121 years ago the first match between Real Madrid and Barcelona was played. It was played on a Tuesday and for many it was not clear what that sport was.
THE INTRAHISTORY
The classic. It is impossible to quote these two words and not immediately project into the collective subconscious some of the many images that the matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona have instilled in us for more than a century. Spanish football’s ultimate clash has become one of the most followed sporting events in the world, with a potential audience of 400 million viewers. A mass phenomenon that is followed with enthusiasm from all corners of the planet.
WHERE CAN YOU SEE LIVE BARCELONA USA? REAL MADRID
Few fans could even imagine the humble origins of this match between the Madrid team and the Catalan team, now transformed into a spectacle of stratospheric dimensions that is part of the global culture of the planet… 121 years ago, in the Altos de la Castellana, the first classic in history took place. And it is still paradoxical that it is not too many meters away from what would be the stadium in the future Santiago Bernabeuin the area of Nuevos Ministerios the history of confrontations between merengues and culés on a race track began.
In a black and white Madrid with bullfighting as the only mass phenomenon and with horse racing as a major social event for the aristocracy and the wealthy bourgeoisie, that ‘football match’ that took place on Tuesday May 13, 1902 was seen as a slightly less than exotic spectacle , framed in a minority sport imported from England.
The ‘fault’ of this first classic in history lay, at least indirectly, with King Alfonso XIII. The match corresponded to one of the semi-finals of the “Madrid Football Contest”, although the tournament was colloquially known as the Coronation Cup in honor of the young monarch, who was about to turn 16 and begin his term as head of state would begin. , now without the regency of his mother, Queen María Cristina.
THE CHRONICLES OF THE TIME
Five clubs participated in this tournament, which forms the basis for the cup tournament in Spain. Madrid Football Club and New FC – a company later absorbed by Madrid FC – both represented the capital, while Español and Barcelona were Barcelona’s flag bearers, with Vizcaya as the Basque Country team and later champions.
What makes Barcelona different from Real Madrid
Barcelona and the newly founded Madrid FC, which was barely two months old and lacked its royal status, a distinction that would later be granted by the monarch Alfonso XIII himself, in 1920. They were paired together in the semi-finals in an initial shock that came to fruition. in this way by the press of the time.
The night edition of the ‘Heraldo de Madrid’ on May 13, 1902 emphasized that Madrid, although less experienced, knew how to face its rival:
“In the second hour, Barcelona and Madrid fought, and this match aroused real interest because of Madrid’s determination and desire to be in a good position, which despite the brilliant play of its opponents managed to score a goal, beautifully managed, and three goals. that Barcelona won, one of them of merit. The Madrid Foolball players must be satisfied, because a defeat of the nature of this morning is a victory, given that they measured their strength against the champions of Barcelona , old fighters, who are used to this kind of competition, while the Madrid team is the first time they have measured their strength against a team from another association.
“We predict a bright future for this Association, composed of enthusiastic young people who have aroused the greatest sympathy among the numerous and chosen audience who attended this first session. Club Madrid players wore white blouses and trousers, a badge on their chest and a red ribbon around the arm; the Vizcaya, white blouse and trousers, and the Barcelona, blue and red blouse. Tomorrow and the day after, from nine to twelve, the second and third competitions will be held at the Hippodrome.’
The tournament attracted attention in the city, and it was not without reason that ‘The Correspondence of Spain’ wrote on May 14, 1902:
“FOOTBALL MATCH The first test of this match was brilliant, verified this morning at the Hippodrome. To participate in the match, five teams from the associations Madrid Fool-Ball club, News Foot-Ball Club have registered. , the Vizcaya, from Bilbao , and the titles Barcelona and Español, both from the city of Barcelona. The Madrid Polo Club has generously donated one of its courts at the Hippodrome, for 1 match. This morning you can walk around the entire perimeter of the court You saw three rows of seats completely filled with an audience, among which the ladies predominated in considerable numbers. In the rest of the crowd you also saw carriages and horses of all the most famous spotters in Madrid.
The ‘Imparcial’ also wrote the next day:
“This match was very close from the start, with the people from Madrid defending themselves very well against those from Barcelona, who were perceived from the first moment to have a significant advantage in terms of physical ability and playing experience.”
The ‘Liberal’ related this first Classic as follows:
“The second match was played between the Madrid Foot-Ball Club and the Foot-Ball Club from Barcelona. The people from Madrid lost and scored one goal, while their opponents scored three. The people from Madrid played very well, but with the disadvantage of “They are almost all new people in this powerful sport. However, Mr Thomson, who is part of the Madrid Club, attracted attention for his strength, agility and composure.”
Dennis Doyle
THE ALIGNMENTS
For Madrid FC: Sevilla, Molera, M. Giralt, Góngora, Spottorno, Palacios, Johnson, J. Giralt, Neyra, A. Giralt and Celada.
Puelles, Llovet, Witty, Terradas, Mayer, Valdés, Parsons, Gamper, Morris, Steinberg and Albéniz played for FC Barcelona.
The right referee of the match was one of the members of the Vizcaya squad: Luis Arana.
Both teams presented numerous substitutes to the match, which in many cases amounted to more than thirty substitutes.
The festive atmosphere in which the match took place and the new aspect of this sport, recently introduced in Spain, ensured that a more than respectable crowd was recorded, with 2,000 spectators surrounding the playing field.
THE RESULT
Goal.com This first match between Madridistas and Barcelona fans was characterized by the large number of foreign players participating in the Barça side, a maximum of six, for a foreigner in the opponent’s team.
Exactly, the British Arthur Johnson was the author of the goal for the whites. The Catalans’ goals were signed by the German Udo Steinberg, who also worked as a journalist, and the Swiss Hans Gamper.
Gamper was not only the striker and captain of that team, he was also the founder of Barcelona and would be the entity’s eighth president. A role that Julián Palacios also played, albeit less informally, in Madrid. Two top leaders who, unknowingly, went on to form two football giants, capable not only of conquering Spanish football but also of extending their dominance to the rest of the planet and hosting the first of their legendary clashes on a racecourse experienced.
Source: Goal