Derbi Madrileño

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The rivalry started at the very beginning of the twentieth century. Madrid Foot-Ball Club (founded 1902) kept making mergers and acquisitions of smaller clubs, which subsequently disappeared. The main exception was Athletic Club Madrid (founded 1903), who kept most of their best players thanks to financial aid from Athletic Club Bilbao, becoming the last stand against Madrid FC supremacy. Many supporters of vanished clubs became supporters of the Red-and-whites, harboring dislike towards the 'royal' club. After the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist period, Atlético became associated with the military air force and was renamed Atlético Aviación. Atlético fans chanted that Real were 'El equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país' and allegedly adopted a more left-wing slant. In the 1970s, Real Madrid fans called Atlético and their supporters 'Indios', a nickname Atlético's supporters accepted and still use. The Santiago Bernabéu is alongside banks and businesses on the upper class Paseo de la Castellana, while the Vicente Calderón was near a brewery, the Manzanares River and a motorway. Real draw greater support across the region; Atlético have a relatively working-class fan base mainly from the south of the city. The Atlético crest includes the Coat of arms of Madrid, whereas Real crest has no such reference to the city.

In Their Own Story

The rivalry first gained international attention in 1959 during the European Cup when the two clubs met in the semi-finals. Real won the first leg 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Atlético won 1–0 at the Metropolitano. The tie went to a replay, which Real won 2–1. Atlético, however, gained some revenge when, led by former Real Madrid coach José Villalonga, it defeated its city rivals in two successive Copa del Generalísimo finals in 1960 and 1961. In the 1970s, Atlético took again the lead as the most successful Spanish club of the decade, which prompted the Real Madrid fanbase to look down on Atlético, calling them and their supporters 'Indios' (Indians, a reference to the Latin American players signed by the Red-and-whites). It is worth noting that by then, Real Madrid was not very keen on signing non-Caucasian players (president Santiago Bernabéu even stated, when he decided not to sign Portuguese star Eusebio at the end of the 1960s, 'Mientras yo viva, aquí no jugará ningún negro ni un blanco con bigote' ('As long as I live, no black or white with a mustache will play here'). Atlético's supporters accepted the new 'Indian' nickname joyfully and have been using it until today. Between 1961 and 1989, when Real dominated La Liga, only Atlético offered it any serious challenge, winning league titles in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. In 1965, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years. On 27 July 2019, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid faced off in an off-season exhibition match at the 2019 International Champions Cup in the United States, marking the first time the two clubs faced off in a Madrid derby held outside their home country. It wound up setting a record for the highest-scoring Madrid derby, and a blowout win for Atlético Madrid, as they routed Real Madrid 7–3; Atlético Madrid led 5–0 at half time, and Real Madrid only began to rally from behind in the second half of the match.

Reader's Guide

The two clubs met in Lisbon for the 2014 UEFA Champions League final, making it the first time two clubs from the same city played in the final. They met again in the 2016 UEFA Champions League final in Milan, with Real Madrid winning. They also met in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, again the first time two clubs from the same city met in that event; it was won by Atlético. In domestic cups, they have been finalists on five occasions in the Copa del Rey in 1960, 1961, 1992, 2013 (all Atlético wins) and 1975 (Real Madrid win). In 1985, they met in the two-legged final of the Copa de la Liga, with Real Madrid prevailing on aggregate. In 2014, they met in the two-legged final of the Supercopa de España, with Atlético winning 2–1 on aggregate. They met again in the one-legged final of the Spanish Super Cup in the 2019–20 season, with Real Madrid prevailing 4–1 on penalties after a 0–0 draw. In European competitions, they met in the semi-finals of the 1958–59 European Cup; Real Madrid won the play-off game. They met in the quarter-finals of the 2014–15 Champions League, with Real Madrid winning 1–0 on aggregate. On 27 July 2019, they faced off in an off-season exhibition match at the 2019 International Champions Cup in the United States, the first Madrid derby held outside their home country; Atlético won 7–3.

Did You Know?

• The first time two clubs from the same city played in a UEFA Champions League final was the 2014 Madrid derby in Lisbon.
• Atlético Madrid's crest includes the Coat of arms of Madrid, while Real Madrid's crest does not.
• Atlético Madrid fans have embraced the nickname 'Indios' since the 1970s.
• The highest-scoring Madrid derby was a 7–3 Atlético win in an exhibition match in 2019.