The Athletic Madrid - Real Madrid rivalry is all about the haves competing with the have-nots. Real Madrid supporters are from the middle and upper classes while the Athletic Madrid fans come from the lower and working classes. Today even though, there is a mixture as far as the fans are concerned, the perceptions still remain.

The two first met on the pitch in 1929 and Real won 2-1.

A real edge was added to the Real Madrid – Athletic Madrid rivalry when they met in the 1959 European Cup semi final. Spain was allowed two teams as Real were the defending champion (at that stage they were still the only champion!) Athletic Madrid finished second in La Liga and so were allowed to compete. 120,000 attended the first leg at the Bernabeu Stadium which Real won 2-1. They fought back from a goal down to win the tie. The return leg drew 50,000 to the Estadio Metropolitana. Athletic Madrid won the tie 1-0 which would have been enough to see them through to the final if away goals were being used, but they weren't so a replay was called for. Real won the replay 2-1 and would go on to win the title again.

When it comes to the Athletic Madrid - Real Madrid rivalry, Athletic has always punched above its weight. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the only team to really give Real a run for its money. In 1965, it became the first visiting team to beat Real since 1957.

Politics gives the Real Madrid – Athletic Madrid rivalry an extra added spice. Real was associated with General Franco and the establishment while Athletic Madrid was the club of the people.

A number of players have played for both Athletic Madrid and Real Madrid. The most notable would be Luis Aragones, Jose Reyes, Hugo Sanchez and Bernd Schuster. For the most part, the two Madrid teams aren't competing for the same players. The disparity between the clubs means that Athletic Madrid is often hoping for the sloppy seconds of Real Madrid. A player moves from Athletic Madrid to Real Madrid when he is on the way up and moves from Real Madrid to Athletic Madrid when he is on the way down. This is how it works when the rivalry is between two teams of unequal power.

The stadiums of both clubs also highlight the disparity between the two Madrid sides. Real Madrid has the imperious Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. It has played host to the World Cup Final, the final of the European Football Championships and three European Cup Finals.

Athletic Madrid's Vicente Calderón Stadium hosted three games in the 1982 World Cup and that’s pretty much it over and above its usual La Liga games.

In many ways it is unfair to compare the two teams because Real Madrid is one of the strongest sporting clubs in the world and while Athletic Madrid is a very good team, it is always going to be in the shadow of Real. In every aspect, it will always be playing catch up to their more renowned counterparts. In a way this means the rivalry is always going to be there, but in another way it's very unfair to Athletic Madrid.

The gulf in wealth and spending power means that Real Madrid is always going to be several steps ahead of Athletic Madrid. But this doesn't bother the Athletic Madrid fans. They get their glory and thrills out of beating Real and supporting whoever else is playing Real. While they may not get the pleasure of always seeing their own team win, part of the Athletic Madrid - Real Madrid rivalry is that they get pleasure by seeing Real Madrid lose.

The Real Madrid – Athletic Madrid rivalry probably means more to the Athletic fans than the Real fans. This is a big deal to the Athletic fans whereas the Real fans have their hands filled worrying about Barcelona and then Juventus, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Just because players don't play for either Madrid team means the Athletic Madrid – Real Madrid rivalry stops becoming relevant. Athletic Madrid sold Fernando Torres to Liverpool. You can be sure that he gained immense pleasure when Liverpool defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League. It is these little things which always maintain the Real Madrid – Athletic Madrid rivalry.

The managers of either side also get into the Athletic Madrid – Real Madrid rivalry. They appreciate how much it means to the side. Athletic Madrid has had coaches such as Arrigo Sacchi, Hector Nunez and Javier Clemente lead them while Real Madrid has been led by the likes of Guus Hiddink, Jupp Heynckes and Fabio Capello.

Who knows where the Athletic Madrid – Real Madrid rivalry is heading. Athletic Madrid last won the league in 1995-96 and before then it was 1976-77. They have won it 9 times in total compared to the 31 times of Real Madrid. To put the trophy cabinets of the two teams side by side would be embarrassing, but that is part of the charm and character of what goes into the Real Madrid – Athletic Madrid rivalry. Sometimes life isn't fair but when Athletic defeats Real, the Athletic Madrid fans feel that all is good and just in the world.