Having the opportunity to attend was almost too good to pass up. Unfortunately, I made some mistakes along the way.
I began the day by traveling almost an hour to the Real Madrid stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu. There, buying a ticket was actually easy. Having encountered many difficulties attempting to buy tickets online, I bought a single ticket for myself in the same section as my friends who had purchased earlier.
After my one class of the day, I went to Sol to meet my friends and get a quick dinner. I left early for the stadium with some roommates of my friends.
We arrived at the stadium an hour early. Even then, the streets were almost packed with people. I felt a little empty with only my Spain national team jersey on, so I went street vendor shopping. Having looked over the selection of soccer scarves at many legitimate stores in the city, the quality of items sold by the vendors is not the worst, though a little overpriced for the convenience. The selection was expansive, but one scarf caught my eye in particular. I had to get it for 10 eur.
Because we entered at different doors, I went off on my own.
Entering the stadium, the size of the facility is impossible to describe in words. The overhead lights and small groups already chanting created an atmosphere I have never seen before.
I proceeded to tour the stadium before the start of the match. Navigating the stadium is a nightmare. There is no central concourse and the stairs go in every direction. Part of me wanted to find a store in the stadium to look for other items. My tour took me to every part of the stadium: the middle field seats, the rafters, and the pitch side seats. I watched from the ground level as Real Madrid entered for warmups to cheering from the half filled stadium. Later, Barcelona entered to many jeers and shouts of 'Puta!' from the supporters near me. People with large signs and in costumes appeared to draw the attention of the media near the player entrance.
With half an hour left until kick off, I attempted to make my back to my seat. In the process, i was sidetracked by a number of security guards who pointed me to an exit. I asked a security guard, in Spanish, if it was possible to enter the stadium again. From my knowledge, he said that I had two chances to enter. Accepting his word, I exited and made my way in the streets to my gate.
I've seen celebration parades and tailgates, but nothing compares with the mass of people all trying to enter the stadium or drink in the streets. You had to slog through piles of empty cups/bottles while dodging people.
Returning to my gate, I could not get back in! Oh my! I paid 95 eur to see the greatest sporting event in the world, only to buy a worthless ticket!
Nevertheless, I near ran back to the ticket office and asked if I could purchase the ticket again. While I could not, I would be able to re-enter at halftime. Phew....
I meandered through the streets, looking at other street vendors, until I saw a small crowd gathered in front of a restaurant window watching the game through the glass. I spent the next 40 minutes here. I did have a chance to talk with some of the fellow spectators, like making sure I knew player names. Some drunken old men also paid a visit, cracking bad Spanish jokes and laughing a terribly squeaky laugh.
Even by true fanatic standards the first half was boring. Beyond a few minor altercations and some yellow cards, the only thing of note was a goal line clearance that prevented a Barcelona goal.
I counted down the seconds to get back inside.
Finally entering the stadium, the second half was a near blur. All of the emotion of the game was hard to take in all at once. For starters, this is the first 'good' soccer game I had ever seen (sorry MLS and Fire games). It was hard to believe I was watching some of the greatest players ever: Messi, Iniesta, Ronaldo...! I really did not know what to expect.
I am familiar with a few strong sport rivalries from the United States, but nothing really compares to the raw hate between these teams. You can probably find articles describing the historic and political significance of these teams playing each other.
Barcelona supporters were sitting in the stadium's upper tier. I can only imagine what some of their chants meant; probably a few in support of Catalonia independence. Madrid supporters were on the baseline. Every now and then they would start chanting against the government.
For the actual game, Barcelona scored first and Real Madrid scored with 15 minutes left to tie the game.
The game was really dramatic, even if for only the second half!
What was equally interesting is what happened to my friends who decided to wear Barcelona jerseys to the game. Not only were they taunted by the fans, they were kicked, punched in the face, spat in the face, and even urinated on. Together, we were kicked out of the stadium because they were taking pictures of themselves celebrating.
Overall, an amazing experience I would probably appreciate more a second time around.
I can now say I've been to 'El Clasico!'
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