Derby Tracker: El Derbi Madrileño/Madrid Derby
By: AT
Image credit: Ferdinand Stöhr
This derby, between the two most prestigious clubs from Madrid, the capital of Spain, is one of the country’s most known and fierce rivalries, perhaps behind only the famous El Clásico. That said, however, El Derbi Madrileño is undoubtedly Spain’s most fierce local rivalry. Although the two clubs each have their own stadiums — the contemporary Estadio Metropolitano for Atlético and the iconic Santiago Bernabéu for Real Madrid — this derby is a battle to conquer the Spanish capital.
Both clubs were originally founded by student groups. While both clubs boast fanbases worldwide today, historically, people residing in Madrid have generally supported one of the two clubs according to their economic standing. Supporters of Real Madrid were typically in the middle- to upper-classes, whereas supporters of Atlético were predominantly of the working class. While Real Madrid piqued the interests of such supporters as Francisco Franco, Atlético attracted supporters from such working class neighbourhoods (at least at the time) as Vallecas and Arganzuela.
Atlético had originally played in the Madrid district of Vallecas, but then moved to Arguanzuela, where they played at Estadio Vicente Calderón, their former iconic home ground. However, as the Spanish economy and society broadened, and employment and living opportunities opened up to individuals of all classes, both clubs became appealing for supporters from all socio-economic classes. Today, Real Madrid are the most followed football club in the world on social media, boasting 306.5 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok and X/Twitter.
Both clubs became fierce rivals in no time. However, until the 2010s, Real Madrid dominated the derby almost every season. While Real Madrid also became the most successful club in Spain and Europe — which culminated in Real Madrid winning the first (and only) Club of the Century award — Atlético languished in mediocrity, continually suffering heartbreaking results (for example, the 4-0 loss against Bayern Munich in the replay match of the 1973-74 European Cup final) or enduring relegation to Segunda División at the turn of the 21st century.
This continual misery culminated in Atlético becoming known as El pupas (the cursed/jinxed one) by both their opponents and fanbase. However, that curse — and a 14-year winless streak against Real Madrid — snapped in 2013 after Atlético shockingly defeated a star-studded Real Madrid squad in the 2013 Copa del Rey/Spanish cup final by a 2-1 score after extra-time. Since then, owed in part to Diego Simeone’s stewardship as Atlético manager, the rivalry has become consistently competitive, with both clubs duelling in the 2013-14 and the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League (UCL) finals. In another saga of El pupas heartbreaks, Real Madrid defeated Atlético in both UCL finals (4-1 after extra-time in 2014 and on penalties after finishing 1-1 after extra-time in 2016).
Overall, both clubs have played each other 241 times across all competitions, including the match that took place on September 27, 2025. The Madrid Derby record is the following:
123 Real Madrid victories;
60 Atlético Madrid victories; and
58 draws.
The September 27, 2025 match ended in a resounding 5-2 Atlético home victory, courtesy in part of a Julian Álvarez brace in the second half. That victory extended Atlético’s unbeaten streak against their rivals to six matches, equaling a personal record for Simeone, which was previously completed in February 2016. While Simeone faced Real Madrid for the 48th time in his managerial career, newly hired Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso (a former Real Madrid player) faced Atlético for the first time as the manager of Los Blancos.
The next Derbi Madrileño match in LaLiga is scheduled to take place on March 22, 2026. However, on January 8, both clubs will face each other in the 2026 Supercopa de España semifinals at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The winner of that match will duel against either Athletic Club or FC Barcelona in that competition’s final.
