Rise of a Football God-Chapter 338: El Clasico
El Clasico…, a popular term that any up-to-date football fan knew, but what did it mean?
To know the meaning of El Clasico, first, you had to know what a derby meant.
A derby is commonly known as a match between two local clubs that are geographically close to each other, for example teams that are from the same city or from the same part of the country.
Back in the English premier league when Sam plied his trade for Fulham, he played in West London derby rivalries with Brentford, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers.
Manchester United vs Manchester City was another major derby rivalry.
But the El Clasico, it is a rivalry above the normal rivalry. Some referred to it as the derby above derbies.
In simple terms though, El Clasico translates to "The Classic" in English and it is used to refer to football matches between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
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It is the most famous club football match in the world!
It is also considered one of the fiercest rivalries in sports.
As 2 of the best and biggest clubs in Spain, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona’s rivalry dates back, a derby between the Spanish capital and Catalonia, a part of Spain that vied for supremacy and independence.
It was not just a football game; it was a game with a lot of political consequences but none of that concerned the fans and the players.
To the fans and the players, El Clasico is a game of pride and glory.
The hate and rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona fans transcended borders. They vied and fought at every avenue that they get.
And all of that tense energy clashes on the football pitch on El Clasico day.
Just 3 days after FC Barcelona’s UEFA champions league clash against Dortmund, they would be playing their first El Clasico of the season against their eternal rivals, Real Madrid and it was an away game.
(La Liga:)
(Real Madrid – Barcelona)
(Date: 26th October, 2025)
Sam had been an FC Barcelona fan since he was 6, since FC Barcelona was in its peak and had the likes of prime Messi, prime Iniesta and Xavi plying their trade with the club.
Though he was still a boy in most of those epic battles, he had lived through at least 2 epic El Clasico battles every season since he was 6.
He had watched his team succumb to the pressure of their Madrid rivals, and he had watched his team blow them away with shocking victory margins.
He had watched iconic moments between both clubs; the 5-0 victory at the Bernabeu, Messi silencing the Bernabeu in iconic fashion back in 2017 and Ronaldo getting his revenge in the next game.
The iconic battles, the Ramos and Pepe eras, the Dani Alves and Jordi Alba eras, the Marcelo and Carvajal eras, the BBC and MSN eras, the Modric, Kroos, Casemiro and the Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquests eras.
The head-to-head battle between both big clubs till today was still tight.
Sam lived through all these battles, watching as a fan, always cheering the club in red and blue on at every El Clasico night.
And finally, for the first El Clasico in his life, he was not just going to cheer on as a fan, he was going to be playing as a player.
He was going to actively participate in the greatest clash of his club’s history.
…
The next day after the game against Dortmund…
Thud! Thud!
Alongside his training buddies in Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde, Sam jogged through the streets of Barcelona, already starting their preparations for the big game in 2 days.
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That morning, the city of Barcelona was no longer as nonchalant to their passage as it was no longer news that they jog every morning.
That morning, as they jogged, FC Barcelona fans came out in droves.
Some jogged after them, others just took pictures, but all of it was motivated by the big game that was coming up in 2 days.
"Sam, we need you at the Bernabeu!"
"You’re better than their Mbappe, and Bellinghams, and Vinicius, show them who’s boss that day!"
"Yamal, please work your magic!"
"We must win the game!"
The fans said what they wanted, heaping pressure on the jogging players but the players didn’t take it that way.
With nonchalant smiles on their faces, they took the fans’ words as motivation instead but they didn’t pay too much attention to it.
More of their attention was rather on the competition among themselves.
"First to arrive at the Spotify Camp Nou!"
Thud! Thud!
The dug into their reserves, from a jog quickly erupting into a sprint.
They ate yards of space with each step, quickly leaving the fans to eat the dust and a few seconds or so later, Sam once again won, arriving first at the big stadium in Barcelona but this time, Alejandro Balde came 2nd, arriving before Gavi.
And again, Pedri came last, Lamine Yamal just edging him in the race.
"F*ck! I came last again!" He cursed in Spanish.
Once again taking on the duty of providing breakfast for them that morning, they quickly entered the gym, going on about their activities.
A few minutes later, they were done.
~----~
[You have completed Daily System Quest: Mentality Monster!]
[You have been rewarded with low-grade physical conditioning elixir!]
~----~
A few dozen minutes later, they got home, got refreshed, dressed up in training clothes and arrived early back at the stadium for team training.
The 5 FC Barcelona players were as diligent as usual, more diligent even in their preparations for the first El Clasico of the season.
Last season, they did it, beating their rivals in all El Clasicos that they played but it was not a guarantee that they could do the same this time around.
Afterall, Real Madrid was not a club to stay stagnant.
They were always getting better, evolving every year.
Afterall, they were a club fielding the likes of Vinicius Jnr, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Trent Alexander Arnold all in their squad, all major Ballon d’or contenders in the just-concluded season.
To win, they had to give their all.
…
The next day, Sam and his training buddies went about their day like usual, giving their all in training in preparation for the big game.
They did a few more times and in no time, D-day was here.
It was the night of El Clasico.
