Spain’s fiercest football rivalries

El Clasico (Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona)

El Clásico is arguably the most famous football rivalry in the world. It is the battle between Spain’s two most successful and biggest teams and one of the most viewed annual sporting events in the world. 

The derby carries a large political meaning as well. Real Madrid is viewed as the team that represents Spanish nationalism and derives from the country’s economic capital. Barcelona on the other hand, is viewed as a club that represents Catalan nationalism and hails from an autonomous part of the country that has been fighting for independence throughout the years. 

Seville derby (Sevilla vs Real Betis)

Some say that the Seville derby is Spain’s fiercest rivalry by some distance and is also referred to as El Gran Derbi (The Big Derby). Sevilla FC where founded in 1890 by young British and Spanish people. After an alleged internal dispute about whether or not to sign a player from the working-class neighbourhood of Triana, two directors walked out and started their own football club, which is now known as Real Betis. 

They wanted Real Betis to be completely different from the international roots that Sevilla had and put their focus on Spain and in particular Andalusia, whose green and white colours are represented in the club’s home kit. So Real Betis represents the working class, whereas Sevilla represents the upper class from the Nervión district. 

Over the last few years, Sevilla FC has been the most successful club, having won seven Europa League campaigns. But Real Betis, who have won La Liga once and also have three Copa del Rey’s to their name, on the other hand, has larger attendances and a bigger fanbase. 

The Basque derby (Real Sociedad vs Athletic Club)

The Basque Country is a unique area in Spain where people have their own distinctive culture and language. The Basques have been fighting for their independence throughout the years and regard themselves as very different from the rest of Spain. With four professional football clubs, five if you include CA Osasuna who derives from Navarra, a former province from the Basque Country, the area hosts a lot of local derbies. 

The biggest, however, is the one between the two most successful clubs Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao. Although there’s quite a friendly nature between the fans of both clubs, it is still one of Spain’s biggest rivalries. Athletic wants to prove that their Basque-only policy is the best one in football, whereas Real Sociedad, who had the same policy until 1989, wants to prove that their stance of making their team of homegrown players from the academy better by buying some players from other parts of Spain or abroad is better. 

The Asturian derby (Real Oviedo vs Sporting Gijon)

The Derbi Asturiano between Asuturias’ two biggest clubs is one of the strongest and most heated rivalries in Spanish football. Gijón and Oviedo lie just 30 kilometres apart and both fanbases are extremely proud to be Asturian. However, when both teams, who are quite evenly matched in terms of size and accolades, meet it is not uncommon to see violent clashes between the the most passionate fanbases of both rivals. 

Other derbies

Besides these four derbies, Spain is full of other rivalries. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid (El Derbi Madrileño) have had an even stronger rivalry since Diego Simeone made Atletico a force to be reckoned with. The city of Valencia also has an inner-city rivalry between Levante UD and Valencia CF (Derbi del Turia). The latter club also has a rivalry with Villarreal (Derbi de la Comunitat). In the Galicia region, Celta de Vigo and Deportivo La Coruña also have a fierce rivalry together despite playing in different leagues over the last few years.