The energy in Madrid was electric on the night of Oct. 26 as thousands gathered in bars and living rooms to witness the latest game in the historic rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona– even those who don’t care about fútbol.
“It was so cool to watch with everyone, but the energy definitely died as Madrid started losing,” said Paula Serrano, 20, a native of Madrid. “Luckily, I had my beer, so I didn’t care.” Serrano, a self-proclaimed non-fan, said she only watched at her neighborhood bar to spend time with friends.
However, for some Madrileños, El Clásico is more than a casual entertainment event—it’s a deeply rooted cultural tradition. As the final whistle blew and the score revealed a devastating 4-0 loss for Real Madrid, they took it as a personal blow.
“It was a disaster,” said Jorge Sabueso, 22, a lifelong Real Madrid fan, replaying the memory of
the game. “Horrible, horrible. It was such a waste.”
For Sabueso, Real Madrid’s loss was more than a disappointing score: “I was out with my friends to party, and it ruined the night,” he said.
But Barcelona fans reveled in their victory. Diego Morales, 20, a rare Barcelona fan from Madrid, wore a bright smile as he reflected on the night’s events.
“It was a beautiful game. I felt great,” he said, making no effort to hide his satisfaction at seeing Barcelona’s players dominate their rival. “I wanted Madrid to lose, so it was… f****** awesome,” he added, searching for the words to describe his emotions before committing to profanities.
Another Barcelona fan living in Madrid, Jonás Fernández, 24, felt the same way.
“My cousins are from Barcelona, so my whole life I’ve been a Barcelona fan,” he said, noting that his entire family cheers for Barça. “I went to Barcelona a lot to visit them, and my cousins and uncles were passionate about fútbol, and they gave me that passion,” he said.
Fernández watched the game in a crowded tourist sports bar in Puerta Del Sol, packed with “bandwagon” tourists wearing Real Madrid jerseys. Half of his friends rooted for Barcelona while the other half donned Madrid jerseys. Once the score started to turn in favor of his team, he began taunting his Madrid-fan friends and celebrating with the Barça supporters.
For him, the win symbolized Barcelona being back in their game after coming off of two rough seasons.
“We were shouting and spilling beer on top of each other, chanting and hugging,” he said. “My
voice was gone the next day—it was very euphoric.”
