The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, called El Clásico, is one of the most famous in soccer. Fans all around the world, including some of our own Eagles, love watching and getting inspired by both teams. A lot of fans choose to support one of those teams at a very young age.“My brothers would always talk about Real Madrid, and I started to get really interested in them when I was younger,” said freshman Estrella Saenz. In contrast to Estrella, freshman Marlon Maridiaga goes for FC Barcelona and shared, “when I was younger, I started watching soccer games on my TV and I fell in love with Barca and I haven’t stopped since”.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have brought joy and inspired fans. Freshman Marlon Maridiaga shared, “Barcelona is just a really amazing team in general, and when we have good seasons and great games, it brings a lot of joy to me”. Similarly to Marlon, freshman Camila Romero-Hernandez said,” Being able to see young players play the sport they love inspires me a lot in many ways to keep on playing the sport I love and not giving up”. On the opposite side of Marlon and Camila, junior Isai Amaya shared with us how Real Madrid has inspired him to become a better person: “Madrid has inspired me to pursue greatness because they are a powerful team and have reigned supreme for a long time”.

Fans always have reasons on why they go for each team. “I prefer Barca because they have better players and I look up to Hector Fort,” said sophomore Brisa Sosa. On the other side, similarly to Brisa, freshman Melanie Peres-Pinto shared, “I go for Real Madrid because I like the players, the way they play, and they are very goated”! Both of these girls seem to look up to the team’s players, but go for opposite teams!

Real Madrid and Barcelona impact fans’ lives every day, including students from our school. Sophomore Wendy Reyes shared with us how she’s gotten motivated by FC Barcelona: “Supporting Barca has impacted me because watching young players play with older players and improving has motivated me to play more and get better at soccer.” On the opposite side of Wendy, freshman Rosa Alfaro shared how Real Madrid has impacted her life in a lot of ways. “I have always been a huge fan of Real Madrid, but the thing that has impacted me the most is the way it makes me feel about soccer. I love the sport, and watching Madrid games makes my day 10 times better.”

Among the many fans at our school, freshman Jonathan Hernandez proudly supports FC Barcelona.“What I like the most about Barca is the style in which they play and how fluid their games are, and it’s such a competitive and fire team, it’s also so entertaining to watch with my brothers.” Differently to Jonathon, freshman Estrella Saenz added, “The things I love most about Real Madrid are the way the fans are like one big family and how the players treat their fans with respect and kindness.”

A lot of fans always have players they would like to meet, whether they still play on the team or have left.“I would really want to meet Cristiano Ronaldo because he inspires me in a lot of different ways and he’s one of the greatest players of all time,” said freshman Rosa Alfaro. In contrast to Rosa, freshman Lissien Mendez wants to meet one of Ronaldo’s biggest rivals. “ I would really want to meet Messi in real life because he inspires me a lot and his personality is great.” Both Rosa and Lissien would like to meet players who no longer play for Barca or Madrid. Unlike both Rosa and Lissien, freshman Camila Romero-Hernandez would like to meet a player who is currently playing for FC Barcelona.”I would love to meet Lamine Yamal because he is one of the greatest and youngest players on the team, and he inspires me a lot just by the way he plays and talks with his teammates.”

To finish off, freshman Jose Luna Vasquez shared how FC Barcelona is a part of not only him but his family as well. “All my family supports Barca, we are huge fans and we always grew up watching soccer and really got inspired and love watching soccer games, Barca is like a part of my family and I love it.” For Jose, supporting Barcelona goes beyond just watching matches; it’s a family tradition that brings everyone in his family together!

What team do you support? Are there any similarities to any of these soccer fans? What are your opinions on this article? Let us know in the comments!