Barcelona have achieved most of what is possible in club football. Hansi Flick’s team will be crowned La Liga champions at the Camp Nou if they avoid defeat against Real Madrid in El Clasico. It would be the first time in their history that the Catalan club have clinched the title in a contest against their biggest adversary.
Copa Libertadores Final Moved to Madrid
The Superclasico is a derby with an intensity regarded as among the fiercest in the world.
In 2018, Argentine rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate met in the Copa Libertadores final, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League. It remains the first and only time the finalists have been from the same country, other than Brazil.
That year, the second leg of the tie in Buenos Aires was postponed when River fans attacked Boca’s bus on its way to the stadium. Boca players suffered cuts from broken glass and were caught in the tear gas used by police. Another attempt at playing it had to be halted, and in the end, South America’s governing football body CONMEBOL decided to stage the game elsewhere — more than 6,240 miles away in Madrid.
River won the game at the Bernabeu 3-1 to secure a 5-3 aggregate win and the trophy. The location meant only 4,000 fans from each club made the expensive trip, thus sparing many more Boca supporters the ignominy of watching their club’s most painful defeat in person.
Atletico’s Champions League Final Heartbreak Against Real Madrid
Few fans know the pain of falling short in finals like Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone’s side still crave their first Champions League crown, having twice been losing finalists in 2014 and 2016. On both occasions, they were beaten by Real Madrid.
In 2014, Atletico were winning as the game entered stoppage time, only for Sergio Ramos to head in a 93rd-minute equaliser, and from there Atletico were deflated. Real Madrid had the momentum, winning 4-1 in extra time.
In 2016, it was just as agonising. Ramos scored for Real Madrid, despite being offside, and then Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann missed a penalty before they levelled through Yannick Carrasco with just over 10 minutes to go. Real Madrid prevailed on penalties, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the decisive one.
They have been knocked out twice more by their city rivals since then: in the semi-finals in 2017 and the round of 16 in 2025.
Today offers Barcelona an enticing and historic first.