El Derbi madrileño (English: Madrid Derby) is the name given to football matches between Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, both of them from Madrid, Spain.

Real Madrid and Atlético are clubs with contrasting identities and very different fates, a divide similar to the Manchester derby, but far more political. Historically, Real Madrid have long been seen as the establishment club. On the other side, Atlético was always characterized by a "sentimiento de rebeldía" — "a sense of rebellion" — although during the early Francisco Franco years, it was Atlético that was the preferred team of the regime, being associated with the military airforce until the regime's preferences moved towards Real Madrid in the 1950s. Franco sought to make political capital out of Real Madrid's European Cup titles at a time when Spain was internationally isolated; said one minister, "Real Madrid are the best ambassadors we've ever had." Thus, Atlético fans regularly chanted that Real was "el equipo del gobierno, la vergüenza del país" — the team of the government, the shame of the country — and adopted a more left-wing slant (tempered by the rise of ultras culture and Rayo Vallecano's presence as the "true" leftist club in Madrid) to combat the conservative Real fanbase. The Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid's stadium, is majestic, alongside banks and businesses on the classy and aristocratic Paseo de la Castellana street, while the Vicente Calderón can be found beside a brewery along the Manzanares river. Real Madrid draw greater support because of its successes, while Atlético has a more working class fan base, which comes particularly from the south of the city.

James "Jimmy" Conrad (born February 12, 1977, in Arcadia, California) is a retired American soccer defender who last played for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer. During his 13 year MLS career, he was four-time MLS Best XI and the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year. He also earned 27 caps with the United States men's national soccer team and went to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Conrad attended Temple City High School in Temple City, California and was a four-year letterman in soccer. Conrad played at San Diego State University in 1994 and 1995, and then transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles. While playing for UCLA, he was a member of the 1997 NCAA Championship team.

Undrafted by MLS, Conrad had an unsuccessful trial with the Los Angeles Galaxy. However, the Galaxy coaching staff recommended he play for one of their affiliated lower division teams. Consequently, Conrad contacted the now-defunct San Diego Flash of the A-League which gave him a contract. In 1999, Brian Quinn became the head coach of the San Jose Clash. When Quinn began searching for an additional defender and goalkeeper for the Clash, Ralf Wilhelms, head coach of the Flash and a former teammate of Quinn on the San Diego Sockers, recommended Conrad and Flash goalkeeper Joe Cannon. The Clash signed Conrad that year. He played with the club, later re-branded as the Earthquakes, for four seasons, helping them to the MLS Cup in 2001. In 2000, he also played for Lech Poznań in Poland.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,OIH, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.