HAVANA (AP):

Nobody thinks the beautiful game is about to run baseball off this Caribbean island, although it's indisputable that Cubans have developed a near-fanatic interest in Messi and Ronaldo, Kaka and Xavi.

That was evident during Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over Barcelona. Fans gathered across the island to watch the Clasico live on television, many ignoring the fact that Cuba's baseball league is closing in on its playoffs.

Reflecting the growing interest, some fans are willing to spend up to $50 for a Real or Barcelona shirt - that's 2 1/2 times the average Cuban's monthly salary - to support their favourite Spanish club.

Real Madrid fan Antonio Tenjido hosted 15 fellow ''football fanatics'' on Saturday to watch his club upset Barcelona at Camp Nou. Tenjido also has organised 16 amateur teams across the capital, which is dotted with fan clubs.

hardcore fans

Among the hardcore fans at Tenjido's bash was 23-year-old student Abel Carrasco, who wore Sergio Ramos' shirt, a Real scarf - and on his right calf a tattoo of Real Madrid's famous crest.

In between shouts of "gol, gol, gol" and "ole, ole, ole" - and shots of vodka and orange juice - there was also lots of good-natured ribbing of the lone Barcelona fan, Pablo Saucedo.

''I wasn't going to miss this,'' Saucedo said. ''Imagine, I have to watch this despite all the others being Real Madrid fans. They're my friends. What am I going to do?''

Football has been setting down roots around the Caribbean with clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona reaching a new fan base. The Spanish league is followed on local television in Cuba, and state television helped the sport grow by telecasting the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The sport also is catching on in places like Venezuela, another baseball-crazy country.