they once had. And with groups such as Atlético Madrid on the rise, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them repeat as league champions.

Benzema Speaks on El Clasico Quality

But despite the lack of quality and allure around the game, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema told ESPN that the game is still highly regarded.

“For me, it’s still the same. It remains the best match that exists in football,” Benzema told ESPN’s Julien Laurens in an interview.

“It doesn’t matter about the players who are there, who have left or who will join. Real-Barca is historic. The names change but before there was [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, [Samuel] Eto’o. Real-Barca will always be Real-Barca.”

Benzema will hope to continue his campaign to win the coveted Ballon d’Or award; an award won mainly by both Messi (6) and Ronaldo (5).

The game will stream  LIVE on ESPN+ this Sunday at 10:15 am EST.  Perhaps the current players will put on an iconic performance. If so, they’ll prove the notion that the magic of El Clasico will never fade.

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Rory R.

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