El Clasico. The biggest football match on Earth. Has been for a long time now.

Even if La Liga is at its worse, even if the galactic players of old are absent, even if the managers prowling the touchline are inadequate, the dancing of Blanco and Blaugrana never fails to capture the imagination.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona, as a football match had its bright spots from time to time, either side of the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. Much like any football match featuring two teams from two colossal cities. As the dictatorship of General Franco took its stranglehold on the country, the Clasico was most notable for the differing politics of the two clubs, and by association two cities, than anything on the pitch.

The Catalan versus The Castilian.

It is the work of one man, and the most important transfer in the history of the sport, that the rivalry ascended to the plains it did. Alfredo di Stefano’s transfer to Real Madrid changed not just Madrid, Barcelona and Spain, but the entirety of football from the second half of the 20th century onwards. This film hopes to explain why.

00:00 – Introduction
01:25 – A Quick History
10:45 – Alfredo di Stefano
14:15 – “Nos Lo Robaron”
22:05 – The Rise of Real
34:55 – Legacy

Voice: Jake Doyle
Words: Jake Doyle
Edit: Jake Doyle

What If Football is a form of footballing storytelling that takes the audience down a different path to our current reality.

What If Football covers football in all forms, from the Premier League to the Champions League, European football and the EFL as well as international tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships.

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