On Oct. 26, the most recent El Clásico took place in Madrid. El Clásico refers to any game between Spanish clubs Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona. It is one of the most intense rivalries in the world of sports, and to attend a game is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many soccer fans grow up dreaming of. One of these fans, Berenice Lopez ’26, was lucky enough to secure her ticket in October while studying abroad in Córdoba, Spain, and The Wellesley News wanted to highlight her experience witnessing one of the most anticipated games of the year.

TWN: Hi Berenice! Which team do you support and how long have you been a supporter?

BL: Barca! I have been a fan since I was very young. Since I could remember, I would watch games with my dad and my brother on the TV. I feel like I was raised a soccer fan. I played all throughout middle school and high school and literally all of my family plays soccer as well. It’s a very big part of my Mexican-Guatemalan heritage. 

TWN: What was the process of getting a ticket like?

BL: So stressful. I’m grateful I went to the game with my friend Rose who is also so passionate about soccer because I feel like it was a process you don’t go through unless you REALLY want to go. We used this website, Viagogo, that was pretty easy to use but the process of getting the ticket was the hard part. We wanted digital tickets but because of the high demand of the game, Real Madrid fans were renting their season passes. So instead of tickets, we were using someone’s card pass. We had to get those hand-delivered and also had to return them to the seller after the game. It seemed very sketchy to us but we learned it’s very common for the biggest games. 

TWN: Describe your game day experience.

BL: It was so exciting. We went to Madrid very early from Córdoba because we wanted to take our time making our way to the stadium and see what a home game looked like in Madrid. Vibes were amazing. The whole area around the stadium was packed and lively. And there were people from literally everywhere. So many different accents and languages in the same place all wearing the white Real Madrid shirts. Personally, as a Barcelona fan, I had to be undercover in a Real Madrid shirt because sadly…  these events can get people really worked up and aggressive. But I really didn’t mind what jersey I was wearing because I got to watch some of my favorite players in real life with my own two eyes. And it was beautiful to see the way soccer brought people together and to experience this with my friend who loves soccer the way I do. 

TWN: What was your favorite moment of the game?

BL: Definitely watching Lamine Yamal score his first goal in a clásico! He is the youngest player to ever score in a clásico. It was so surreal. I’m such a fan of his. He is so young, yet so skilled, and it’s genuinely impressive and inspirational. Especially because of how action packed the second half of the game was, it felt like a Barca-fan dream. His goal was the third of the half and it made me so happy and full of hope because my team was winning. It was like an adrenaline rush which was also so different from how Madrid fans were reacting around me. A lot of them were leaving by that point. 

TWN: What has the El Clásico experience meant to you?

BL: Everything. My dad is the biggest soccer fan I know and that is where my love for soccer comes from. I got to see his team play and win and I truly wish he could have the experience one day as well. In a way, I was experiencing it for him and it made it that much more special. It was a dream come true and I could not be more grateful for the absolute blessing it was to be there. 

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Julee Sharma, Katie McCabe