As long as there have been sports teams, there have been rivalries. Whether it’s the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox or the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, the two rival teams inevitably end up meeting again and again, forming a constant and heated rivalry that delights sports fans. One of those rivalries is between the Spanish soccer teams FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

FC Barcelona (also known as Barça by their fans) and Real Madrid are two of the first Spanish soccer teams, both formed in the 1890s. From the beginning, the two teams were seen as representatives of two rival regions of Spain, the ancient kingdoms of Castile and Catalonia. Both teams were part of La Liga, a Spanish soccer league, and a rivalry quickly took hold that went far beyond soccer.

It was during and after the Spanish Civil War that the rivalry took on more political overtones. The dictator Francisco Franco banned all peripheral languages, such as Catalan, the language of Barcelona. Catalonia had long been associated with more progressive political ideas and fashions, such as democracy, which was the diametrical opposite of Franco’s dictatorial regime. FC Barcelona suffered for being part of Catalan culture. Real Madrid, on the other hand, was seen by many Spaniards (and in particular by the Catalans) as the “established” club. Although Franco seemed to favor Real Madrid, members of both teams suffered under his regime.

The fierce rivalry continued into the 1950s when both clubs sought to sign Alfredo Di Stefano to play for them. Real Madrid eventually won and Alfredo Di Stefano went on to lead them to many victories. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid met twice in the 1960s European Cup, with Real Madrid winning one and FC Barcelona winning the other. The two teams met again over a player in 2000 when Luis Figo left FC Barcelona and signed for Real Madrid. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid once again competed in the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2002, and Real Madrid were victorious. The Spanish media dubbed the party “The party of the century.”

In the mid-2000s, the rivalry rose to greater heights when it acquired its own name, El Clásico. The term El Clásico was traditionally assigned to any South American soccer rivalry, but the growth of soccer in the Americas, along with the rivalry of these two great teams, led to the coinage of the term applied to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. This was primarily a marketing scheme communicated through GolTV, a satellite channel dedicated exclusively to soccer, but the term has been adopted by fans around the world.

The Classic shows no signs of slowing down. To this day, the two teams inevitably look to each other on the pitch to find out who is the best team in Spain. Sometimes FC Barcelona win and sometimes Real Madrid win, but ultimately, football fans around the world are the ones who win every time these two giants meet on the pitch.