What's this? Support from unlikely sources?

I was just surfing the internet, reading up all sorts of football news as usual. Then I read something which kind of shocked me - the club president, the coach & some players of Real Madrid have said they will be supporting Barcelona in the Champions League!

What??! Real Madrid & FC Barcelona are supposed to be sworn enemies! Both clubs have had years of mutual loathing & animosity. It's like the rivalry between Argentinian club sides River Plate & Boca Juniors. It's like Brazil & Argentina at national team level.

I would have thought that people connected to a given football team wouldn't support that team's most bitter enemies or arch rivals. Normally, u would want to see your arch rivals lose. And yet, it seems that the Real Madrid fraternity actually want to see us win in Europe's premier club competition! All this, after much slagging & mud flinging between both sides during much of the current Spanish season.

One of the Real Madrid players that voiced support for Barcelona, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, said Barcelona was his favourite team when he was a kid in the Netherlands. The Real coach, Bernd Schuster, was a former Barcelona player & apparently he even still holds club membership with FC Barcelona. As for the Real Madrid club president Ramon Calderon, he said he will support Barcelona in the Champions League because he is good friends with Barcelona club president Joan Laporta. So perhaps they had valid reasons for lending their support.

I was a tad amused by this unusual & unlikely support. A display of sportsmanship? Perhaps. Or perhaps, it could it be that they are a bit jealous that Barcelona are still in the Champions League while Real didn't even make the quarter-finals, & therefore see Barcelona's continued participation in the tournament as the embodiment of everything that their own club has failed to live up to. Actually, I shouldn't gloat like that, because I do respect Real Madrid & they are miles ahead of Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga standings. So, I'd say they are still better than us, despite being eliminated earlier from the Champions League.

But anyway, back to the unusual & unlikely support. It'll be interesting to see how this would go down with the Real Madrid fans. Although I have seen posts by some Real Madrid fans saying they would like to see Barcelona win the Champions League, because Barcelona are Spain's sole representative in the Champions League & they want to see a Spanish side do well become champions of Europe. Ah, that's it - national pride & solidarity, the reason that most Spanish football fans would be willing Barcelona on tomorrow against Manchester United. Hey, the feeling is mutual - although I'm a Barcelona fan, I would support Real Madrid if they play Manchester United. In fact, I'd support any Spanish side against Manchester United....

No doubt the Real Madrid fraternity will look at Barca's Champions League game tomorrow with envious eyes, wishing that their side are still in the competition. But hey, if they want to support us, they are welcome to. Go ahead, do as they please. Not that we need their support. And, of course, those Real people would support Barcelona only in Europe, & only because no other Spanish side remain. They won't support Barcelona if they were playing another Spanish side. Next month, Barcelona will have to travel to Madrid to play Real in el clasico. The Real fraternity surely will not wish Barca well then, will they! I'm sure in the lead up to el clasico, the slagging & mud flinging between the clubs will have well & truly resumed!