On September 29, Atlético Madrid played Real Madrid, tying the game 1-1 in the 95th minute. The match was paused for about 20 minutes midway through the second half due to significant disruptions from a group of radical Atlético fans. Members from the group, known as Frente Atlético, or the ultras, threw objects at the Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as he celebrated his team’s goal.
Real opened the scoring in the second half, with Brazilian defender Eder Militao finding the net in the 54th minute. As defeat seemed imminent for Atlético, Angel Correa managed to score a stunning equalizer. However, shortly after, Atlético’s Marcos Llorente received a red card, forcing the team to play with ten men for the final 20 minutes.
This match is known as the Derbi Madrileño or the Madrid Derby because both teams pay homage to the city of Madrid in their names. Historically, Real holds more victories, although Atlético holds the highest-scoring game in the rivalry, beating Real 7-3 in the International Champions Cup.
This rivalry traces back to their first official game in 1906. Real Madrid won that game 2-1. A notable clash occurred in 1916 when the two teams met in the Madrid regional championship final. The match was abandoned with Real Madrid leading 3-1 as fan clashes erupted in the stands. Real dominates the statistics, with Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo holding the records for most appearances and most goals in the derby, respectively.
Historically, Real Madrid is known as being one of the greatest teams in soccer history. They have won 36 La Liga titles, with their first in 1931 and their most recent in the 2023-24 season. Real has also won 20 Copa del Rey titles, 13 Supercopa de España, one Copa Eva Duarte and one Copa de la Liga, plus a record 31 trophies in international play (8 FIFA World Cups, 15 Champions League titles, six UEFA Super Cups and two UEFA Europa league titles).
Real is the only team to win three consecutive Champions League titles, doing so in both the 1950s and 2010s. In June 2024, they won their 15th Champions League title, extending their record as the team with the most Champions League victories and becoming the first European club to win 100 trophies across all competitions. Their last Champions League title came from a dominant 2-0 victory against German giants Borussia Dortmund.
One of their former players, Cristiano Ronaldo, holds second place for most goals scored in the Champions League, excluding qualifying rounds, with a staggering 105. The top Champions League scorer for a single team is Lionel Messi, with 120 goals. Ronaldo is also the player with the most appearances for Real Madrid in the Champions League, with 183 appearances under his name.
Atlético Madrid has never won a Champions League title, but it is the only team ever to reach three Champions League finals and not win the trophy. Their player with the most goals scored in the League is the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, and their player with the most Champions League appearances is the Spaniard Koke. Atlético’s impressive trophy collection includes 11 La Liga titles, six UEFA Super Cup titles, three Europa league titles, three Spanish Super Cups, 10 Spanish Cup titles, two Intercontinental Cups, one Copa Eva Duarte and one second-tier Spanish championship title.
