Derbi Barceloní

Lore & Background

In the first half of the 20th century during the Miguel Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923–1930), FC Barcelona was the embodiment of the oppressed Catalan sentiment, in stark contrast to RCD Espanyol which was more aligned with the central authority. In 1918, the municipalities of Catalonia promoted a campaign requesting the Spanish government a Statute of Autonomy. FC Barcelona joined that request and the Catalan press explained it by saying 'FC Barcelona has become the club of Catalonia'.

The other team of the city, RCD Espanyol, were dissociated from the claim. On numerous occasions RCD Espanyol have complained of an unfavorable treatment which is sometimes directly offensive according to them, towards the club in favor of FC Barcelona by some public media dependent on the Generalitat of Catalonia like TV3. Despite these differences in ideology, the derbi has always been more relevant to Espanyol supporters than Barcelona ones due to the difference in objectives.

Reader's Guide

Though it is the most played local derby in the history of La Liga, it is also the most unbalanced, with Barcelona overwhelmingly dominant. In the league table, Espanyol has only managed to finish above Barça on three occasions in almost 70 years and the only all-Catalan Copa del Rey final was won by Barça in 1957. Espanyol has the consolation of achieving the largest margin win with a 6–0 in 1951. In 1996, Barcelona came out on top when the teams were drawn together in the cup semi-finals, although they lost the final to Atlético Madrid.

In 2000, the possibility of another derby final evaporated after Barcelona forfeited the second leg of their semi, coincidentally also against Atlético Madrid, in protest at fixture congestion which badly weakened their squad; Espanyol overcame both Real Madrid in their semi and Atlético in the final. The Pericos also claimed the trophy in 2006 and qualified for the 2006 Supercopa de España where they met league champions Barcelona – the Blaugrana winning 4–0 on aggregate.

On 8 June 2007, Espanyol achieved a 2–2 draw against Barça in the penultimate day of the championship, making it possible for Real Madrid to win the 2006–07 La Liga in their next match at the Bernabeu. This match is popularly remembered with the name of Tamudazo, for Raúl Tamudo, the Espanyol player who scored the goal for the draw. Espanyol achieved a 2–1 win against Barça during 2008–09, becoming the first team to defeat Barcelona at Camp Nou in their treble-winning season.

Did You Know?

• Lionel Messi is the all-time top scorer in the history of the Catalan Derby with 25 goals overall.
• Xavi is the highest appearance maker in the history of the Barcelonian Derby with a total of 36 matches played.