Real Madrid, Atletico de Madrid and unique sporting fabric of Spain's capital city

Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid make up the fabric of a city which lives and breaths sport. Whilst El Clasico is a rivalry born out of circumstance and success, El Derbi Madrileño runs far deeper and is characterised throughout Spain’s capital city.

The Plaza de Cibeles is iconic as the scene of Real Madrid celebrations. Indeed, earlier this month they surrounded the famous fountain and packed out the streets to celebrate their latest LaLiga triumph.

It was the site of spontaneous celebrations and gatherings for both clubs until Real Madrid’s so-called Quinta del Buitre team won five straight titles between 1985 and 1990 during Atleti’s trophy drought. When Atleti’s glory came in the Copa del Rey in 1992, they deliberately chose to celebrate just a few hundred metres up the road at the Fountain of Neptune, which has become their own iconic site.

It could be expected that there would be a degree of hatred between two clubs who represent entirely different backgrounds, demographics and aspects of history. Certainly in the Premier League and across the UK, local rivalries are dominated by a level of animosity and, on many occasions, genuine hatred. In Madrid, that is largely not the case.

Real Madrid hail from the upmarket Chanmartin area close to the city centre. They have historic ties with royalty and are generally considered a club of the upper class. Further out of the city, Atletico were born from more humble origins, founded by four students from Bilbao in 1903 and bolstered by dissident Real Madrid members.

After the Civil War, there was tension over Atletico Madrid being bolstered by the Spanish Air Force and subsequently winning their first two LaLiga titles before Real Madrid’s European success in the 1950s