El Viejo Clásico

On 21 April 1929, Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid met for the first time in La Liga; Real Madrid won the match at Chamartín 5–1.[15] The 1929 Copa del Rey semi-final second leg in Bilbao became known as the 'frog match', after a local company distributed toys which made frog-like noises to increase the noise level in the stadium to distract the visitors, who were 3–1 up from the first leg. The ploy failed resoundingly, with Real Madrid recording a 4–1 win to progress 7–2; however they would lose the final.[12] The two clubs would share ten of the first 25 championships (Athletic six, Madrid four) either side of the Spanish Civil War up to 1956, but from that point Los Blancos became the dominant club in the country, winning 16 titles from 26 available (plus six European Cups).

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Athletic Bilbao's Ander Iturraspe during a match at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, 2010

In that era, the caudillo General Franco used the success of the club (based in the capital city, the seat of power) as a vehicle to promote Francoist Spain to foreigners,[16] whereas Athletic Bilbao – the largest club in the peripheral Basque region[17][18][19][20] whose customs and language were repressed by the central government – won no titles in the same period, only even finishing runners-up once.

The Basques and other regions regained more self-control in the years following Franco's death in 1975, symbolised by the joint display of the banned Basque flag by the captains of Athletic and local rivals Real Sociedad at a match between them a year later.[21] However, many of the supporters of Athletic and Real Madrid, including their Ultras groups (Herri Norte and Ultras Sur respectively), still adhere to opposing views in terms of their national identity.[22][23][24][25] In this regard, the relationship has similarities with the more famous and intense El Clásico rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona (representing Catalonia).[26][27][28][3]

On the field, a competitive edge was briefly restored in the early 1980s when Athletic built a strong combative team that won the league twice, finishing ahead of Real Madrid by one point in 1983 with the top spot changing hands on the last day;[29] the season was nothing short of a disaster for the Meringues, who also lost in the finals of the Supercopa, the Copa del Rey (to a last-minute goal), the European Cup Winners' Cup (in extra time), and the Copa de la Liga. In the following campaign, Athletic pipped Madrid by a single goal and better head-to-head record,[30] but their league and cup double that year was the last time they lifted either trophy; Real Madrid soon responded with a run of five-in-a-row, led by their group of homegrown talent, La Quinta del Buitre.[30]

During a hotly-contested fixture in Bilbao in March 1990, the referee awarded a dubious penalty to the away side and had to halt the game for 12 minutes after objects were thrown at the linesman and Madrid goalkeeper Paco Buyo.[31][12] The match finished as normal, but as a consequence the San Mamés stadium was closed for one match, with Athletic playing Real Valladolid at the Atotxa Stadium in San Sebastián.[32][33]

Kaká scoring a penalty at the old San Mamés in 2011

Entering the 21st century, other clubs offered significant challenges to Real Madrid, such as Atlético Madrid (their city rivals who were originally formed as an offshoot of Athletic Bilbao and thus have a similar name, crest and kit),[34][35] Valencia and Barcelona. Athletic Bilbao were not among this group, now hampered by their self-imposed restrictive Basque-only player policy in an age of worldwide recruitment,[36] exemplified by Madrid's Galácticos who won seven further Champions Leagues between 1998 and 2018.

Real Madrid have a global fanbase and are one of the world's richest,[37] most decorated[38] and best-attended[39][40] clubs. Athletic have a much lower profile and have occasionally flirted with relegation,[41][42] although they have consistently ranked among the top half-dozen clubs in Spain for performance,[36][43] matchday attendance[39] and popularity.[44] Nevertheless, despite the disparities in stature between the two clubs, the fixtures remain keenly fought due to their historical and cultural significance.[45]

There is no doubt who has the upper hand in recent meetings: in 2004–05 Athletic won home and away against Real Madrid, but since then they won just two of their home matches[28][46] in the dozen seasons up to 2016–17, and took no points at all from the 12 matches at the Bernabéu[47] with Real Madrid registering four or five goals on several occasions;[48] the Merengues also won both legs of the most recent cup tie between the sides in 2006.[49]

In April 2011, Real Madrid registered a 3–0 away win over Athletic despite resting several players for important upcoming games,[50] and in the same fixture in May 2012 they achieved the same result and scoreline to clinch their 32nd title in Bilbao, becoming the first visiting team to win the league in the city.[51] Cristiano Ronaldo scored in both matches,[4] and he is Real Madrid's top goalscorer in the fixture having overtaken Raúl's tally of 15 in 2016.[52] Both Ronaldo and Athletic's Zarra have 17 league goals in the fixture, but Zarra is still some way ahead overall with 24.[2]

• Total: Athletic Bilbao with 20 higher finishes, Real Madrid with 69 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2019–20 season).

9 goals:

• Real Madrid 3–6 Athletic Bilbao, January 1947, La Liga[58]
• Real Madrid 8–1 Athletic Bilbao, June 1960, Copa del Generalísimo semi-final[59]

8 goals:

• Athletic Bilbao 6–2 Real Madrid, March 1950, La Liga[60][12]
• Real Madrid 7–1 Athletic Bilbao, September 1980, La Liga[61]

7 goals:

• Real Madrid 5–2 Athletic Bilbao, March 1935, La Liga[62]
• Athletic Bilbao 2–5 Real Madrid, November 1950, La Liga[63]
• Athletic Bilbao 2–5 Real Madrid, March 2009, La Liga[64]

7 goal margin:

• Real Madrid 8–1 Athletic Bilbao, June 1960, Copa del Generalísimo semi-final[59]

6 goal margin:

• Real Madrid 0–6 Athletic Bilbao, January 1931, La Liga[65]
• Real Madrid 6–0 Athletic Bilbao, November 1957, La Liga[66]
• Real Madrid 7–1 Athletic Bilbao, September 1980, La Liga[61]

5 goal margin:

• Athletic Bilbao 5–0 Real Madrid, April 1923, Copa del Rey[67]
• Athletic Bilbao 5–0 Real Madrid, February 1970, La Liga[68][12]
• Real Madrid 5–0 Athletic Bilbao, March 1988, La Liga[69]
• Real Madrid 5–0 Athletic Bilbao, February 1992, La Liga[70]
• Athletic Bilbao 0–5 Real Madrid, January 1996, La Liga[71][12]
• Real Madrid 5–0 Athletic Bilbao, October 2014, La Liga[72]

Over their long histories, only ten players have played for both clubs in La Liga (all Basques, due to Athletic's policy):[73]

• Luis Bergareche
• Juan Urquizu
• Luis María de Uribe[74]
• Hermenegildo Elices
• Cándido Gardoy Martín (Makala)
• Antonio Ortiz Alonso
• Manolín
• Mikel Lasa
• Rafael Alkorta
• Aitor Karanka

The careers of Alkorta and Karanka closely mirrored one another: both central defenders, each started at Athletic then had a successful spell at Real Madrid before returning to Bilbao, with Karanka - five years younger - actually replacing Alkorta at every turn.[75][76][77]

Ismael Urzaiz, who played over 400 times for Athletic, started his career at Real Madrid's La Fabrica academy in the 1990s but did not make a league appearance for the club. Decades earlier, others were contracted to both clubs but only appeared in La Liga for one, including José Mandaluniz.[78][79][80][81]

Jupp Heynckes managed both clubs

Five coaches have been at the helm of both clubs:[82][83]

• Lippo Hertzka
• Antonio Barrios
• Baltasar Albéniz
• Juan Antonio Ipiña
• Jupp Heynckes

The early Madrid player and manager Arthur Johnson is also named by some sources as being manager of Athletic Bilbao,[84] but the club does not include him in the list on their website.[85]