For Michael Laudrup, arriving in Spain was a bit of a footballing culture shock.
The legendary Dane signed with Barcelona in 1989 after starring at Italian giant Juventus for four seasons. While the soccer was at the level he expected, he wasn't prepared for the fans prioritizing a rivalry match over winning the league.
"At that time, internationally [Barcelona] was not a big club. Madrid was the club. No. 1, by far, in Spain," Laudrup told DAZN. "When you come to a place, and the most important thing for them is to beat the rival, I understand what they mean but, for me the most important thing — if you're a top team — is to win trophies."
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Laudrup had to adjust to a league in which the biggest rivalry overshadowed everything else. El Clasico was just that important to the locals.
"The one or two games before the Clasico are more difficult [than El Clasico itself], because [the fans] don't care about these games," Laudrup explained. "One or two weeks before, they start to talk [about El Clasico]. Of course, you meet people all over — and it's in Madrid or Barcelona, or wherever it is — they only talk about this game."
After five years with the Catalan club, Laudrup had learned to fully appreciate the intensity of El Clasico as a rivalry.
His education on the issue would only be furthered when he made the controversial step of changing sides, joining Madrid in 1994.
"To be honest, it was not so nice for me when I came back with the Real Madrid shirt the first year, to Camp Nou," Laudrup said. "Because we could win league that day if we won against Barcelona. And 100,000 [fans], they were booing me every time I touched the ball. It was not the nicest."
The 53-year-old is now a coach in Qatar, but he has enjoyed watching El Clasico grow from a regional rivalry into the biggest match in club soccer. He attributes the explosion in popularity to the team's superstars, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
"You have the two best players competing," Laudrup said. "In my time, it was in Spain. Everybody talked about this game. But nowadays it's different. Now it's the whole world."
Watch the full interview with Michael Laudrup below:
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